When Labor leader Anthony Albanese dumped his party’s franking credits policy, the mainstream media duly trotted out the “retiree tax” line. “Subsidies to wealthy superannuants to continue” doesn’t have quite the same ring.
Franking credits
The Australian Labor Party began looking ever more like the Coalition-lite when Anthony Albanese dumped the franking credits policy that many had pointed to as contributing significantly to Labor’s 2019 election loss. The mastheads wasted no time trotting out the “retiree tax” line that had dominated the conversation.
“Subsidies to wealthy superannuants to continue” just doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. As businessman Dick Smith noted, he was ‘so horrified’ by the amount of his cash rebate that he called for the scheme to be means tested. With an estimated net worth north of $50 million, Smith received $500,000 and $250,000 in consecutive financial years from the government.
Would you bite the hand that feeds you?
The mainstream media were willing recipients of the huge advertising spend by the federal government.
After spending $136 million on advertising in the first half of 2019 – the total amount Labor spent in the whole of 2012 – and another $160 million in the 2019-2020 financial year, the Prime Minister announced another $75 million taxpayer funded ad-blitz to promote the Covid-recovery plan.
While maximising the uptake of the vaccine was listed as a primary goal of the advertising campaign, the Prime Minister potentially undermined public confidence in the Covid-19 vaccine.
With the government paying exorbitant sums directly to media companies to promote its policies, has the government also found an indirect way to fund the languishing mainstream media? Full marks to the Coalition for its business nous.
Meanwhile, a hugely important story – an exclusive interview about the updated vaccine rollout schedule with Health Minister Greg Hunt – went to the tabloid The Daily Telegraph, which promptly hid it behind a paywall.
Surely such important information should be available to all. And contrast this with the synchronous drops of every other major announcement to all media outlets.
Feeding the Chooks: Scott Morrison’s marketing triumph over mainstream media
And then the Coalition was only too happy to facilitate News Corp’s double-dipping into taxpayers’ money.
The Coalition gave Foxtel $30 million to televise women’s and underrepresented sport. News Corp then charged the ABC up to $105,000 to televise three Matildas’ games. Despite this double dipping, the Coalition proceeded to give Foxtel a further $10 million of taxpayers’ money. Extraordinary.
What’s more
Dr Janet Albrechtsen at The Australian seems to have discovered a niche market. And there’s a simple formula to determine who the coverage will favour: Liberal (i.e. Gladys Berejiklian, “Aussie Squad”) = good; not-Liberal (Norman Swan, the ABC, Anthony Albanese, Ita Buttrose, Sarah Hanson-Young, Paul Brereton, progressives – “The Assembly of Wokeness”, Kevin Rudd, Malcolm Turnbull, the team behind that Four Corners episode) = bad.
Albrechtsen’s attacks on Dr Norman Swan seem particularly personal. “Sinecure Swan, who has been on the public payroll since 1982 … is comfortably insulated from the costs of rolling lockdowns.”
Furthermore, “Swan’s role as doomsday activist reveals how easy it is to demand a lockdown when you are protected from the costs of that policy.”
Michael Tanner is completing a Doctor of Medicine/Doctor of Philosophy. His writing explores the intersection of economics, the media and public health. His writing has also been published in The Age. Michael’s Twitter handle is @MichaelTanner_
Comments
40 responses to “The ALP – the Australian Liberal-lite Party”
Any Labor leader is and will be confronted with an onslaught from media, while LNP leaders e.g. Morrison acting out ‘leadership’ as a PR construct, get the ‘teflon’ treatment by the same.
The electorate is conservative and easily scared, as we see every day with the Covid hysteria. I agreed with the pragmatic Graham Richardson that the combination of negative gearing and franked credits provided too much fodder for frightening the horses . One or the other might have worked. Chris Bowen’s take it or leave it went down like a tonne of bricks. Bob Brown’s Queensland tour was a disaster for Labor and a waste of time for the Greens. It was close, all the same. Australia is not so starkly divided as America but it is a difficult task to stitch together enough votes for a majority and Bill Shorten nearly got there. I am a member of the ALP and I will not support a leadership change before next year’s election.
Jerry when you got to Richo i spilt my cup of Bushells. For christ sake (i invoke the savior advisedly) whenever did that waste of humanity ever have anything worthwhile to add? The last time he spoke to a member of the working class was when he tipped the parking valet at his expensive golf club. Perhaps the biggest parasite to ever disgrace the ALP. And that is saying something. Pragmatic? Sure if that means getting a developer mate to pay for your hookers on the Gold Coast. One of Tame Tony’s constituent’s Range Rovers driven by a kid, may have made the decision for the ALP. I wish the old mild bloke well in his speedy recovery. But a Range Rover in Annandale clipping the inner city messiah does have some irony to it. In a working class constituency the kid would have been riding a stolen Malvern Star.
Apart from disagreeing with your ingrained inverted snobbery, I wholly agree with your assessment of ‘Richo’ ( the diminutive does not denote social empathy ), who is a classic example of the multi-faceted opportunist turncoat.
Everything that he did was done for his personal benefit.
In my theory those who add an an “O” to the diminutive are jokers and not to he taken seriously. As in Bozo the Clown, Jacko (the footballer) and famously Groucho, Harpo (his real name was Adolph – and you reckon you had problems), Chico, Gummo and Zeppo. Anyone with any nous does not put an “O” on their diminutive. Of course Timid Tony calls himself Albo. The prosecution rests.
Sadly wrong again. In any council clean up there are scores of Malvern Stars along with all of the other detritus of unrestrained consumption. The great irony is the obliviousness of your “working class” to the reality that without a class conscious union leadership in the early part of the last century which capitalised on the shortage of labour, our lot would now be in the same boat as their contemporaries in Chile and the like.
As things are, despite Medicare, the NDIS, 4 weeks annual leave and the object lesson of iCare, they seemingly can’t wait to vote Tory and plunder their Super – maybe that’s where the Range Rover came from?
In my theoretical working class constituency the kid stole the bike. I agree with you warmly regarding the necessity of a class conscious union leadership. I suspect the Rover was driven by the scion of a Tree Tory. Probably Dad is in money “management” and Mum is an “intellectual property” law lecturer at UNSW. Just a theory.
You are confusing the politics with the politicians, Stilts. They are all compromised by the time they get to the Parliament, or get endorsement, for that matter. My comment at the time was that most of us did not know the difference between frank credit and Frank Sinatra. Personally, I would have gone with the negative gearing which was comparatively easy to explain. Labor Lite is not the problem. The killer was Labor Neoliberal Heavy and that rot started when Hawke replaced Hayden. Economic rationalism was in the air, or the water supply, and we would have copped it with Hayden too but as a former copper he would have been more cautious with the big end of town.
Spot on Jerry. The rot did start with Hawke. Astute theory on Hayden. Jim Cairns was a former copper as well. Hawke was basically an errand boy for Abeles and Pratt. Hayden didnt have those capitalist paymasters. Hawke was a hopeless gambler. He visited Wollongong when he was ACTU secretary in the 60’s, slept on the couch of Ted Harvey the Labour Council secretary and bit everyone who extended a hand of greeting. There are blokes in Wollongong he still owes a quid. Left a 25 million estate.
You have a wealth of insider knowledge, Stilts. I am not the only outsider who noticed that Bob and Sir Peter enjoyed a close, long-term relationship. As I recall, Sir Peter called in a favour when the pilots went on strike. I am not aware of a move but it is possible. The stardust twins — Tanya and Jim — most likely have more appeal to younger suburbanites. Tanya is the most photogenic of our politicians since Cheryl Kernot led the Democrats. The television cameras loved Cheryl’s face. Whatever it is, she had it — until she joined the ALP. Then it was gone.
Personally, for what its worth i may suggest that the Wong woman would run rings around the lot of them. Smart as a whip, scholarship girl and despite being christened Penelope calls herself Penny (passes the diminutive test). She has all the attributes of an outstanding Labor leader. Very gentle on the old eyes as well (not that that is important of course).
I have thought for a while that she is the best all-rounder in the Parliament. She thinks before she speaks and has a good grasp of the issues.
“Subsidies to wealthy superannuants to continue”
Labor had no plans to end those: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/how-labor-can-t-touch-these-multimillionaires-and-their-franking-credits-20190517-p51obt.html
Thank you Michael for another enjoyable and informative read, your diligence and insight is appreciated!
Mr Tanner; thanks. Looks mostly right from where I sit.
A recent example you might consider is national emergency declaration legislation – wildly popular with most at the Australian, bring out the troops! etc – which Labor supported supposedly because it does nothing. And a promise it would be examined by a Committee once passed. Lazy is hardly the word. Negligent, craven?
My one exception is on you comment re Albrechtsen/ Swan. My reading of that was a criticism of the latter pushing particular barrows through what appear to be loose arguments and a predetermined position – unlike the considered expertise in Pearls of Prof Dwyer etc – in the guise of reporting facts. I (reluctantly!) think Albrechtsen’s critisism of that is more than fair, as is the criticism of no, or few, countervailing views on the ABC from people with equal or greater health and social expertise. An implicit critisism was also of the ABC not pursuing its information role – for example saying which places in a particular area are subject to advice to get tested. Like advice on bushfires.
The saving grace of the ABC in the last fireseason was its providing emergency advice. The opinions of its ‘personalities’ on matters such as policies to mitigate climate change, or for the Commonwealth to declare national emergencies, are a far less valuable product and not so easily differentiated from what is available commercially. Ditto Swan’s opinions. As Albrechtsen noted.
Regards
The time for governance by Sortition is well overdue.
These career, fulltime professional politicians are completely removed from the realities of everyday life, even more than the public service bureaucrats who we routinely excoriate.
They so very rarely actually represent the needs and wishes of their electorates.
As the only broad sheet newspaper left in circulation, I buy The Australian because it is the perfect size to line the bottom of my cockatoo’s cage.
I use purloined, unread copies from the local laundromat.
There is always a plentiful supply.
Well you would have to clean the bottom of the cage more especially if the cockatoo could read!
h had to change papers because Sweetheart the rabbit took great offence to the content and ripped it to shreds. except for the crossword.
Is there another ‘Gough Whitlam visionary’ in the ALP and, in which house does she sit?
Having a quick look at the factions and members of both the left and right, IMHO the ones that stand out as true ‘independents’ of their thinking are Tanya Pilbersek, Linda Burney, Anne Aly, Penny Wong, and Kristina Keneally.
Tanya, Kristina I’d offer a Penny with either.
Indeed.
I think ‘independents’ should be far removed from Zionist influence – how many of the above have done the Hasbara tour of Palestine/Israel?
The problem which Gough faced was an anti-intellectual party too strongly wedded to its working class male traditions. A modern Gough would see a party with no roots and no principles, and move on.
The great man had a keen eye on the cynicism of the “working class” sell-outs of the ALP. He was a guest speaker at one of the AWU “national conferences” held annually on the Gold Coast. These grog tsunami, free tucker and union credit card hooker fests would put Rome under Nero to shame. Gough addressing the delegates said: “Comrades, we are a long way from the shearing sheds.”
Anyone who knows Albanese well knows that he a rank opportunist. He merchandises his ‘working class” cred with an endless yarn about his dear old mum in the housing department flats and the Rabbitohs (they deserve each other) whilst the sweat of honest work has never troubled his brow. A complete fake whose one trick in politics is triangulation. Which for Anthony (if he is so working class how come he doesnt call himself Tony?) means a consistent sell out of the left. This old hack needs to be put out to pasture if the ALP has any chance of beating the Libs.
“Why doesn’t he call himself Tony?” The problem Labor has described perfectly in the question.
Could anyone imagine a Michael Young, Robert Hawke, Xavier Connor and Jackson (two greats from my neck of the woods), Thomas Uren, John Ferguson, Herbert Evatt, Benjamin Chifley, William Hayden, the rat William Hughes, Edward Theodore, James Cairns and even Carr, a man who has never kicked, caught or thrown a ball in anger or pleasure, called himself Bob.
Our demise has coincided with the emergence of the Gareths, (would have gone gang busters with Gary) Kims, (hopeless what ever the useless fat bludger was called), Julias (what happened to Julie?), Richards (for heavens sake why not Dick Marles?) and the most appalling of all – Kimberly (Kimmy Kitching has reduced us to a new depths of US slavishness). She is known around the traps as KKK.
Tame Tony should be punted purely on the basis of his failure to use the diminutive.
What’s in a name? Thanks for the laugh. Certainly needed, tired of feeling po’d.
All very well Skilts except that anti Labor has long since expropriated the patois of the Aussie “working class” and a huge proportion of Labor support comes, and has since Whitlam, from an educated, cosmopolitan demographic which is not so fond of the ocker myth stuff that you sentimentalise so.
An ever growing proportion of the “Tonys”, “Blueys” and “Snowys” are more in thrall than ever to the Right courtesy of near monopoly MSM and in even the poorest electorates, if anti Labor doesn’t win, 40%+ vote for it regardless of their own economic interests. Diminutives aren’t gonna help that unfortunately.
It was the ALP that left the working class not the other way round. And how come you aren’t a Terry? I rest my case.
Not true. There was never any pronounced class consciousness. We have been arguably aspirational from the get go. The irony is that the Unions were/are responsible for reforms which made many of us too well off. See the last result in Fitzgibbon’s electorate, the electoral desert that Labor faced in the 50s and 60s and the success of slogans like “class warfare” and “the politics of envy”. The reality is that the majority is working class or the modern version of it but lacking any class consciousness. The median wage is around $46K FGS.
I take it you have never worked in a steelworks, biscuit factory or a coal mine if you reckon there was never any class consciousness. The ALP sold out their constituency under the Hawke, Keating and Kelty ascendancy, the unholy trinity. When Hawke used the air force to scab on the air pilots strike with the blessing of Kelty, in support of Hawke’s paymaster Abeles, the party was on a terminal downhill slide as a party based in a class constituency. The modern ALP is now not even a social democratic party much less socialist. It is a pale centrist variant on the Libs. Led by a timid fixer who thinks politics is jostling with the Tree Tories in the inner city of Melbourne and Sydney. Can anyone really define what the ALP under Timid Tony is and what it stands for? I am open to suggestions.
I suppose my central criticism, Stilts, is that the ALP and British Labour, American Democrats etc gave up too easily on social democracy and accepted neoliberalism too readily. It is hard to fight back. Bill Shorten appeared to be trying to ever-so-slightly steer to the left. I thought he went closer to the Greens than necessary on the climate rhubarb and that may be a reflection on his location in Melbourne.
As a Terry (“Tekka” actually) I worked on the Callide Valley power station build and in a copper mine in Rum Jungle back in the day and in school holidays in the 50s at EMI in Homebush opposite Arnotts (near enough to the biscuits) where I first experienced the Capo like behaviour of factory leading hands.
I am also no apologist for the ALP though I do think that it can only be as progressive as our power elite will allow. Whitlam showed me that.
My argument is with your fanciful “deserted” Aussie working class. I doesn’t exist in the way that you assert. The Dream Factory has made it redundant – a Lazzaroti as Engles dubbed those who were devoid of a class consciousness and consequently useless in revolutionary terms.
You remember the Arnotts factory. I withdraw and apologise.
And therin lies a major wart on the nose of the so-called “working class” – inverted snobbery.
Shallow, petty, picky and imbued with excesses of Dunning-Kruger syndrome.
I speak as the son of a builders’ labourer and a nursing assistant; one possibly more familiar with the trials and tribulations of poverty and disadvantage than the average over-paid and under performing cashed-up bogan who reckons that they’re “working class”.
I’ve also had to handle the dissing by the ignorant and dismissive for my own naming as a “Nigel”.
I recommend pulling your head out of your arse before commenting further on topics like this one.
Mate it was a poor attempt at satire. No offense meant. I must confess Nigel would be a problem. I consider it an outlier in my theory if that helps. The number of sons of BL’s called Nigel you could count on one hand.