Former prime minister turned banana-state bomb-thrower Kevin Rudd upped his attack on the Murdoch empire today by calling for a consumer boycott on realestate.com.au, the property listing site which — in case you didn’t know it, and not many do — is majority owned by News Corp.
Following the playbook of groups like Sleeping Giants, Destroy the Joint and Mad Fucking Witches, Rudd has gone full consumer activist tweeting: “Money is the only language [Murdoch] understands and @realestate_au is the financial heart of his empire.”
Rudd’s strategy is a departure from the usual call to boycott News Corp newspapers. Will it work?
Easier said than done if you’re looking for property. But Rudd is on the money, as it were.
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Realestate.com.au doesn’t only list property for sale or rent but is also a one-stop shop where a homebuyer can find a mortgage broker and also financial deals with banks.
It even had skin in the game at the Hayne royal commission into banks.
If you missed it, Crikey recently reported on Murdoch’s little-known link to the property business as part of our rundown of the full scope of News Corp’s interests in Australia, and how the government gives Murdoch a helping hand.
It’s a lot more than just media and it’s the list every aspiring politician needs. You won’t get into The Lodge without it.
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A lot of twitter followers have spread the word and have urged others to do the same. Anything to bring Newscorpse to its knees.
An excellent strategy by Rudd, I will spread the word.
To be most effective alternative sites need to be suggested. Domain?…property.com.au?
Do any Crikey readers have experience with alternative websites to offer other recommendations?
I am reminded of a quip from JP Morgan as to the motivations of men. For every major decision there exists a public or “logical-expressive” reason and a REAL reason. There seems to be more than a wiff of pay-back here.
So what if there is, Erasmus? NewsCorpse is pure evil. It needs to be put down like a rabid dog. It’s not about Rudd, and I don’t give a toss about what his motivations may or may not be. It’s about decency, democracy and duty to our country. A pox on Murdoch, his family and all who work for the greatest threat to freedom that exists in our modern world.
All that is fine, Graesky, but if Rudd is dinkum (motivation again) Rudd would have acted over the interval 2008-10. Good luck to those who have signed the petition.
No, Erasmus. Timing is everything. Rudd’s in a good place now to act and act decisively, relatively untouchable by any vendetta the Murdoch mob launches.
And by God they deserve whatever he and the long suffering and long-rendered-ignorant-of-the-facts public serves up for the damage this company has wreaked on journalism and democracy, here, in the US and in the UK.
I will be taking an interest as to how the downtrodden and manipulated respond to the urgings of the numerous subscribers here.
As you infer : Murdoch is a master at manipulating people (human nature?).
Especially his eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch who is said to be harder right-wing than his wretched father. If such a thing is possible.
I like this new Kevin Rudd. He’s really growing on me.
Contact those who have worked for him. There is nothing “new” at all.
Yes, never succumbed, meself, irascible one.
I started skeptical – as one should, and hardened over time – pure ‘Western’ democracy advocate.
Not unlike the long ‘woke’ EU’s craven kowtowing to the Yank infantile reverence to ‘Gweeeedo’ in Venezuela.
Maduro after the very, very recent election, to paraphrase;
‘ I’d like to thank Vladimir Putin because, even though our politics don’t align, he respects the right of the Venezuelan people to make their own choices’
Shhhh! Don’t tell Keane………….! Never, ever, mention ‘thuh war’.
In my capacity as the frustrated statistician I contacted the department of Prime Minister and Cabinet for the purpose of ascertaining what material, (data, arguments etc.) publicly available, that the PM would be taking to Copenhagen. From two attempts I did not receive even an acknowledgement; much less a reply.
Assuming that the Country Party might be similarly interested in the topic I made similar enquiries there; only to be met with being added to their regular “support” email list and similarly with no acknowledgement. After about 10 days of wading through moronic drivel (took longer than it ought) I clicked on ‘unsubscribe’.
The term ‘show pony’ was affixed to Andrew Peacock, decades ago, but limelight deprived Rudd is the genuine article. Yet I don’t begrudge him another fifteen minutes of fame. For a country that embraced him then dropped him three years hence only, via a reincarnation and complements of Murdoch, to salute him once again sums up the political fibre of this country (I am sorry to say).
As matters stand, we can expect ScoMo to be keeping us in his prayers for quite some time yet given the incompetence of the Opposition; but we will resist the digression. Such is our view of democracy (from my first paragraph) which brings me to Putin.
With all the navel gazing in regard to the politics of personality, the progress of the Eurasian Trading Bloc is both out of sight and out of mind. It is clear that there are no world powers (as per the rapid decline of Empire from about 1929) or rather a triangle of relationships that comprise (in no particular order) the USA, PRC and Russia. Interesting that 2 from 3 are not democracies. There will be opportunity enough, before too long, to jot some more.
you are gunna have-ta wait til Monday mate : embargoed. A total of two posts for Friday.
Listening to Rudd complain that foreign companies pay no tax in Australia is about as much fun a listening to Rupert advise on Australian fiscal policy.
Here is the fix. First, every company doing business in Australia is a ‘public interest company’ and is publicly accountable with published reports.
Second, no company doing business in Australia may pay international transfers for intellectual property from pre-tax income. If they want to do business in Australia, they have to pay tax in Australia.
Third, donations to political parties may not be made by corporations. Donations by individuals will all be published promptly and completely.
Fourth, vote for no candidate who does not credibly promise to deliver 1,2,3 in the next term.
What progress did Kevin make on this while PM?
Cynical, but awfully close.
I well recall Rudd leaping all over Wayne Swan, when Swan was advocating for a well structured ‘Resource Rent Resources Tax’. Twas modelled on the Petroleum equivalent, which Ross Garnaut had designed for Hawke – and still operates more efficiently than just about any other tax in the country.
Swan was progressing a very sensible explanation, when Kev ‘O Sev came climbing all over the top, hip and shouldered Swan out of camera range, and proceeded to completely butcher the rationale and, ergo, it died.
O’ Sev’s a fraud, but he is not alone.
Golly, been a long day – Mineral Rent Resources Tax – ‘MRRT’, obviously.
Minerals Resource Rent Tax … 🙂