As voters may recall, Malcolm Turnbull doesn’t mind a conspiracy theory. He blew up his leadership in 2009 on charges of corruption aimed at the then-prime minister and treasurer, all based on the fantasies and forgery of a Liberal Party supporter in Treasury.
Now Turnbull is at it again, this time on a slightly lower level, but on a much broader canvas. According to the Communications Minister yesterday, there was a conspiracy between the ABC and the federal Labor Party while it was in government:
Turnbull: “The ABC, under Labor, just got more money every year and I think there was in effect a political bargain between the Labor government and the management of the ABC. ‘We will keep sending you more money and you just have peace on the industrial front of the ABC.’ So they never had the incentive –”
David Speers: “You are not suggesting the editorial part of that bargain?”
Turnbull: “I’m not suggesting that. Others can infer that.”
Putting aside that it’s gutless of Turnbull to let others “infer” something he clearly wants to suggest, what evidence is there of this vast left-wing conspiracy? Did the ABC take it easy on Labor while it was in government?
The ABC’s now-shuttered “Online Investigative Unit”, often using The Australian as its guide, ran a persistent campaign against the Rudd government over its schools building stimulus program, a program repeatedly given the tick by independent reviewers and one of the most successful GFC stimulus programs anywhere in the world; Four Corners ran a questionable story on the home insulation program; and then there was the Juliar “typo” on an ABC news story.
Maybe Turnbull can check with his Liberal colleague Sarah Henderson, a former ABC reporter, or call former ABC presenter Pru Goward in Sydney, or Jonathan Holmes, who while at Media Watch defended The Australian’s now-discredited campaign against Julia Gillard over the AWU affair. If Labor had any deal with the ABC, it got dudded.
As conspiracy theories go, this one is about as solid as the Godwin Grech case.
9 thoughts on “Crikey says: Turnbull conspiracy doesn’t hold water”
Bill Hilliger
November 26, 2014 at 1:39 pmAs time goes on Malcolm Turnbull is cultivating an aura of a typical under-achiever in everything he seems attempt in politics.
zut alors
November 26, 2014 at 2:31 pmWhy is Turnbull stooping ever lower & lower?
His reputation is already tarnished by the tawdry NBN but surely he’d want to stop the disintegration there rather than add to his failings.
CML
November 26, 2014 at 3:05 pmWhatever the conspiracy Malcolm Turdball imagines now, he chose to be a member of the Lieberal Party years ago.
Enough said!!!
klewso
November 26, 2014 at 4:41 pmAnd after Australian Rain Corp; and Utegate, Tony Jones (who seems to enjoy St Malcolm playing him like a tin whistle) still described him as “one of the sharpest legal minds in the country” in a promo – what an “impartial” judge.
Electric Lardyland
November 26, 2014 at 5:25 pmOr of course, he could call former Liberal Party staffer, Mark Scott.
jmendelssohn
November 26, 2014 at 6:47 pmYou forgot the worst of them all: the appalling “At home with Julia”. Where’s the equivalent on Abbott camping out in Canberra, or Juie Bishops love life?
zut alors
November 26, 2014 at 7:14 pmjmendelssohn, thanks for that ugly reminder re ‘At home with Julia.’ I’m trying to reconcile that searingly unkind series being aired by an ABC which – apparently – has an ALP bias.
If that’s the result of ‘a political bargain’ between the national broadcaster & a Labor government we’d be horrified to see what they’d be prepared to put to air had there been no funding bribes on offer.
Turnbull is spouting piffle. Has he no shame.
Norman Hanscombe
November 26, 2014 at 8:05 pmAnother Crikey mishmash made worse by its fervent scatter-gun approach of tossing in so many debatable items that responding adequately would require volumes.
I guess, however, it’s an effective enough approach when it’s not required to meet even the standards of First Year undergraduate assignments?
AR
November 27, 2014 at 7:26 amI’ve had the feeling for months – basically since the government was (s)elected – that Bullturn was on a suicide mission but is just waiting for the moment to wreak most damage on the witless fools who dumped him for the current oaf.
Speaking of oafs, I wonder what Norm sees in the mirror each morning – presumably Nursey shaves him as he wouldn’t be allowed to handle sharp objects.
WHy he’s allowed access to a keyboard is unknown – some kind of occupational therapy perhaps?