Securing funding for children’s medical research

January 17, 2012: Issue: The Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) is an independent research institute committed to research discoveries in the area of childhood disease. With its Westmead headquarters in Western Sydney, the Institute is operating at close to its capacity, limiting the scope of its research. CMRI has plans to build a larger facility to accommodate more scientists and redevelop its headquarters at a cost of approximately $133 million. In late 2010, with the NSW State election just months away, CMRI engaged P&P to secure a state government funding commitment for the redevelopment.

Challenge: With the opinion polls indicating a landslide victory for the NSW Liberal-National Opposition, many stakeholder groups were seeking to elevate their issues with the Opposition Leader, Barry O’Farrell, and his shadow ministers and candidates. P&P needed to make CMRI’s case stand out in this contested space.

Insight: Western Sydney is the home of a number of marginal electorates, as well as an expanding region and a target area for economic growth in NSW.

Creative Idea: Given the importance of Western Sydney to all political parties, we created a good opportunity for them to bolster their marginal seat campaign by funding CMRI’s redevelopment, and its economic and social benefits.

Campaign: The campaign involved first building the case for the benefits of the redevelopment, followed by direct engagement with party leaders, ministers and shadow ministers, as well as candidates in the seat of Parramatta, where the CMRI is based. Tours and the facility were held and decision-makers were taken through the redevelopment plans.

Outcome:

On 21 February, just over one month before the election was held, the Liberal-National coalition announced a $20 million funding commitment for CMRI’s redevelopment. The announcement was made by the now Premier Barry O’Farrell and the now Health Minister Jillian Skinner.

“This commitment from the NSW Liberals & Nationals is a huge boost to children’s health and medical research as well as the economic and social infrastructure of Western Sydney.”

Professor Roger Reddel, Lorimer Dods Professor and CMRI Director.

Ogilvy PR announces leadership changes at Parker & Partners and OgilvyEarth

Ogilvy Public Relations Australia today announced new leadership at public affairs and government relations specialists Parker & Partners and sustainability communications consultancy OgilvyEarth.

Ogilvy PR Australia is investing further in OgilvyEarth, announcing that after a decade at Parker & Partners Managing Director Sarah Cruickshank will move formally into the role of OgilvyEarth Managing Director.

Former senior political adviser Mathew Jones, with Ogilvy PR Australia since 2008, will take on the role of Parker & Partners Managing Director. Both changes are effective 1 January.

“Politics and policy making have never been more interesting and the requirements on public affairs professionals have never been so complex, and so we’re thrilled to announce that Mathew Jones will take on the role of P&P Managing Director after three years at Ogilvy PR,” said Ogilvy Public Relations CEO, Kieran Moore.

“Mat came to us after a stellar career in NSW Labor politics and government, and since joining Ogilvy PR has excelled at providing top quality advice and support to clients engaging with governments and other stakeholders.

“He has also driven some of our key thought leadership initiatives, including the State of Change booklet on the change of government in NSW, work which just last month won an Atticus Award from WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell in London.”

Mr Jones said that in its 14 year history the company’s client roster had never been stronger, providing public affairs support to category-leading corporations in industries including QSR, resources, FMCG, technology, childcare and airlines.

“It’s a really exciting and interesting time for the public affairs and government relations sector, with greater scrutiny and oversight and the impact of technology on communications demanding both strong specialisation and broad skillsets.

“Last week’s events in Canberra once again demonstrated the quick moving political ground. In this environment clients demand not only access and knowledge, but the ability to forecast and interpret trends and respond intelligently to developments.”

Ms Moore said the changes at OgilvyEarth were the next stage in the evolution of the practice in Australia.

“Sarah’s move is a testament to her dedication to OgilvyEarth and her knowledge of and passion for the sustainability policy area,” Ms Moore said. “OgilvyEarth was created here in Australia – where it is the recognised leader in sustainability communications – and has now been successfully established across the global Ogilvy network.”

Ms Cruickshank will be supported by Practice Director Teljya Oka-Pregel – who commenced full time with OgilvyEarth in July 2011 following her in-house role with a major blue-chip company driving its sustainability communications strategy – as well as a dedicated team of sustainability consultants drawn from across the Ogilvy PR Australia business.

She will continue to manage a select high-end client roster at Parker & Partners in a new role of Executive Counsel.

“CEOs, sustainability managers and communications specialists now recognise the need to transform their business operations, but understand it isn’t necessary to have scored a perfect 10 before they communicate this,” Ms Cruickshank said.

“What is important is being able to show that an organisation takes sustainability seriously and this commitment is supported at the most senior levels, that the organisations has commenced its journey of improvement, and that its roadmap to greater sustainability is clear and measurable.”

OgilvyEarth recently announced its formal partnership with the Carbon Disclosure Project, an international NGO that operates the only global climate change reporting system for companies, and is a Major Partner of independent research think-tank The Climate Institute.

Ms Moore said the leadership changes meant Ogilvy PR would go into 2012 putting renewed energy and commitment into key parts of the business.

“The fact that we’ve been able to fill these key roles internally shows just how much talent we have here at Ogilvy PR, and that there are fantastic career opportunities within the company that keep employees interested, engaged, and challenged and which meet long-term career goals,” she said.

The changes at Parker & Partners include Canberra Managing Director Greg Sam, who will leave to take up new opportunities outside public affairs consultancy.

“While we understand Greg’s desire to move on to other challenges after eight years with the company we’re very sad to be losing him and wish him all the best,” Ms Moore said.

Ogilvy Public Relations Australia is a joint venture between Ogilvy PR Worldwide and the STW Group. It is the largest and most awarded public relations agency in Australia, scooping more than 50 Australian and global trophies in the last two years, including the top honour amongst all WPP-owned PR agencies.

2012 Parker & Partners Politzer Prize winners announced: Barry Haase MP takes the Politzer Prize!

Parker & Partners is pleased to announce the winner of this year’s prestigious Politzer Prize. Western Australian Member for Durack, Barry Haase’s photo “A perspective on cultural resilience” beat more than 60 high quality entries to take the main award. He was awarded the Politzer Prize on Tuesday night at Parliament House, along with a cheque for $5,000 to go to the charity of Mr Haase’s choice – The Royal Lifesaving Society.

Parker & Partners’ Managing Director, Sarah Cruickshank congratulated Barry Haase MP: “His picture is not only visually stunning; it perfectly encapsulates the theme of this year’s Politzer Prize – Resilience – designed to portray the spirit of the Australian community and environment to fight back against adversity.”

“This year’s competition theme was inspired by the significant natural disasters and resultant human challenges faced by so many Australians at the outset of 2011, and our participants put considerable thought into their entries accordingly” she said.

“Barry’s photo tells a great human story of a 105 year old Indigenous elder still living alone, medicine free, in Mr Haase’s electorate of Roebourne, Western Australia, and outliving the built environment around him.”

Ms Cruickshank commended the more than 30 Federal parliamentarians who participated this year. “Their support for Politzer is evidence of the great respect, pride and passion each of them has for their constituencies. We are thrilled that each year the number of entries continues to grow.”

“Our Politzer Australian Political Photographic Competition has been embraced by parliamentarians from across the political spectrum and it is great to get a glimpse of our politicians’ genuinely creative flair – something not normally seen in the hectic pace of their day-to-day lives,” she said.

The winning Politzer entry, along with the 13 Finalists, were selected by a panel of leading press gallery journalists including: Mike Bowers, David Speers, Malcolm Farr, Lenore Taylor, Simon Benson and Steve Lewis.

Mr Bruce Scott MP, a previous Politzer winner, this year won the A-PAC Award, selected by Politzer Prize sponsor, the Australian Public Affairs Channel, for his photo “Colours of the outback races”.

“Parker & Partners has a longstanding tradition of supporting the not-for-profit sector, through our pro bono work for a range of community based organisations, and our annual sponsorship of the Federal Press Gallery Midwinter Ball. We are very pleased to present our annual $5,000 donation to Mr Haase’s charity of choice.”

Competition background: Parker & Partners, Australia’s leading bipartisan public affairs firm and part of Ogilvy PR Worldwide, launched the Politzer Prize in 2006 as an annual photographic competition for Australia’s Federal politicians to showcase their passion for their communities. All Members and Senators are invited to submit a photo, with the finalists comprising the annual Parker & Partners Australian Political Calendar, and vying for the prize of $5,000 to donate to a charity, school or non-government organisation of their choice. The final 13 photographs to be included in the 2012 calendar have also been announced. Photos entered can be viewed on: www.politzer.com.au.

Parker & Partners would like to thank the supporters of the 2012 Politzer Prize:

Canon Australia and A-PAC – Australia’s Public Affairs Channel.

Winners:

Winner – 2012 Politzer Prize

• “A perspective on cultural resilience” Mr Barry Haase MP, Member for Durack

Commendation – 2012 Politzer Prize

• “Human Resilience” Dr Mal Washer MP, Member for Moore

Winner – A-PAC Award

• “Colours of the outback races” Mr Bruce Scott MP, Member for Maranoa

Full list of participants

• Senator the Hon Mark Arbib, Minister for Sport, Indigenous Employment and Economic Development;
• Senator Simon Birmingham, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Environment;
• The Hon Julie Bishop MP, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade;
• Senator Carol Brown, Senator for Tasmania;
• Mr Darren Chester MP, Member for Gippsland;
• Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation, Industry and Science;
• Senator Alan Eggleston, Senator for Western Australia;
• The Hon Joel Fitzgibbon MP, Chief Government Whip;
• Mr Barry Haase MP, Member for Durack;
• The Hon Joe Hockey MP, Shadow Treasurer;
• Senator Gary Humphries, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Materiel;
• The Hon Greg Hunt MP, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage;
• Mr Stephen Jones MP, Member for Throsby;
• Senator Barnaby Joyce, Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Water;
• Senator Helen Kroger, Senator for Victoria;
• Mr Andrew Laming MP, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Health Services and Indigenous Health;
• Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Member for Fraser;
• The Hon Sussan Ley MP, Shadow Minister for Childcare and Early Childhood Learning;
• Mr Michael McCormack MP, Member for Riverina;
• Senator Christine Milne, Deputy Leader of the Greens;
• Mr Scott Morrison MP, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Productivity and Population;
• Mrs Jane Prentice MP, Member for Ryan;
• Mr Bernie Ripoll MP, Member for Oxley;
• Ms Amanda Rishworth MP, Member for Kingston;
• Mr Alby Schultz MP, Member for Hume;
• The Hon Bruce Scott MP, Second Deputy Speaker;
• Mr Patrick Secker MP, Member for Barker;
• The Hon Wayne Swan MP, Deputy Prime Minister;
• Mr Dan Tehan MP, Member for Wannon;
• Senator Matt Thistlethwaite, Senator for New South Wales;
• Dr Mal Washer MP, Member for Moore;
• Senator Larissa Waters, Senator for Queensland; and
• Mr Tony Windsor MP, Member for New England.

For further information, comments or images, please contact Peta Lange on 02 6215 4200.

Parker & Partners Wins Atticus Award

June 27, 2011: Parker & Partners, Australia’s leading bi partisan public affairs agency and part of Ogilvy PR Australia, has been awarded the Atticus Award in the Corporate Category for ‘State of Change: The Parker & Partners Guide to Working with an O’Farrell Government’.

The WPP Atticus Awards are exclusive to WPP companies worldwide, and recognise excellence and original thought in communications services. Parker & Partners is the only Australian winner for 2011. WPP is the world leader in marketing communications services, made up of over 300 companies and 146,000 employees.

‘State of Change’ was published in December 2010 and is Parker & Partners’ assessment of the policy priorities, personalities and political realities that were likely to shape the incoming government in NSW. It was written as a guide to what Parker & Partners anticipated would be a radically different approach to the way that business, the non-profit sector and others would engage with government in NSW following the NSW election.

”As Parker & Partners specialises in state and federal government engagement, media management, policy development, research and issues and crisis management, it is essential that we are constantly thinking about how the ever-changing political landscape influences the work and aims of our clients, our industry and ourselves,” said Sarah Cruickshank, Parker & Partners’ Joint Managing Director.

“We are thrilled to win this award as it reflects the fantastic response we have had to ’State of Change’ from the new NSW Government, our clients, and the industry.

“It’s a testament to the hard work and passion for politics our staff all have, and it’s gratifying to see, three months into the new Government, how many of our predictions have come to pass.”

Parker & Partners is a part of Ogilvy Public Relations Australia, a joint venture between Ogilvy PR Worldwide and the STW Group. Ogilvy PR is the largest and most awarded public relations agency in Australia, scooping more than 50 Australian and global trophies in the last two years, including the top honour amongst all WPP-owned PR agencies.

‘State of Change’ can be downloaded on the Ogilvy PR Australia website http://www.ogilvypr.com.au/news/state-change/

The Red Chair Series, an interview with Mathew Jones

Go to the Ogilvy PR YouTube channel.

 

Parker & Partners Wins 2010 Public Affairs Asia Gold Standard Award

For the second year in a row, Ogilvy PR’s public affairs specialist Parker & Partners won the Public Affairs Asia Gold Standard Award for Government Relations.

Parker & Partners won the award for their work with Bell Shakespeare, taking out the award over strong competition. Managing Director, Sarah Cruickshank accepted the award on behalf of the team on 20 January at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Hong Kong.

Bell Shakespeare is Australia’s national theatre company founded on the ideals of uninhibited access to the great classics for as many Australians as possible. Their flagship education programme, Actors At Work involves young actors touring Australia and delivering live performances to schools. With the help of government funding, many of these performances are delivered on a discounted or free-of-charge basis to schools disadvantaged by small numbers of students, remoteness, and socio-economic disadvantage.

Changes to government funding arrangements put the continuation of the Actors at Work programme under threat beyond 2010. Parker & Partners devised and executed a strategy designed to ensure continued funding for Actors at Work, thereby allowing Bell to continue the ‘reach’ of the program into remote and disadvantaged schools. This strategy was successful, allowing Actors At Work to continue in 2011. As a result, hundreds of schools and thousands of students benefited from an Actors At Work performance, many of whom would not otherwise have had the opportunity.

This also provided the Company with certainty for a further 12 months, allowing them time to plan for the long-term future of the programme.

Politzer photo competition voting is open

Voting is open for the Politzer photo competition People’s Choice award.

The Politzer photo competition is run annually by Parker & Partners, Ogilvy PR’s public affairs specialists.

The Politzer competition invites federal parliamentarians to submit a photo that illustrates the Australian character in their electorate, state or territory.

Our People’s Choice prize is awarded to the most popular photo judged by the public.

This year, we have a record number of outstanding entries from politicians from all political persuasions and corners of Australia. Deciding a winner will be tough so please make your vote count!

To see all of this year’s entrants and enter your vote for the People’s Choice award visit the Politzer Prize 2011 website.

Image: Last year’s winning entry by The Hon Bruce Scott MP.

A good start for new childcare operator

Issue

In mid-2009 a group of respected not-for-profits formed a company called GoodStart to buy ABC Learning, a childcare business that had been in receivership since its very public collapse in 2008. Strong public affairs support was required to promote the bid’s financial, social and business credentials to key stakeholders.

Challenges

While the individual not-for-profits – the Brotherhood of St Laurence, the Benevolent Society, Mission Australia and Social Ventures Australia – had strong reputations in their respective fields, they were not known for running childcare or for their business credentials. A number of other organisations were also interested in buying ABC Learning, including private equity and existing childcare providers.

Insights

Four aspects of the bid could be exploited to provide the best chance of success:

•        The four not-for-profits possessed powerful brands that were known for decades – and in some cases centuries – of caring for Australia’s less fortunate

•        As a not-for-profit GoodStart potentially had access to tax advantages unavailable to other bidders

•        To a large part GoodStart’s aims mirrored the Federal Government’s own childcare policies

•        The reckless management of ABC Learning by its previous owner had fostered negative community   attitudes about large, for-profit childcare operators

Campaign

Although the final decision on the purchase was the Receivers’, the Federal Government was a key stakeholder and its support would be crucial to the success of the bid. In fact, Government engagement was so successful it ended up lending GoodStart $15 million to complete financing. We supported the bid’s financial advisers in their successful approaches to government to unlock significant tax advantages. We promoted the ‘caring’ nature of the work of the four not-for-profits in the media alongside the involvement of prominent businesspeople and investors. At the same time, the strategic provision to media of publicly available information on competitor bidders assisted in two of those players withdrawing from the process.

Results

GoodStart was announced as the preferred bidder in late December 2009, with the announcement receiving widespread coverage and crucial union endorsement. The finalisation of the sale contract in May 2010 was marked by a media conference with the Deputy Prime Minister  Julia Gillard, the Minister for Early Childhood Education Kate Ellis and GoodStart CEO Matthew Horton. This also received widespread coverage using compelling images of the ministers with young children at one of the company’s metropolitan childcare centres.

Getting Ahead Of The Crowd

I have had the pleasure of working intimately with the waste management industry over the last two years as a public affairs adviser to some of Australia’s leading environmental management corporations, industry roof bodies, property developers and advocacy organisations.

These experiences have led me to appreciate that for the most part the waste management industry has a profoundly positive sustainability story to tell but it generally approaches the telling of these stories in a reactive manner.

I, though, am a firm believer that the positive narrative ought to be told proactively and by operating in this manner your business will thrive commercially.

Now, I’m not going to use this space to tell you about the intricacies of your own businesses, but rather to talk about what I know best: communications and public affairs.

One way to quantify the value of communicating sustainability is to ask: is it worth doing for broader reputational reasons – in other words – is it important to your stakeholders? Or, is there a risk to my organisation if we don’t communicate what we are doing in sustainability sense to our stakeholders?

A national poll recently commissioned by Parker & Partners found that 82 per cent of Australians want action on climate change now, with the majority of them wanting strong action.

It may not be the # 1, or even # 2 issue for the bulk of Australia’s suffrage in this election, but there is no doubt that whichever party can best demonstrate its commitment to taking action now on climate change will benefit from a real boost in electoral support.

This is particularly relevant for organisations whose operations have a clear physical impact upon their communities a la the waste sector.

As most readers would be aware, the visibility of an organisation’s activities is usually what drives community concern and/or media interest – with each stakeholder group utilising the other to apply pressure.
The very nature of government for example, is that it watches these groups particularly closely. Media and community pressure are important drivers of political influence. And in an industry as regulated as the waste sector, government perception is critical.

Government also has a more elevated role in ensuring the best possible legislative and regulatory frameworks are in place to deliver good public policy outcomes.

The reality is that in pursuing sound public policy in the sustainability space, there is always a stronger likelihood of government focusing on those organisations which have the largest impacts on the community – in doing so it allows them to make the most amount of difference whilst applying the least amount of burden on the community.

There are of course other stakeholder groups in addition to the aforementioned, however we’ve found that these are the core set of protagonists which organisations grapple with when identifying the opportunities and risks for communicating their sustainability track record.

Which brings us to the issue of how organisations should approach the way they communicate their sustainability activities.

There are three broad principles which I believe are vital in telling your sustainability story:

• It must be real, meaningful and authentic
• It must be demonstrable – and be able to be measured and evaluated
• It must be positioned in the context of a commitment to ongoing improvements

Obviously, organisations which don’t take their sustainability credentials seriously enough – or worse, try to pretend they are more sustainable than they actually are (the dreaded ‘greenwash’) – run the risk of attracting high levels of scrutiny from government and media, and thus damaging their brand in the eyes of their customers and the broader community

One play for the sector would be to communicate the renewable energy potential of landfill, or the decline of greenhouse emissions from the waste sector as a whole, to stakeholders and the community at large. I’ll leave the nuances to you.

Off The Record 2010 Federal Election Campaign

Special Edition: Election Eve

That was the election that was

Political orthodoxy, the published polls, and gut feeling say Labor will be returned to power tomorrow. However this campaign has been anything other than orthodox. As many commentators have stated it’s a campaign between two opposition leaders, with Labor surrendering many of the benefits of incumbency in removing Kevin Rudd and installing Julia Gillard as Prime Minister in June.

Both leaders have had very few slip-ups of their own doing but have lost momentum at crucial times. Tony Abbott struggled to effectively sell his broadband policy and lost valuable momentum, but it was the leaks against Gillard from within her own Party that have probably been the most damaging moments of the campaign so far.

Both leaders failed to really cut through in their campaign launches, but Abbott missed the bigger opportunity to capitalise on the calamity of Labor’s second and third weeks. Gillard’s ‘web-health’ policy announcement during her launch speech played well to the ALP’s policy strengths, supporting her forward-looking rhetoric and highlighting a perceived weakness in her opponent.

The live debate was a dull dead heat, while the two ‘people’s forums’ in Rooty Hill and Red Hill were evenly split.

There is clearly an anti-Government swing on in Queensland and NSW, and although it is now a cliché, it is true that ultimately the campaign will be decided by the uniformity of that swing in those two States.

The Labor brand in both States is clearly damaged. In Queensland, the removal of Kevin Rudd has not played well, while Gillard was clearly taken aback by the strong cynicism in Western Sydney following her announcement of the Parramatta-Epping rail line. The ALP now probably regrets its decision to muddy the waters in the campaign between State and Federal issues in NSW.

Countering this is strong support for the Government (and the progressive side of politics) in Victoria and South Australia – partly due to the Gillard home town factor – which may see as many as four seats change hands from Liberal to Labor. WA could go the other way with Hasluck and Swan (notionally Labor) in play for the Coalition.

The Greens are on track to attract their highest level of support at a Federal election and are now favourites on the betting markets to win the seat of Melbourne. That the Greens hold the balance of power in the Senate after 1 July 2011 is the only certainty going in to tomorrow’s election.

The Coalition campaign has built some momentum in its final days but OTR still thinks Labor and Julia Gillard will fall over the line with a four to six seat majority.

The best of times…

The PM’s performances have been strong throughout the campaign so it is difficult to pinpoint one single best moment, however, Australians got to see the “real Julia” in the television programs Q&A and The 7PM Project, and she continued to build on these strong performances.

Tony Abbott’s victory at the “people’s forum” at the Rooty Hill RSL was a moment of strength for the Opposition Leader. His decision to literally meet people at their level played out well, setting the tone for his contribution to the question and answer session. While the margin of victory was close it showed that Tony Abbott could hold his own as a creditable alternative Prime Minister.

… the worst of times

Veteran journalist Laurie Oakes’ airing of inside cabinet information that Gillard had questioned a pension increase and paid parental leave marked the low point of the Government’s campaign. A second leak that she had reportedly sent a staff member to represent her at National Security Committee continued to provide an unwelcome distraction for the PM and overshadowed the Government’s campaign message for a number of crucial days.

The Coalition’s campaign launch was a lost opportunity for Abbott to continue to build momentum over the course of the campaign. The absence of any detailed policy coupled with a focus on personality was supposed to show the Coalition as a safe pair of hands. Instead it provoked questions about the Coalition’s policy strength. Tony Abbott’s admission later that he was not a “tech head” only encouraged the perception that he was not across the detail of his own policies.

Return engagements

It’s safe to say there has not been an Australian election in living memory where so many former party leaders played such a central role. Like once great actors who can’t bear to leave the stage, in 2010 Kevin Rudd, Mark Latham, Bob Hawke, John Howard, John Hewson, and even Andrew Peacock all took turns at upstaging the young ingénues who had taken their roles.

The most tragic player was clearly Mark Latham. Rarely has an ex-politician’s desperate and transparent need for relevance been so unmatched by their ability to achieve it. No doubt he’ll think he accomplished what he set out to do, shining the spotlight on what he now says is an empty and meaningless process. But Latham looked like a buffoon and a bruiser, and ended up committing the cardinal sin of being boring.

The best return engagement was John Hewson, whose appearances on the ABC’s top-rating (three words you don’t see together very often) Gruen Nation revealed a raconteur of some skill, and a pretty insightful commentator to boot. No doubt he’ll be looking for other media gigs to capitalise on his renewed fame.

It’s strange to say Kevin Rudd had a good campaign, but in an odd way he did. Media and public sympathy was only enhanced by his illness, and whatever the result tomorrow his reputation will come out unscathed: if the ALP wins, his late intervention will be seen as a key factor; if they don’t, his ousting will be.

Bob Hawke has now effectively replaced Gough Whitlam in the pantheon of Labor greats, while John Howard’s brief return cemented the affection and regard significant sections of the electorate still hold for him. The less said about Andrew Peacock’s ill-judged comments the better.

It’s been suggested the reason for all these special guest appearances was that neither the PM nor Opposition Leader had the gravitas to pull spotlight themselves. We’re hoping that in 2013 one of them has been on the stage long enough to grow into the leading role, and that there’s no longer a part for these distracting supporting players.

Kerry and Laurie’s Excellent Adventure

This campaign has been characterised by media outlets keeping their leading journalists at home rather than lose them to the road for five weeks. This may have been what led one media commentator to call the coverage “one of the most abysmal performances I have seen from the media”. We’re not sure if that’s true, but the line of questioning about “Mr Rabbit” surely marks a new level of triviality.

But despite all the tweets, Facebook updates and FM radio interviews, the last five weeks have clearly demonstrated the traditional media’s ongoing ability to lead the political debate, set the agenda, and completely derail a campaign when they want to.

Two pivotal journalists – Laurie Oakes and Kerry O’Brien – changed the fortunes of both parties in the campaign, throwing the Labor and Coalition campaigns off the rails in a way that demonstrated these Titans’ ability to own the media cycle: Oakes by his cabinet leaks and O’Brien with his questioning of Abbott on broadband. Both journalists were at the top of their game and left politicians on both sides in their wake.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

First there were silly arguments about the format for the leaders’ debates, although what we ended up with was a forced and lifeless event. Then there was the economic debate that never was. But the most interesting new development over this campaign has clearly been the ‘people’s forums’, where Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott have been tested separately by questions without notice from voters.

In the crucial election battleground of Western Sydney, Gillard and Abbott faced a room full of swinging voters at the Rooty Hill RSL. Gillard faced a reasonably hostile audience from a pokies stool on the stage, dealing calmly with questions on the ALP factions’ involvement in Kevin Rudd’s dismissal, broken promises and bungled schemes. Abbott won the night by moving down to be amongst the people, and demonstrating his natural, folksy style with everyday Australians.

This week featured another people’s forum in another important battleground: Queensland. The forum at Brisbane Broncos Club in Red Hill used the same format as the Rooty Hill event. Both leaders positioned themselves below the podium among the people and both faced some difficult questions, Abbott on WorkChoices, broadband and election costings, Gillard on why she took away Queenslanders’ ability to determine the Prime Minister. Abbott was up first, but Gillard emerged slightly ahead according those present and media commentators.

The ABC’s Q&A debates offered viewers a different dynamic, with a mix of Labor, Liberal and swinging voters. Gillard’s polished performance was a defining moment in her campaign, producing a near perfect answer on her family status and demonstrating her sharp humour when responding to a gift of a question on Mark Latham. Abbott found the questions from the ABC’s audience more challenging, provoking a mixed response from the audience.

The people’s forums were a refreshing change from the trained political parlance practised by the press gallery and challenged the leaders to connect on a different level. We’re sure they’ll become a fixture, although the jury is still out on the need for a US-style debates commission for future campaigns.

The State(s) we’re in

The cartographer’s marks that separate the States of the Federation are often said to be accidents of history, a reminder of our colonial past that is an anachronism in our modern, borderless economy. So why are there such significant differences in the mood and temper of the state electorates? Why are those who follow Rugby League so pissed off, while those who watch AFL are so seemingly content?

Dissatisfaction with the Keneally and Bligh Governments will most likely lead to significant Labor losses in NSW and Queensland, where polling suggests they will lose four seats and eight seats respectively. Gillard has done what she can to distance herself from the NSW Government in particular. But the people of the marginal seats of Western Sydney seemingly don’t care.

The mining tax debacle and the knifing of their own PM mean the state of play in Queensland is even grimmer. The pollsters are tipping Bonner, Petrie, Leichardt, Forde, Dawson, Flynn, Dickson and possibly even Brisbane will fall to the Coaltion.

The Government will do well in progressive Victoria and possibly even South Australia, but cannot afford to lose the NT seat of Solomon. If the ALP is behind when the polls close in WA, then it’s ‘so long, farewell’ to the Gillard Government as the seats of Hasluck and Swan are tipped to swing to the Coalition.

More than Facebook and email

For all the planning and strategising done by parties before a campaign, they are unpredictable, uncontrollable events with a momentum all of their own. This was supposed to be the health and economy election, so the prominence of broadband has been a surprise to many.

The issue was a late game-changer for the Government, allowing it to promote its future-focussed bona fides against the Coalition’s apparent disinterest in the technology of tomorrow. The Coalition announced it would scrap the NBN as part of its $6 billion broadband policy, but Tony Abbott’s absence from the announcement and his later stumbles on the issue made him look out of touch and out of date.

By contrast, Julia Gillard flew to Tasmania to launch the commercial start of her $43 billion NBN, and four days later used the Labor campaign launch to link the NBN with the future health of Australians through online consultations.

Moving forward with real action

No doubt a majority of TV viewers were relieved to see the broadcast blackout kicking in on Wednesday night, especially after an intense final week of negative advertising. If you are still undecided, rest assured, online and social media advertising will continue on until tomorrow, thanks to a blackout loophole.

With the 2010 Federal Election TV advertising all wrapped up and in the can, it’s time to revisit some of the highlights and lowlights:

• First round of positive ads featuring their leaders talking about their priorities – Liberal’s Action contract ad (with that rather dated “Real Action” jingle) and Labor’s Moving Forward ad (featuring some sloppy writing).
• Labor’s series of negative advertising – Tony Abbott’s record as a health minister, economic record, and tax hikes, and “Don’t risk with Tony Abbott”.
• The Coaltion’s negative advertising saw the return of “Kevin O’Lemon”, also “Same old Labor” followed by “Same old Julia”, South Park-esque ads featuring Gillard and Keneally, Another boat and Stop Labor’s carbon tax.
• Third party advertising – with the ACTU sticking with an anti-WorkChoices theme, GetUp!’s series of commercials most notably on Abbott’s record on women’s issues, and the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies’ anti-mining tax ad.
• Perhaps the ad that generated the most buzz didn’t broadcast at all – the fake Greens ad by Republic of Everyone on Gruen Nation – If you think, vote Greens generated close to 100,000 views on YouTube.

Best quotes of the campaign

Oakes: “What do you think when I say Mark Latham?”
Gillard: “Unfortunately at the moment Laurie I think Channel Nine.”
Oakes: “Well that’s a fair cop Gov.”
- The PM and Laurie Oakes, Weekend Today, 1 August

“We really are a cross-section of the community, albeit some of the more colourful sections of the community. We’re not exactly the ‘gray suits’.”
- Fiona Patten, President of the Australian Sex Party

“Bob Hawke… had a tax summit, now if we had that today, happen before people’s eyes – ‘Oh – tax summit, imagine doing that? Imagine getting people to Canberra? Oh – why would you bother talking to anybody? Why don’t get on with leading it’ – tweet, tweet, tweet and so on.”
- The PM at yesterday’s Press Club event.

“Nice to see you Mark, and I hope you enjoy your life as a journalist.”
- The PM to Mark Latham, 7 August.

“Just as the Prime Minister says, I say as well that I’m no Bill Gates here and I don’t claim to be any kind of tech head in all of this.”
- Tony Abbott on the 7:30 Report, 10 August.

“There are some things that can’t be measured.”
- The PM on Mark Latham, Q&A, 9 August.

“Wayne Swan is to surpluses what Paris Hilton is to celibacy. They remember it once existed but they’ll never see it again.”
- Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey, 20 July.

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