Slice Media: Weekly media index: 15

DOMESTIC
Malcolm Turnbull– After calling a snap leadership vote at the beginning of the week following Peter Costello’s reaffirmation he was not a contender, it was Brendan Nelson who ended up with a nasty surprise when Malcolm Turnbull defeated him narrowly to become the new Opposition Leader, Government ministers and the media quickly started to focus on Turnbull’s wealth, as his and Mr Rudd’s large personal fortunes were compared.

Costello still going – The launch of the long awaited and much anticipated Costello Memoirs was largely overshadowed by the Liberal leadership vote, although there was extensive discussion about Costello’s comments in the book about Janette Howard’s influence and the events at the time of the APEC Conference last year.

Pensions– While once again the Liberal leadership battle knocked the pension issue off most front pages this week, it was still a major issue on radio, with debate still intense over the level of the single pension and the Government’s response to the pensions issue.

Premier Barnett – Western Australia has a new Premier after the National Party decided to support a minority Liberal Government after lengthy debate, Colin Barnett amazingly going from impending retirement to Premier in six weeks, while former Premier Alan Carpenter immediately stepped down as Labor leader.

Terrorism trial – The conviction of Abdul Nacer Benbrika and five others on terrorism conspiracy charges launched a debate in the media over the terrorism laws, while Attorney General Robert McLelland was criticised by the Judge for commenting on the trial while it was still underway.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Hurricane Ike – Large parts of the Gulf Coast of Texas were flattened early in the week by Hurricane Ike, which had already caused death and destruction in a number of Caribbean countries and is reported to have caused $US8 billion of damage and flattened hundreds of homes.

US Presidential campaign – Much of the focus remains on Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with an investigation into the sacking of an Alaskan Police Commissioner continuing, while McCain and Obama traded blows on who had the right response to the financial meltdown on Wall Street.

Zimbabwe – There are already major cracks appearing in the power sharing agreement reached between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai as the two men try and reach agreement over a new cabinet.

BUSINESS NEWS
Lehman Brothers – one of America and the world’s largest merchant banks went to the wall this week after the US Government refused to bail out the ailing financial giant, while Merrill Lynch was sold at a pittance to Bank of America and insurance giant AIG was propped up by the Government after fears its collapse could trigger a complete system collapse.

In other business news: The major financial woes on Wall Street had an immediate impact on the Australian Stock Exchange, sending the Index down five percent, before it got most of that back late in the week following a rebound in the US; while Macquarie Bank shares were hit harder than most, with media speculation blamed for its sharp decrease.

TALKBACK
Malcolm Turnbull, his wealth and whether he could turn the Liberal Party’s fortunes around was the number one topic one talkback this week although the pensions issue remained not far behind; while the football finals and Peter Costello’s memoirs also received comment.

SPORT
The AFL Finals and NRL Finals coverage was neck and neck this week at second and third on the Media Monitors Index, with four Victorian teams to battle it out for the AFL flag for the first time in more than a decade, while the New Zealand Warriors were the surprise packet of the NRL finals; meanwhile the Australian team continued to perform strongly in the second week of the Paralympics, ending up fifth on the medal tally.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK