The week began with a shock poll showing Labor’s lead in the polls shrinking, and continued with bombshell emails and shock resignations … all in federal politics. Four weeks out from the New South Wales election, both major parties are having trouble getting their message heard in the shadow of ever-rancorous politics in Canberra and a looming federal vote. The last time NSW and the nation went to the polls in the same year was 2007 (though the elections were eight months apart, not two) when state Labor was able to capitalise on the campaign against WorkChoices to retain government.
Both the Liberals and Labor have already made big spending promises in the key areas of health and education to try to cut through. The Coalition has pledged $2bn for an additional 4,600 teachers and $2.8bn for 5,000 extra nurses, while Labor has pledged $1bn for Nepean hospital in western Sydney, promised to match its opponents on additional nurses, and announced its plan for a state-owned renewable energy company. Neither party has begun its metro TV advertising campaigns yet – expect to see that imminently. “One of the problems this time around,” says Peter Lewis, director of Essential Media, “is it’s a bit hard to know what this election’s about. Stadiums? Congestion?”
Operation Normal
Journalists have condemned Gladys Berejiklian’s behaviour towards media colleagues at the Newcastle Herald after a video of a press conference went viral. The clip shows portions of a 15 February press conference in Newcastle at the unveiling of the city’s new light rail. The premier made a derisory aside after a question from a reporter at the Herald, the hometown newspaper, which has reported extensively on the project’s rollout.
INCONVENIENT QUESTIONS: Watch the Trump-like response from @GladysB & @AndrewConstance as a @newcastleherald journalist asks legitimate questions about Light Rail. The Herald is simply doing its job - journalism. @HeathHarro @LisaMAllan @mhparris #nswpol #journalism #democracy pic.twitter.com/DpIvOR25Uc
— David Threlfo (@David_Threlfo) February 18, 2019
Journalist Michael Parris: “You’ve committed four years ago to releasing a business case for the extension – we still haven’t seen it?”
Transport minister Andrew Constance: “Sorry, which media outlet are you from?”
Parris: “Newcastle Herald.”
Berejiklian (laughing): “That’s normal for them ... that’s operation normal.”
Later Constance tried to school the newspaper on its attitude: “I think there’s an obligation on the part of the Herald to be positive about this town.”
The Australian’s Andrew Clennell responded to the clip on Twitter, saying “treating journalists with contempt like this is appalling”, while the Courier Mail’s Dennis Atkins said: “This is why journalism matters. Look, listen and shake your head.” Parris told Guardian Australia he was surprised by the big reaction the clip received, but rejected any suggestion of victimisation. “At no stage did I feel like I was being bullied,” he said.
Nationals’ $250 bid
The outcome of the election could be determined largely by voters in the bush, and the Nationals have kicked off with some big spending promises of their own. Four of the government’s six marginal seats are held by the Nationals, and there are concerns that three-cornered contests and insurgent minor parties and independents could also make safer seats vulnerable. One policy revealed this week was a new $250 regional seniors’ travel card, to ease the cost of fuel, taxis, trains and coaches. But mail-outs promoting the policy – which urged people to vote Nationals to get their card and featured a mock-up card emblazoned with the Nationals’ logo and “$250” – were quickly referred to the NSW Electoral Commission by the independent MP Jeremy Buckingham. “I think it’s cynical and manipulative and potentially a breach of the law, and it shows how desperate the Nationals are,” he said.
A spokeswoman for the NSW Electoral Commission said the electoral act’s bribery provisions exclude “a declaration of public policy or a promise of public action … Government or election commitments are likely to fall within this exclusion.” Professor Graeme Orr, an electoral law expert, said while the mock-up of the card was problematic from an ethical perspective, “there’s nothing unlawful here”.
Greens grapple over golden ticket spot
The lingering uncertainty over the Greens’ upper house ticket, caused by the departure of Buckingham last year, is expected to be addressed at a meeting of the state delegate council this weekend, with the NSW party in the midst of a deep schism. Buckingham had been preselected in the third, probably unwinnable, position on the ticket but was formally asked to step aside in December, following accusations of sexual misconduct from a former Greens staffer, which Buckingham strenuously denied. He has since quit the party and is running as an independent. The council is expected to address the matter of the third vacant spot. One option would be for Dawn Walker, who was preselected in the fourth position, to be moved up into third. Walker last year requested a formal recount, arguing in December that people who had voted for Buckingham had been “disenfranchised”. Her supporters still hope a recount could allow her to move into the second (and more likely winnable) position, with votes that had gone to Buckingham expected to flow to her instead. However, Greens’ NSW co-convener Sylvia Hale said late last year a recount would “be a break from precedent and would involve establishing a new process”. Incumbent MLC David Shoebridge was preselected in the first spot and Abigail Boyd in second. Parties must submit their final ballots by 6 March.
Warning sounds
Thousands of people gathered for the Don’t Kill Live Music rally in Sydney’s Hyde Park on Thursday night, protesting against the state government’s new festival licensing regime, which is due to come into effect in less than a week. The racing minister, Paul O’Toole, said this week low-risk festivals would be free under the scheme, and others would have to pay $650, equivalent to the current special event licence fee. But the music industry says the fee isn’t the issue – it still doesn’t know how the scheme will operate, how risk assessments will be carried out and how requirements such as police numbers will be determined. Two festivals pulled the pin recently, citing onerous policing bills and the difficult political climate. The chief executive of Live Performance Australia, Evelyn Richardson, said the implementation of the regime should be delayed so that interested parties could “work through the issues”.
Ocean Alley, Dan Sultan and Cloud Control played for the crowd, who came armed with signs taking aim at the premier. Labor’s deputy leader, Penny Sharpe, shared and then deleted a tweet of one sign which depicted Berejiklian as a witch, after she was accused of double standards, given the outrage over the infamous Julia Gillard “Ditch the witch” placards at a rally against the carbon tax in 2011. “You are right. No OK. I have deleted,” Sharpe wrote on Twitter.
Poo patrol
NSW Police this week made contact with a number of people who signalled their intention to “attend” a satirical Facebook event called “Leave a poo at Gladys Berejiklian’s doorstep”, which urged people to attend the premier’s electorate office in Sydney and stage a scatological protest over the live music issue. In one post, an organiser stated: “This event is (quite obviously) satirical content … we do not support, nor anticipate the carrying out of this event” and urged people instead to sign a petition. Nevertheless, several of the 3,000 people who had replied to the event were contacted by police over Facebook. An administrator of the page told Guardian Australia an “attendee” had told them police also visited her employer and informed them she had shared the event. A NSW police spokeswoman said in a statement: “Police from North Shore did make inquiries with a person involved in that Facebook page. No formal action was taken.” The spokeswoman said there were no incidents at the premier’s office.
