Hidden Agendas in Media No Spin Zone

Hidden Agendas, originally uploaded by ddbsweasel.

Sunrise, in their ‘No Spin Zone’ with allegedly opinion free Mark Riley discussed the issue of pork barreling in that report. One can learn a lot from that Spin Free Zone. Apparently, no funding has gone to any ALP held seat. Apparently, the ALP don’t pork barrel. There was that ACT White Board affair which the Conservatives made into a scare campaign which they, no doubt will now regret.

However, regardless of you accepting that Sunrise might actually be spinning tales in favour of the ALP, I think you will find that the truth is different. The Conservatives hold more seats, and so naturally will accrue more funds, which is precisely why we hold free and fair elections. Just because the ALP have not held federal government is not a good reason to claim they no longer pork barrel. In fact, one glaring example is that square km, one km high convection wind tunnel that is promised every state election by an eastern seaboard Australian State ALP Government in every election campaign since 1999. The report is clearly inflated and political, but it says the right things to be reported, unlike those issues of mine ..

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Update.
Mr Howard has addressed the issue, comprehensively. He points out that the proposal acceptance rate across all the parties and electorates was the same.

It is outrageous that the body of the Auditor should make a political statement nine days out from an election. Overnight polling shos that the media repeated lie is haveing an effect.
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Update, from Mr Bolt
"Lateline frames Tony Abbott, using Labor footage:


Health Minister Tony Abbott has defended himself after being caught on camera conceding that workers have lost protections under WorkChoices.

The amateur recording was aired on the ABC’s Lateline program last night.

First of all, gosh, who knew WorkChoices pared back some protections?

But more important is this: This video, which Labor gave to the ABC, was doctored, removing some qualifications Abbott gave and splicing two quotes together to make his “admission” seem more damning. Compare what the video has Abbott saying with what the transcript produced by his office records:

The video:

I accept that certain protections, in inverted commas, are not what they were.

I accept that that has largely gone. I accept that.

The transcript:

I accept that certain “protections” - in inverted commas - are not what they were. That whole raft of regulation expressed in awards that sometimes ran into hundreds, even thousands of pages, I accept that that has largely gone. I accept that. I accept that the Industrial Relations Commission doesn’t have the same power to reach into the nook and cranny of every business that it used to have. I accept that.

But in the end, the best protection for the worker who feels he or she might be under pressure at his job is the chance of another job, the chance of a better job. That is the best protection. Not going off to some judge or Industrial Commission that might order your employer, who you don’t like and he doesn’t like you, to keep you in an unhappy partnership forever.

So that is the best protection that we can give people, the protection of an abundance of jobs, the protection of an economy which is crying out for more workers. That is the best protection and I think that has been delivered in spades locally and nationally.

Lateline should apologise for falling for this crude propaganda. And Labor should be ashamed."