Comments on: The ABC and Australia’s strategic policy — playing our part http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/11/06/the-abc-and-australia%e2%80%99s-strategic-policy-playing-our-part/ now with extra source Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:47:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Tom McLoughlin http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/11/06/the-abc-and-australia%e2%80%99s-strategic-policy-playing-our-part/#comment-45031 Tom McLoughlin Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:27:53 +0000 http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/11/06/the-abc-and-australia%e2%80%99s-strategic-policy-playing-our-part/#comment-45031 The Greens have issued this presser yesterday: Govt must investigate oil impacts on Indonesian fishers - Greens release video footage by Indonesian fishers of oil-like substance and dying fish MEDIA RELEASE - Tuesday 10 November 2009 The Australian Greens have reiterated their calls for the Rudd Government to immediately send investigators to Indonesia to look into claims of impacts from the Montara oil spill on Indonesian fishing communities. "The DVD sent to us this week by the West Timor Care Foundation is just one of many reports in the past several weeks about impacts of the oil spill on the people of Indonesia," the Greens Marine Issue Spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert said. "Today, we again call on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to publicly commit to investigating these claims, including testing samples of oil that have been collected in Indonesian waters to determine whether the oil has come from the Montara leak. "The video appears to show that oil is impacting on legal fishing grounds for Indonesian fishers. "We have also heard reports of oil much closer to the Indonesian coast during the past several weeks - and as yet these reported sightings of oil and dead fish are apparently yet to be investigated by Australian authorities. "We hear that fish is an important protein to many poor villages on the coast of Timor and Rote - if people are unable to fish, their diets, as well as incomes, suffer," Senator Siewert continued. "We therefore cannot ignore the potential seriousness of this for our neighbour. "The Greens intend to supply this DVD, as well as any other information that may be relevant, to the Government's inquiry - as soon as advice about how submissions may be made becomes available." Note to editors: The DVD footage is available on request. The Greens have issued this presser yesterday:

Govt must investigate oil impacts on Indonesian fishers -

Greens release video footage by Indonesian fishers of oil-like substance and dying fish

MEDIA RELEASE - Tuesday 10 November 2009

The Australian Greens have reiterated their calls for the Rudd Government to immediately send investigators to Indonesia to look into claims of impacts from the Montara oil spill on Indonesian fishing communities.

“The DVD sent to us this week by the West Timor Care Foundation is just one of many reports in the past several weeks about impacts of the oil spill on the people of Indonesia,” the Greens Marine Issue Spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert said.

“Today, we again call on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to publicly commit to investigating these claims, including testing samples of oil that have been collected in Indonesian waters to determine whether the oil has come from the Montara leak.

“The video appears to show that oil is impacting on legal fishing grounds for Indonesian fishers.

“We have also heard reports of oil much closer to the Indonesian coast during the past several weeks - and as yet these reported sightings of oil and dead fish are apparently yet to be investigated by Australian authorities.

“We hear that fish is an important protein to many poor villages on the coast of Timor and Rote - if people are unable to fish, their diets, as well as incomes, suffer,” Senator Siewert continued.

“We therefore cannot ignore the potential seriousness of this for our neighbour.

“The Greens intend to supply this DVD, as well as any other information that may be relevant, to the Government’s inquiry - as soon as advice about how submissions may be made becomes available.”

Note to editors: The DVD footage is available on request.

]]> By: Tom McLoughlin http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/11/06/the-abc-and-australia%e2%80%99s-strategic-policy-playing-our-part/#comment-45025 Tom McLoughlin Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:00:35 +0000 http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/11/06/the-abc-and-australia%e2%80%99s-strategic-policy-playing-our-part/#comment-45025 Ha ha. Agreed my submission above was a little convoluted. I really should use short sentences. But the logic is right. I posted recently that Meet The Press (Paul Bongiorno) last Sunday gave the right metric on the West Atlas oil spill - four and half million litres. The very same morning 15 minutes earlier ABC prime time news Sydney 702 radio gave the figure (again) at the wrong notion of 'several hundred thousand litres'. Get the picture? Despite numerous calls direct to radio newsroom via their special number, direct to corporate news director, they repeat the wrong metric in the most populous SE corner demographic of the country. And keep on doing it. The minimum figure of 4.5M litres spill based on 400 barrels a day company estimate is itself contrary to sworn Senate Estimates evidence at 2,000 barresl [23.5 million litres a day]. That's nice work for the government shrinking an oil spill disaster affecting neighbouring poor countries. Ha ha. Agreed my submission above was a little convoluted. I really should use short sentences. But the logic is right.

I posted recently that Meet The Press (Paul Bongiorno) last Sunday gave the right metric on the West Atlas oil spill - four and half million litres. The very same morning 15 minutes earlier ABC prime time news Sydney 702 radio gave the figure (again) at the wrong notion of ‘several hundred thousand litres’.

Get the picture? Despite numerous calls direct to radio newsroom via their special number, direct to corporate news director, they repeat the wrong metric in the most populous SE corner demographic of the country. And keep on doing it.

The minimum figure of 4.5M litres spill based on 400 barrels a day company estimate is itself contrary to sworn Senate Estimates evidence at 2,000 barresl [23.5 million litres a day].

That’s nice work for the government shrinking an oil spill disaster affecting neighbouring poor countries.

]]> By: antonio http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/11/06/the-abc-and-australia%e2%80%99s-strategic-policy-playing-our-part/#comment-44677 antonio Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:05:10 +0000 http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/11/06/the-abc-and-australia%e2%80%99s-strategic-policy-playing-our-part/#comment-44677 Scott is a self-serving blowhard. He'd join the Taliban if it improved his career prospects. Scott is a self-serving blowhard. He’d join the Taliban if it improved his career prospects.

]]> By: baal http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/11/06/the-abc-and-australia%e2%80%99s-strategic-policy-playing-our-part/#comment-44463 baal Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:31:56 +0000 http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/11/06/the-abc-and-australia%e2%80%99s-strategic-policy-playing-our-part/#comment-44463 Hard to follow Tom M's reasoning - that doesn't mean it's wrong, rather that it's convoluted. Also, given that a great proportion of ABC employees are now over 40 - especially in actual broadcasting - we are probably stuck with them, and they with their attitudes, mindsets, (and superannuation dependence) for at least another decade. It's hard to separate their need for self- esteem/justification from their professional zeal. Those who aren't hanging in their to play while the money keeps coming, tend to defend their role as if it were identical to the nation's intellectual integrity. But they are the site for struggles over who will control their/our 'digital futures' (the older ones still talk loftily about 'content' as a self-defining quality to be disseminated outward from the centre). It will be fascinating to watch who actually ends up controlling the hubs of the social networks. Looking at the way ABC individuals and other media professionals use Twitter it seems they already think its theirs! The corporate narcissism emerging from the CEO's office is not helping. Hard to follow Tom M’s reasoning - that doesn’t mean it’s wrong, rather that it’s convoluted. Also, given that a great proportion of ABC employees are now over 40 - especially in actual broadcasting - we are probably stuck with them, and they with their attitudes, mindsets, (and superannuation dependence) for at least another decade. It’s hard to separate their need for self- esteem/justification from their professional zeal. Those who aren’t hanging in their to play while the money keeps coming, tend to defend their role as if it were identical to the nation’s intellectual integrity. But they are the site for struggles over who will control their/our ‘digital futures’ (the older ones still talk loftily about ‘content’ as a self-defining quality to be disseminated outward from the centre). It will be fascinating to watch who actually ends up controlling the hubs of the social networks. Looking at the way ABC individuals and other media professionals use Twitter it seems they already think its theirs! The corporate narcissism emerging from the CEO’s office is not helping.

]]> By: Tom McLoughlin http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/11/06/the-abc-and-australia%e2%80%99s-strategic-policy-playing-our-part/#comment-44457 Tom McLoughlin Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:06:59 +0000 http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/11/06/the-abc-and-australia%e2%80%99s-strategic-policy-playing-our-part/#comment-44457 Nice. Under reporting of scale of West Atlas oil spill for 9 of the last 10 weeks (4oo barrels, really up to 2,000 barrels a day?), with still some serious quibbles about wrong arithmetic ongoing, meets controversy over ABC hierarchical/independence/empire games. As I said previously, of course rolling out a bigger international ABC presence will involve self interest. In the current context: East Timor complain about oil spill compensation yesterday. West Timor prior to that also but less voluble/audible (?). ABC has, like Afghanistan a direct conflict of interest seeking govt funding and reporting on same government failures on cross border matters like West Atlas disaster. That's real life. And quite possibly why I have a chilly relationship at times with elements of the Sydney ABC Establishment - for building genuinely independent community news presence and critique not beholden to government funding for it's existence, seeking out objective independence leveraging (ironically) a Whitlamesque free education in the 80ies. Well mostly free and living on $5K in 1990 in cold Canberra getting my lawyer ticket was pretty hard and skinny. On the other hand in terms of (in)famous ABC balance, audiences in the broad could be well served and empowered in the age of the $100 simple laptop wireless connectivity if the model is flat and outward, and merit based, not hierarchical and/or biased, as the viability of the ABC publicly funded web 2.0 model is reinforced here, and with that extra capacity moving to share that big media public square around the region. After all we don't need chaos amongst the neighbours just as we don't need it here hence ABC public square. But the neutrality and efficacy and ethics of news and information will be paramount in such a foreign roll out to avoid brand destruction in the target audience. Quite an intellectual and moral challenge. Nice.

Under reporting of scale of West Atlas oil spill for 9 of the last 10 weeks (4oo barrels, really up to 2,000 barrels a day?), with still some serious quibbles about wrong arithmetic ongoing, meets controversy over ABC hierarchical/independence/empire games. As I said previously, of course rolling out a bigger international ABC presence will involve self interest.

In the current context: East Timor complain about oil spill compensation yesterday. West Timor prior to that also but less voluble/audible (?). ABC has, like Afghanistan a direct conflict of interest seeking govt funding and reporting on same government failures on cross border matters like West Atlas disaster.

That’s real life. And quite possibly why I have a chilly relationship at times with elements of the Sydney ABC Establishment - for building genuinely independent community news presence and critique not beholden to government funding for it’s existence, seeking out objective independence leveraging (ironically) a Whitlamesque free education in the 80ies. Well mostly free and living on $5K in 1990 in cold Canberra getting my lawyer ticket was pretty hard and skinny.

On the other hand in terms of (in)famous ABC balance, audiences in the broad could be well served and empowered in the age of the $100 simple laptop wireless connectivity if the model is flat and outward, and merit based, not hierarchical and/or biased, as the viability of the ABC publicly funded web 2.0 model is reinforced here, and with that extra capacity moving to share that big media public square around the region. After all we don’t need chaos amongst the neighbours just as we don’t need it here hence ABC public square.

But the neutrality and efficacy and ethics of news and information will be paramount in such a foreign roll out to avoid brand destruction in the target audience. Quite an intellectual and moral challenge.

]]> By: baal http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/11/06/the-abc-and-australia%e2%80%99s-strategic-policy-playing-our-part/#comment-44380 baal Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:36:49 +0000 http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/11/06/the-abc-and-australia%e2%80%99s-strategic-policy-playing-our-part/#comment-44380 Nice one. Didn't DFAT finance Radio Australia? Scott has obviously got the nod from whoever to pursue this line. Like all 'futurists' (futurism is a disease of fifty year old managers) he is only interested in what he thinks sounds like a going forward geek, rather than the politics of what's really going on. As for 'broadcasting', what the eff is that! Nice one. Didn’t DFAT finance Radio Australia? Scott has obviously got the nod from whoever to pursue this line. Like all ‘futurists’ (futurism is a disease of fifty year old managers) he is only interested in what he thinks sounds like a going forward geek, rather than the politics of what’s really going on. As for ‘broadcasting’, what the eff is that!

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