Weekly media index: 26 - 30 January 2009

DOMESTIC
Australia Day - Lots of national and regional reporting on last Monday’s festivities, including the Australia Day speech delivered by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. The oath of citizenship was taken by new Aussies including 70s pop star Leo Sayer, witnessed by the PM in Canberra. Fortunately very little reporting of violence or racial tension.

Economic Outlook - Discussion of a lower inflation rate, speculation about tax and interest rate cuts; the government funds commercial property investment by $4 billion; further support for banks; a second stimulus package firmly on the table; and a long list of lay-offs - recession remains prominent media coverage.

Heat wave - Last week it was bushfires, now Melbourne and Adelaide swelter in an exceptionally long run of plus 40 degree heat. Public transport in Victoria ground to a halt, and electricity supply has been patchy. Children flocked to public pools in the last days of the school holidays to cool off.

Whaling - The government was accused of giving-in to Japan by conservation groups. They complained a deal was supposedly on the table to hand Japan’s whaling fleet access to the North Pacific in exchange for leaving the Southern Ocean. Environment Minister Peter Garrett said the proposal had not been put forward by Australia, which is still opposed to the killing of whales for ‘scientific’ or any other purpose.

Ivan Milat - The convicted serial killer sawed off one of his fingers with a serrated plastic knife in the Supermax security facility at Goulburn prison. He then placed the digit in an envelope addressed to the High Court of Australia. Milat has had a history of ingesting various metal objects including razor blades and chains, and he is currently off his food. The reason for this latest outburst is unclear.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Obama’s first 10 days - The world watched in anticipation as the new President began work, after re-taking the inauguration oath due to a minor glitch with the order of wording on the big day. He ordered Guantanamo Bay to be closed as soon as practicable. He also emphasised the need for America to ditch it’s reliance on foreign oil, announcing massive investment in renewable energy whilst US car makers were asked to focus on making energy efficient vehicles. The House of Representatives passed Obama’s $AUD1.23 trillion economic package.

Gaza - Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza strip last week allowed the international media to witness the destruction left behind by Israel’s armed forces. There was further isolated fighting during the week.

Recession - The IMF predicted a deeper global recession as consumer and business confidence drops to levels not seen since World War 2, and warned worldwide growth would drop to below 0.5% in 2009. The update also pointed to a massive dent to Australia’s export revenue due to diminished growth in China.

Afghanistan - President Obama called Kevin Rudd on Wednesday, the first time the pair has talked since the US elections. They discussed, amongst other things, Australia’s ongoing participation in Afghanistan. There was further coverage of the Victoria Cross awarded to Trooper Mark Donaldson.

BUSINESS NEWS
BHP cuts – There was further coverage of the 3,400 job loses at the Ravensthorpe nickel mine in WA. Investment house Storm Financial finally went under this week, leaving investors out of pocket. Investment partner the Commonwealth Bank and the owners of Storm blamed each other for not managing the huge losses

SPORT
Australian Open - Jelena Dokic flounders in the quarter finals in a spirited match against Russia’s Dinara Sufina. The next few days of play look to be exciting with Nadal and Federer tipped to meet each other in the final.

Cricket – South Africa and Andrew Symonds: South Africa win the one-day series 3-1 with one game to play in Perth. Symonds will probably be hit with a $5750 fine for detrimental comments about Kiwi wicket keeper, Brendon McCullum made on-air.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Sooner or later you have to face up to the only sensible conclusion: Australia is no place to host big international sporting tournaments; except maybe the world kangaroo long-jump
A tongue-in-cheek editorial from the Murdoch-owned Times in London commenting on the blistering conditions as the Australian tennis Open.

Media monitoring

Weekly media index: 8 - 12 September 2008

DOMESTIC
Premier Rees – The State Election was in WA but the coup was in NSW, with Nathan Rees becoming the new Premier after less than 18 months in parliament after Morris Iemma failed to get support from his own faction for sweeping changes to the ministry. Premier Rees “new broom” pitch was dented in his first week after the resignation of his new Police Minister Matt Brown.

Pensions – The issue of pensions dominated Federal political discussion early in the week, with the PM, Deputy Pm and a string of ministers agreeing they would find it very difficult to impossible to live on the single pension. Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson quickly announced a bill to increase the single pension $30 a week, which the Government rejected as piecemeal and dangerous.

Costello still going – To the deep disappointment of the Canberra Press Gallery and some Liberals but rather less interest from the public, Peter Costello reconfirmed he would be leaving political life and had no interest in becoming Opposition Leader. Metropolitan papers carried extensive details of his soon to be published memoirs late this week.

WA Election – It increasingly seems as though Colin Barnett will be the new Premier of WA after the dust has settled from the cliffhanger election last weekend, although neither major party will in enough seats to govern on its own. The WA Nationals Leader Brendon Grylls has made much of his opportunity to wring concessions out of the major parties who look likely to need his support.

Climate change – Professor Ross Garnaut spent the week defending his emissions trading package from both the left and right, as green groups called the targets deeply inadequate while business groups maintained pressure for Australia to make few or no moves before developing countries had made commitments to cut emissions.

Murray Darling crisis – The Federal and NSW Governments’ announced this week they would be buying a major cotton farm in Northern NSW and the Queensland Government announced it would release a further 11 billion litres into the system. The moves were generally applauded but experts warned it would have little short term effect on the lower Murray.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Caribbean hurricanes – A series of hurricanes continue to batter Caribbean islands as the hurricane season follows the pattern of previous years, with several very high intensity storms causing death and destruction in a range of island nations. Hurricane Ike looked headed for the Texan coast as it sped across the Gulf of Mexico.

Afghanistan – The Australian Government has rejected calls for an increase in the number of Australian troops in Afghanistan, among talk that infantry could take a greater role, saying that it was up to other countries to take on more of the burden.

US Presidential campaign – The US Presidential campaign degenerated into argument over lipstick on pigs this week as the Republican campaign continued to build momentum, although the candidates paused on the 11th of September to pay homage to the victims of the terrorist attacks seven years ago.

BUSINESS NEWS
In business news: There was a strong focus on the continuing financial crisis in the US in business news this week, with the total Federal bail-out of mortgage backers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac receiving extensive coverage, while the continuing woes of Lehman Brothers and several other financial continued to make news.

TALKBACK
Pensions completely dominated talkback this week, as pensioners vented their frustrations with higher living costs and blamed politicians of all hue for the current situation. The NSW coup had plenty of people discussing Morris Iemma and the Labor Party’s merits; with the WA Election also bringing opinions forth on Labor state management; climate change rounding out the top four issues on talkback this week.

SPORT
The AFL Finals coverage was a little more subdued than usual over its first weekend, with no WA team, the last SA hope falling early and a poor crowd in Sydney; The Paralympics has seen the usual strong performance from the Australian team; and Roger Federer and Serena Williams both got back into the winner’s circle at the US Open.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"It's a very good speech ... I've got the notes"
Peter Costello tells about the prime ministerial acceptance speech he never got to give

Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Weekly media index: 1 - 5 September 2008

DOMESTIC
Interest rates – All four major banks immediately passed on the Reserve Bank’s 0.25% cut in the official interest rate on Tuesday, while economic commentators were divided on whether there will be further cuts this year, after figures showed a significant slowdown in growth but inflation remaining high.

Climate change – Professor Ross Garnaut today releases his report on the details of an emissions trading scheme, with the Government expected to move forward with a “low and slow” cap with numerous exemptions for export industries, while Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson was criticised for maintaining that the continuing drought in Eastern Australia is not related to climate change.

Luxury car tax – The Government’s planned increase in luxury car tax was blocked in the Senate by the Opposition and Family First Senator Steve Fielding, who claimed it would hit farmers and tourism operators, while the Government claimed that infrastructure projects would be affected by the loss of revenue.

WA Election – There has been divided opinion in the media this week about how close tomorrow’s WA State Election will be, with some predicting a neck and neck finish while others are expecting the Labor Government of Alan Carpenter to be comfortably re-elected.

Murray Darling crisis – The head of the Murray Darling Basin Commission and several other experts were quick to say this week they felt climate change was a factor in the current conditions in the Basin and that farmers would have to get used to the changed conditions as controversy over buyback limits continued.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Hurricane Gustav – There was intense coverage of Hurricane Gustav as it sped across the Gulf of Mexico towards New Orleans, with the Mayor announcing a compulsory evacuation and the President making sure he was in the area, while the storm itself lost power quickly to become no significant threat to the city, although three more hurricanes are brewing in the Caribbean Sea

Afghanistan – Nine Australian soldiers were injured, one critically, after a Taliban ambush in southern Afghanistan last weekend, the highest number of casualties in a single incident for Australian troops since the Vietnam War.

US Presidential campaign – The focus moved to the Republican Party this week, with John McCain today formally accepting the nomination of his party for President, after a fiery speech earlier at the convention from his controversial vice presidential pick, Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin.

BUSINESS NEWS
In business news: Rio Tinto continues to fend off BHP takeover attempts, claiming it is a stronger and better run company, while both companies shares dipped along with most resource stocks this week; and Babcock & Brown is looking to divest Alinta as well as a number of other assets as it struggles to stay afloat.

TALKBACK
A broad range of topics on talkback this week, with the WA Election dominating the airwaves in the West, while the upcoming footy finals were number one in the other AFL states; interest rates and climate change as always had the phones running hot and there continues to be plenty of Australian interest in US politics.

SPORT
The AFL Finals coverage kick off this weekend with Geelong hot favourites to go back to back, while Sydney take on the Kangaroos and Adelaide battle Collingwood in the elimination finals; At the US Open it was Serena’s turn to beat Venus as she advanced to the semi-finals, while Djokovic will play Federer and Scot Andy Murray tries to topple Nadal in the men’s semis; Australia predictably walloped Bangladesh in the One Day Series in Darwin, while Andrew Symonds playing future remains under a cloud after being sent home.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"I was blessed by misfortune"
John McCain explains how he believes his years as a POW made him a better man

Tracking the media, monitoring the message