Slice Media: Monthly Media Index: February 2008

The intense media coverage of Prime Minister Rudd's 'Sorry' speech will ensure 13 February 2008 will be remembered as a landmark day in Australian history. His apology to the stolen generations took our minds off housing (un)affordability for a while, if only briefly! Thanks again Mr Baume at Media Monitors for your terrific work, yet again.

Inflation and Interest rates – Interest rates and the increasing unaffordability of housing remained the big challenge for the new Government, with the Reserve Bank raising interest rates again to take the official figure over 7% for the first time in ten years, with claims that over a million households were suffering mortgage stress, as rents in urban areas started to rise rapidly as well.

Stolen Generation apology – On only the second day of the new parliament, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd fulfilled his party’s promise to officially apologise to indigenous people who were separated from their families under official government policy from 1900 to the 1970’s. The apology received blanket media coverage and thousands turned up to Parliament House for the occasion.

Queensland floods – The extreme weather on the East Coast, and particularly Far Northern Queensland, continued with Mackay and the Whitsunday coast receiving the worst of the storms, with several hundred houses in Mackay damaged and the clean up expected to cost millions of dollars and take up to six months.

Heath Ledger – A private service for Heath Ledger was held in his home town of Perth, as well as a public ceremony at Scarborough Beach, while the New York Coroner officially found that Ledger had died of an accidental overdose of a mix of prescription medications.

Wollongong planning scandal – the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption heard evidence for most of the month about development planning irregularities at Wollongong Council, including allegations that the Town Planner had had relationships with a number of developers with plans before Council. A number of State MPs were mentioned during the inquiry as well, including Ports Minister Joe Tripodi.