Shadow Environment Minster, and former rock star, Peter Garret made an unremarkable statement the other day, and is back-pedalling hard as a result. When asked by centre right radio broadcaster how the ALP will behave in government, considering how many ‘me too’s they have tossed around recently (26 at one count, two weeks into the election campaign), Garret replied “We’ll just forget all about them and do what we please.”
Garret now claims his throw away line was a joke. Left wing media have labelled Steve Price as a right wing shock jock for repeating the joke as a statement. The Prime Minister has weighed in, pointing out the risky nature of a vote for the ALP. The ALP’s chief, Mr Rudd, has accepted Garret’s apology for a poor joke, but hasn’t explained to the Australian people why he should be believed when he has opposed every single policy initiative the government has made, but has campaigned by copying over 90% of the promised budget.
What most concerns me is the role of the media in this brouhaha. Following the NSW state election in March, I used the change of government to bring up three important issues to the new administration:
• The death of a school boy and the apparent cover up of detail from investigators.
• The bungling of a paedophile investigation.
• The harassment of a public servant.
I told the minister that if my issues were not addressed, I would resign and tell my story to the media. The previous year, I had deleted 2.5 million words and images from my blogs in order to keep my job. I have lost the words and images, but I can rebuild them. The minister called my bluff, and I resigned.
I contacted the media and was told they would look at the issue. After my resignation, the ones who had promised to look at the issue, did not return any calls or emails. Thing is, my criticism is of an ALP government (left wing), not the conservative government (centre right).
How many other stories are never reported which are critical of ALP administrations?
Almost four months have passed since my resignation, and despite much effort, the story has yet to break in the news. The school boy is not coming back to life, but those involved in the death still retain their substantive positions. The alleged paedophile no longer works as a teacher in NSW, rumour has it they went to teach in Nepal, where their methods were accepted, but those responsible for bungling the investigation are still in charge of children. Those that harassed the public servant out of their position retain positions of responsibility.
The cost to me is in the order of tens of thousands of dollars.
Peter Garret has publicly asked for Steve Price to be blacklisted.
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Note Garret's t shirt 'Whats your excuse' lol.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
When the truth is a joke
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Garrett admits he was 'dumb'
from news.com.au
FEDERAL Labor star Peter Garrett has admitted he was dumb to tell broadcaster Steve Price the opposition would change its policies once it won government.
Mr Price, a right-wing Sydney shock jock, yesterday told listeners he had a discussion in an airport lounge with Mr Garrett in which the former rock star said Labor's "me-too'' policies which mirror the government's would disappear once Labor won power at the November 24 election.
Today Mr Garrett reiterated his excuse, saying the conversation was "jocular'' but admitted he had been dumb to have the conversation in the first place.
"It was probably a dumb thing to have done,'' Mr Garrett told reporters at a shopping centre in his Sydney electorate of Kingsford Smith.
"Certainly the way in which it's now carrying on around the country is a clear indication that we won't be having any more conversations with Steve Price in an airport lounge or anywhere else for that matter.''
Mr Garrett said he had spoken with Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd today.
"We reckon that we will have better policies and good policies to take to people at the election - but for the moment I accept responsibility for cracking a joke at the wrong time and the wrong place,'' Mr Garrett said.
"On that basis I've said to Kevin 'Hey mate, sorry for the stuff-up' and now we'll just get on with the job at hand.''
The government has jumped on the conversation as evidence Labor could not be trusted.
Prime Minister John Howard said today he did not think Mr Garret's remarks were a joke or a gaffe and they showed the Labor party would form a radical and risky government.
"What he's done is confirm the suspicions so many of us have had for so long and that is the me-tooism is nothing more than a dodgy strategy to get elected,'' Mr Howard told reporters in Darwin today.
"It's all sweetness and light in the campaign but once they get in it'll be a radical, risky alternative.''
Mr Howard said: "You don't joke about what your intentions are in government three weeks out from the election.
"That's just, altogether, unbelievable.
"What Mr Garrett has done is belled the cat. He's told the truth.''
Mr Howard said voters should be concerned because the Labor environment spokesman was not a bit player in the opposition and had been leader Kevin Rudd's constant companion in the past week.
"What he's had to say is of profound significance in the election campaign.
"The truth of the matter is they do have a real secret agenda.''
The prime minister said Labor's attempt to deceive people that it had policies like the coalition was not comparable to him not revealing his Work Choices reforms before the last election.
"People have known that I have been committed to workplace relations reform all of my political life.
"Everybody knows that.''
Garrett's gaffe was no joke
By Steve Price
It was no joke. The Chairman's Lounge is a separate frequent flyers lounge away from the crowded normal Qantas Club.
As its name implies, the people given access to it are approved by the Qantas chairman, Margaret Jackson.
I have been a Chairman's Lounge member since 2002.
On Friday I checked in for a flight to Sydney, leaving Melbourne at 10am, after a dinner the night before to look back at the ownership of 2UE and Melbourne's 3AW by the media company Southern Cross.
About 9.40am I turned around and saw Richard Wilkins from the Today show standing near the entrance desk with Labor's environment spokesman, Peter Garrett.
The former lead singer of Midnight Oil is a hard man to miss, especially for someone as short as me.
I stood up and went over and said hello to Richard, and introduced myself to Garrett.
I have interviewed him on radio several times but have never spoken to him in the studio or met him socially.
The conversation was brief and pleasant. The end result was an election campaign grenade that went off on Friday and that might still take some casualties with it.
Holding a copy of the Melbourne Herald Sun with a front-page treatment about Kevin Rudd playing "me too" politics and copying the Coalition's election promises, I said to Garrett that it was turning into the "me too" election.
With a straight face he replied that that would not matter because "once we get in we'll just change it all".
I just looked at him, said nothing and walked off.
I didn't ask what he meant or engage in any other conversation.
That just seemed the end of what he wanted to say, so Richard and I went and sat down to wait for our plane.
The first thing I said to Richard was: "Did he say what I thought he said?"
Sure did, mate, he said it all right, said Richard, which made me think that he had found the comment as odd as I did.
He has since said he thought it a jocular remark in response to a cheeky question.
Richard, I am sure, didn't think any more of it until the media sharks began circling on Friday afternoon wanting his version of events.
You see, a lot of the rest of the media would like to believe this didn't happen or, as a rival radio station presenter tried to suggest, it was Price "big noting himself".
Well, it did happen and I hardly need to big note myself - I have three hours a day, five days a week where I can do that.
One TV news executive, in a brief mobile phone conversation, said it was hard to believe - unless I outed the third person present.
Because, you see, having a witness to this conversation is very important.
We are in the middle of a very dirty and aggressive election campaign.
I wasn't prepared to identify Richard Wilkins because it put him in a difficult position.
It wasn't his decision to report what had been said in an on-the-record blunder by Garrett, so it really wasn't his problem.
In the end, Garrett's office must have told the rest of the media Richard was there - hoping to minimise the damage, from their point of view.
But the damage was done by their own boss, who confirmed the details of the conversation, as did Richard.
The decision to make public what happened before jumping on QF422 back to Sydney on Friday was an easy one.
I had identified myself as Steve Price from Radio 2UE and had asked a direct question of a high-profile star Labor candidate who in three weeks time might be in charge of Australia's environment.
I got a direct, surprising and even naive and silly response to a straight question.
I was not being cheeky, as Richard says - I was being me.
And does anyone think I would be dumb enough not to report the end result?
Steve Price is on 2UE weekdays between 3pm and 6pm.
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