DOMESTIC
World Youth Day – Even though the Pope left last Sunday, the amount of coverage over the weekend of the final mass at Randwick Racecourse and the retrospective coverage of the event throughout this week, amazingly got World Youth Day the number one spot (although only just) on the Media Monitors Index again.
Emissions trading – The trench warfare has begun on the emissions trading issue, with the media full of reports of ambit claims from a variety of industries and unions, while the Opposition continue to waiver over whether to support unilateral action or not and the Greens and independents in the Senate start the horse trading with the Government on what they will and will not support.
Petrol prices – While oil prices continued to drop on world markets to well below their peak of two weeks ago, the impact has been far slower to reach the petrol pumps, where prices in the high $1.60s could still be seen across the country at the end of this week.
Jayant Patel – Doctor Patel’s court hearings in Brisbane have been followed extensively by the media this week, with Patel granted bail and some legal commentators and civil libertarians warning that media scrutiny could lead to a mistrial if it is deemed Patel cannot get a fair trial.
Housing affordability – New figures showing big increases in rental rpices across most metropolitan areas in Australia once again got the Government out selling their plans to increase affordable housing supply, whilst business commentators warned there was no quick fix to the spiraling cost of living in the major cities.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
US Presidential race – Democrat candidate Barack Obama has been on a tour of Iraq and Afghanistan this week, pushing the line that the primary focus of American involvement should be Afghanistan and calling for 10,000 more troops to be moved to that theatre as soon as possible.
In other international news - International negotiations to try and get Robert Mugabe to step away from power in Zimbabwe continue to have no effect; ABC journalist Peter Lloyd is facing drug charges in Singapore and Afghanistan continues to receive more coverage in Australia than Iraq.
BUSINESS NEWS
Qantas job losses – After speculation the figure could be as high as 3,000, Qantas announced 1,500 jobs would be going, blaming high fuel prices and industrial action for the cuts, CEO Geoff Dixon warning 100,000 jobs could disappear across the entire industry.
US Mortgage crisis – The massive Federal bail-outs and large lender collapses continued in the US this week, with President Bush facing intense pressure to provide further relief for the failing mortgage sector.
TALKBACK
Petrol prices back on top this week as callers wonder where their price cuts have gone; World Youth Day received mainly positive calls while some couldn’t see what the fuss was all about; emissions trading only third on the list and housing affordability fourth with a bullet, these four issues well ahead of any other national issues on talkback this week.
SPORT
Australian Cadel Evans needs to pick up about 90 seconds on the leader in his preferred format of time trial to become the first Aussie to win the Tour de France; Olympics news is starting to pick up with Beijing’s opening ceremony only two weeks away; and the fairytale almost came true for 53 year old Greg Norman, who fell one round short of becoming the oldest golfer by five years to win a major at the British Open.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“We're down about $40 billion for the day"
Conrad Burge, investment manager, prices the biggest single day ASX drop in six months.
Tracking the media, monitoring the message
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