Australian National
(anotd)
Thursday
24th September 1998
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Since
October 1995
Between the One Nation lines
We have received considerable off-the-record feedback from reporters
who viewed our on-line report yesterday exposing the distortions in reporting
and, what we perceive to be, intimidatory tactics by Fairfax.
Yesterday, I was faxed, a Fairfax legal threat addressed to David
Ettridge, at One Nation Manly. The fax alleges One Nation published
an extract from the Sydney Morning Herald that apparently appeared
on Saturday May 23rd 1998. The offending publication was claimed to be the
newspaper Pauline Hanson's One Nation Volume 1 published in July 1998.
The body of the letter dated 22nd September 1998 follows a
similar
theme to the threat received by me last week (view at this link).
About half an hour later I had a phone call from One Nation's National Director
David Ettridge, who advised me that a most concerned Fairfax lawyer had sought
assurances from him that this fax would not suddenly appear in scanned form
on the Internet
like the
one sent to anotd last week. I was happy to give him that assurance.
Further investigation revealed that the "newspaper" referred to in the fax
addressed to One Nation Manly was one allegedly published by the One Nation
Queensland Electoral Campaign Committee - not Manly office - and the reference
to "Volume 1" in the letter appeared to be incorrect..
I personally view this fax as blatant intimidation against those involved
with One Nation. But this aside I find it quite remarkable that, despite
the growing media interest in the Australian National News of the Day
yesterday, not one journalist has had the balls to investigate the claim
once again reproduced in the public interest in red type below.
Comment from anotd
16th September 1998:
"Kill the cow"....
three cryptic words used by a desperate Lachlan Murdoch
to his senior News Limited editors days before the federal election
was called. More than likely he was acting on his father's instructions.
This horrifying abuse of Australia's political system
was confirmed to me by an extremely reliable source.
The cow is Pauline Hanson of course.
"Kill" referring to her political career.
What we are now seeing in the feeding frenzy of
biased reporting in our polarised Murdoch-dominated media - the results
of that one instruction by a single, powerful young man half my age. A man
who wields the power to make or break governments... and we think that we
live in a democracy. Our extensive report
"The Four Corners of Australia's
Trojan Horse" documents how Murdoch and his editorial cronies are
ruling Australia through the media.
What happened
to the code of ethics, fellows? Has that gone out of the window together
with your biased reporting against One Nation? As you read this understand
that your profession's credibility amongst the Australian population is nose
diving faster than support in One Nation ever did - something you so dearly
love to report on again and again and again.
The message is quite simple - your biased reporting against One Nation might
succeed in denting its short term popular support but at what cost? Your
profession will be scorned for years to come as more and more people with
access to the truth through new media like the Internet discover how you
led the assault against democracy in this country at this moment in our history.
I challenge any journalist with an ethical bone in his or her body to
investigate and report on the claim made against News Limited above.
I will be happy to provide sources to a bona-fide reporter on a confidential
basis - let's see how far your story goes before the "ethical"
chiefs-of-staff in your paper squash a story that is clearly in the national
interest.
Radio commentator Alan Jones speaks out again
Speaking on Channel 9's Today programme today, Alan Jones raised the issue
of media balance in reporting on One Nation. It's good to know that
there are a few objective reporters and commentators left in this country.
Here
is an extract from his comments:
Can you remember the front page stories about this
wimp John Howard not having the guts to send One Nation packing. In fact
it was going to be the dirtiest job since Dad and Dave got caught in the
farmyard if John Howard's Liberal's shared preferences or spoke of preferences
with One Nation but then suddenly we learnt that the ALP in Queensland at
the Queensland election handed out cards asking those who voted for the One
Nation party to give them, the Labor party, their preferences.
Mr Beazley would say well that's not quite the same
as having candidates exchange preferences. The semantic niceties escape us
I am sure. Here was the Labor party saying the Queensland election campaign,
"If you vote Green, One Nation or Democrat give us your preferences". Isn't
it funny that the media doesn't take exception to that.
Pauline Hanson distressed at gutter stories
The New Idea story reporting on Pauline
Hanson's son Steven's paid for comments suggesting Pauline was a bad mother
was followed this week by Women's Day magazine quoting ex-confidante
Barbara Hazelton (seen right with husband Bill). In the story Hazelton claims
David Oldfield has been Pauline Hanson's lover.
"By October (1996) they were sleeping together," she says. "She (Pauline)
told me on a few occasions that David was all she wanted in a man and she
didn't care who knew."
Oldfield responded to the Hazelton claim by saying, "Even if that was true,
Barbara Hazelton was never in a position to know.
"We've always been very, very close. Nothing has changed. We still feel as
close in what we are trying to achieve together. However we have not had
a sexual relationship."
Pauline Hanson when refering to this and the New Idea article based on her
son's comments said, "All this is gutter trash that is brought out about
my personal and private life and I don't like it."
Pauline has stood by her son Steven despite his remarks to New Idea,
Steven said yesterday, "Mum's aware of my illness and she's upset but I don't
expect her to support me through this. I think I'm an embarrassment to
her."
One Nation locked out yet again.
One Nation candidate for Riverina, David Barton, expressed his concern and
disappointment at being refused permission to set up the One Nation display
at yet another show.
Mr Barton said he had been told by show officials of the refusal by the
Hillston Show Society President to allow One Nation to set up a display
at the Show. "It is a denial of the electorates right to be informed and
of our rights to answer voters questions" he added.
"Having already suffered the humiliation of being kept out of the Hay show,
we now find that we are not welcomed at Hillston either"said Mr Barton. At
Hay the One Nation team had to set up their display outside the show gates
in the carpark. Mr Barton was also advised later that he was not supposed
to have handed out One Nation leaflets at the show "Fortunately I was not
told until the show was almost over, otherwise we would have been totally
gagged" said Mr Barton.
"I cannot see why these particular show societies would want to exclude the
One Nation display from their shows, especially when West Wyalong and Ardlethan
were happy to have us and we certainly had no problems there" said Mr Barton.
Whilst he was told that other parties have also been denied access Mr Barton
is concerned that it has only been One Nation that has had a display to set
up at the shows. "It is effectively only One Nation that has been excluded"
said Mr Barton.
"As a result, even though we had a very successful meeting at Hillston last
week, We shall be unable to attend the Hillston Show" said Mr Barton.
"The One Nation campaign display will be present at both the Henty Field
days and the Wagga Wagga shows" said Mr Barton. "I am also especially pleased
that Pauline herself will be at Henty and also in Wagga on Wednesday afternoon"
added Mr Barton. "This will give people the opportunity to meet her on the
street personally and ask her questions that may be of concern"
Packer kills off Coalition's credibility
Australia's richest man, Kerry Packer, has thrown his support behind the
federal Coalition. Mr Packer yesterday attended a Liberal Party luncheon
in Sydney where the Prime Minister was guest speaker.
Howard, when asked, referred to Packer as "just another Australian voter"....
Packer when asked said the Coalition deserve another term in office and that
Labor needed a couple more years in the wilderness before it was returned
to office.
Of national interest to Australians is a topic which is clearly off limits
- the placement of Packer's close confidante, Brian Conroy, as headman at
Fairfax in the last few months.
Conroy has, of course, claimed that Packer has absolutely no influence over
his running of the Fairfax media empire. The sudden resignation of some senior
editors and journalists following the appointment appears to tell a different
story.
After all think about this
quote from
the ABC Four Corners programme:
Jeff
Kennett (right) (Victorian Premier) 20 February
1997: "The only thing that I get embarrassed about, is this patheticness
(sic) of The Age and the ABC."
Mr Kennett is all for Fairfax changing hands. He
despises the Melbourne Age. He has told friends that on the day Packer
takes over, he will be at The Age handing out pink dismissal slips to
journalists.
Still very quiet out their in journalist land? What happened to that
story?
See also
for more on this extract:
Senator Chris Schacht: "I suppose everyone is fearful
that one day, if you told Kerry Packer to go jump, you might end up as
a bad story in the newspapers. As a result, you might end up with an
antagonistic story. That’s a natural function of human nature, I suppose.
And no politician wants to see a bad story written about themselves, or against
their government or their party."
ALP digs deep in spamming depravity
In one of the lowest moves yet to hit the net in Australia,
the ALP has made a web page available from which their supporters can bombard
the Internet community
with unsolicited
junk e-mail. SPAM.
Wary of the consequences of using their own net server
to do the deed, the ALP have set up the spam machine on a separate IP number
which can no doubt be discarded once it becomes listed in the various anti-spam
services.
Here is the link
from which
the SPAM originates
Now I don't know about you, but I think the ALP has
sunk about as low as it can go. It has finally come up with an Internet first
though. Its the first Australian Political Party to spam our mailboxes
with unsolicited junk mail.
I suggest we all keep it in mind on polling day.
David Moss
Making the
news" -
an indepth exposé of media and political collusion at the highest
possible levels in Australia.
You say:
Nail
down the truth
Dear Editor,
Readers of The Australian (22/9/98) and Evan
Whitton's "They shoot messengers, don't they?" declaration of war against
Aunty ABC's Media Watch fifteen minute television programme in particular,
will have discovered in the last paragraph the words:
"Are the members aware that the function of journalism,
unlike the law, is to seek the truth."
Of course Whitton is entitled to his beliefs but it
is quite a hard task reconciling his statement with the following item from
an obviously more qualified writer:
"The business of the journalist is to destroy the truth;
to lie outright; to pervert; to vilify; to fawn at the feet of mammon; and
to sell his country and his race for his 'daily bread'"
John Swinton,
Former Chief-of-Staff
The New York Times.
Jon Axtens
Comments on Australian national News of the
day
In view of the tactics employed against One Nation
you may be interested in a MEDIA RELEASE about David Barton One Nation Riverina
Candidate being
locked out of two shows in the Riverina.
Yours Sincerely
Bruce O'Neill
UNCONSTITUTIONAL DISENFRANCHISEMENT AND CENSORSHIP
BY THE MEDIA
Hi Scott
Since sending this and talking to others like BruceCamfield
& Brett Hocking' its obvious that media self-censorship will make it
very difficult to alert most voters to the way the right to choose MPs has
been so threatened by the new sub-section 240 (2) of the Electoral Act. See
below.
Your ideas on how to get around the mass media's
self-censorship would be appreciated. Apart from putting the key point of
disenfranchisement of voters who want to reject Laborals, can you list names
of its supporters and their seats? Brett is getting them.
Also what about getting international publicity. Isn't
there a site specialising in publicising censored material?
Subject: UNCONSTITUTIONAL
DISENFRANCHISEMENT
Thanks Richard & Vanessa for the Electoral Commission
stuff. Its excellent, and specially potent in Queensland! I hope Bill Feldman
calls tomorrow, and I'll try to call Brett.
From our discussion since, and the following, I hope
we can develop the political and legal cases quickly, and with the help of
others. At the same time it is even more vital than in the Easytax announcement
that who-ever is to speak first on this topic can handle the media and political
attacks. It will require careful planning, not least to ensure it can be
kept confidential until others are prepared. It may even be best if only
the general outline of an electoral reform policy is raised at Wednesday's
branch meeting.
UNCONSTITUTIONAL DISENFRANCHISEMENT
After reading the relevant provisions of last July's Electoral and Referendum
Amendment Act, it is very clear that sub-section 240 (2), requiring preference
numbers to be consecutive "without the repetition of any number" is not only
contrary to the spirit of the Act itself, as described most explicitly in
sub-section 268 (3), but almost certainly unconstitutional (except presumably
in the eyes of such judges as decided the 1972 Evans vs Crighton-Brown
case.)
In the October 1998 Federal election, sub-section 240
(2) , will compel voters to either indirectly choose members they consciously
reject, or be disenfranchised! This is clearly against the letter and spirit
of the Australian Constitution, which in Section 24 requires that members
of the House of Representatives are "directly chosen by the people of the
Commonwealth."
This legislation required majority votes in both houses,
and most of them and their supporters are now standing for re-election. With
all the outrage and indignity they can muster (such as invoking the opinion
of Dr Mahatir, that paragon of non-racial democracy), not to mention voters
money, they are telling us, even insisting, that putting One Nation last
is crucial to Australia's future international standing, and economic progress.
This is because only by putting a party or candidate last can a voters ensure
their vote will not elect someone abhorent to them.
Surely nothing could abhorent to democracy, than compelling
voters to choose, and possibly elect, people they consciously and
conscienciously, reject. What better grounds for such rejection than the
choice of giving preferences to candidates selected by parties with proven
and public histories of betraying voters. Yet any voter dares to use his
or her secret ballot to show a clear intention to put more than one candidate
equal last is now to be disenfranchised. Such optional preferences were legal,
and used, until July 1998.
Optional preferences were made legal in Queensland
in 1992, and in June 1998 they were widely used. They were also abused by
parties with proven and public histories of betraying voters, as evidenced
by the Mansfield case.
Regards
Jim Stewart
Complaint to the ABC
Here is a copy of a formal complaint I have lodged
today with the ABC:
I am writing to you to complain about the ending to
your "Election 98" report in the 7:00 pm ABC news, Melbourne on the 22nd
of September 1998.
You ended the report with a very short incident which
involved a young person shouting "you racist" at Pauline Hanson. I believe
this coverage was unfair to both your viewers and to One Nation.
First, media mention is not media coverage. By tucking
a quick stab at the end of a report, you did not cover the visit of Pauline
Hanson to Ballarat. So my question is: why not? The One Nation party is likely
to hold the balance of power after the next election. If they do not, it
is just a matter of time before they do. In any event, they represent a
significant development in Australian politics. So if "pressing flesh" by
the Liberals and Labor is newsworthy, Pauline Hanson in Ballarat is also
newsworthy, and deserves similar coverage as the others. I doubt very much
that Pauline Hanson went to Ballarat exclusively to get herself called a
racist. So today, your viewers are probably wondering what statement of
significance Mrs Hanson may have made in Ballarat. If history is in the making,
your role as news-provider is to bear witness to this history, and not to
repress it in the hope it will go away.
The aspect of your non-coverage coverage (if you see
what I mean) that concerns me the most is that it is not representative of
what actually happened in Ballarat. Protests and shouting were the exception,
not the rule. So why did you decide to summarise the event by showing a short
grab of one person shouting at Pauline Hanson? Isn't the role of a journalist
to accurately and fairly report? Were your viewers given a fair and accurate
representation of what happened in Ballarat? Is it the role of the ABC News
to stereotype Pauline Hanson as a racist?
JG Estiot
Support for One Nation
Dear Ms Hanson and all the great people who make up
One Nation,
I am a uni student suffering under the 'stranglehold'
of the mainstream parties.
I came to vote in the Qld elections for the first time
in my life, and there was only one party I could possibly vote for.
I am now approaching my decision for the federal election,
but in actual fact I've already made my decision.
I've read many political papers, but one party's paper
really stood out (forgivable rush errors aside).
Only one party offers a truly excellent solution to
Australia's screwed-up tax system.
Only one party speaks words that I understand.
Only one (quite young) party, has failed to show ANY deceit or hidden
agendas.
Only one party has shown me any kind of honesty.
As I said, I am a student. Youth Allowance is my main
source of income, and it is crippling my abilities as a student. If I was
asked would 2% Easytax help me, I'd have to answer with a resounding
YES!
Ms Hanson, you've got my vote!
The only problem I've got, is trying to convince everyone
that if they vote otherwise, this country is going to be squeezed and milked
by the very politicians who have been getting away with it for years.
I may be only 20 years of age, but I'm smart enough
to see that my future will be extremely dull if things continue as they are
at present. Tax and inequality in the year 2000 and beyond would really be
frightening me by now, if it were not for One Nation.
Ms Hanson, I know you can fix it all. You're the only
one hasn't and I know never will LIE to us! GO GET 'EM!
I apologise that I have no way to support you other
than spread the word and change people's minds. If there is anything else
a poor insignificant soul like me can do (without dough) to help, please
by all means let me know.
You're the only party us young'n's can appreciate and
trust!
Glenn Wallace
student
p.s. loved the tv ads! Despite suffering from a lack
of budget, it still outshines all the other parties ads! How more can I express
my appreciation for all your hard work?
Child
Support
I have recently entered the Family Law Court and Child Support Agency roundabout,
and I am now looking for an avenue which will help me have both these systems
be made more accountable.
I will vote for your party only because it has stated
it is prepared to make changes to these systems.
I want to make sure that other people who enter these
systems in the future are not dealt with in the manner I and thousands of
others have had to, and still are, suffering.
Regards
Sam Mac Kenzie
babblings, blatherings and jabberings
Dear sir
The launch of the Laborals' "campaigns" today and earlier
in the week, is indicative of the fact that mainstream 'politicians' have
passed their use-by date!
Their continual failure to forthrightly address the
_real_ issues in this electoral campaign[unemployment, multiculturalism and
the fragmentation of Australian society, economic irrationalism, the death
of rural areas, the destruction of manufacturing industry, globalisation,
the continual wrecking of small businesses(advocated and approved by big
business and the banks) and the assault on traditional Australian family
and moral values by the intellectual elites] is a glaring neon sign that
they are desperately 'out of touch' with their respective grassroots(despite
Kimbo Boozey's protestations to the contrary...just saying so doesn't make
it so!).
These dimwits continually remind me of the last Russian
Tsar, who moved toy soldiers around on a 'mock battlefield' and played dominoes
while his country disappeared around him....gobbled up by the Bolsheviks!
Say what you like about V.I.Lenin, he at least seen which way the tide of
history was turning and _seized the day_: rather like Mrs Hanson! Instead
of grandstanding and aggradising themselves with multi-million dollar campaign
launches(to which only the glitterati, multinationals, party hacks and 'elites'
are invited!) and berating people with pollie-babble, these turkeys should
be _on the streets_ full time(in :pubs, shopping centres, markets, small
shops, factories, RSLs, bowling clubs, sporting venues,public
transport...wherever!) Methinks they have lost the plot!
The late German historian and philosopher Oswald Spengler(a
man of towering intellect and devastating insight) nicely sums up the
characteristics of a great 'mover and shaker' in the political sphere in
his _magnum opus_, 'The Decline of the West': "The essential,therefore, is
to understand the time _for_ which one is born. He who does not sense and
understand its most secret forces, who does not feel in himself something
cognate that drives him forward on a path neither hedged nor defined by concepts,
who believes in the surface, public opinion, large phrases and ideals of
the day-he is not of the stature for its events. He is in their power, not
they in his. Look not back to the past for measuring rods! Still less sideways
for some system or other! There are times, like our own present and the
Gracchan[Grecian] age, in which there are two most deadly kinds of idealism,
the reactionary and the democratic. The one believes in a reversibility of
history, the other in a teleology of history. But it makes no difference
to the inevitable failure with which both burden a nation over whose destiny
they have power, whether it is to a memory or to a concept that they sacrifice
it. The genuine statesman is incarnate history, its directedness expressed
as individual will and its organic logic as character" ['The Decline of the
West', Vlm II: Perspectives of World History/ The Philosophy of
Politics]
What Australians are looking for is a _sea change_,
not more of the same. I predict the following results for One Nation Party(House
of Reps'):
Queensland: 4 seats;
NSW: 3 seats;
Victoria: 2+ seats;
Sth Austrl: 2+ seats;
Tasmania: 1+ seat;
WA: 3+ seats;
Total: 15+ seats in the House of Reps. _that's_ a
change!....a major re-alignment/revolution in the Australian political
landscape!
cheers!
(jimbo!)
Advertising wasteful
I am just appalled at the way money is being spent
by parties making ads for tv which just bag the other party. Why can't you
just say what and how you will do things. This goes for all parties. Each
got this letter. I am very angry that my tax dollars are going to ridiculous
advertising which don't do anything except slag everybody else. These ads
don't make anything any clearer to the average voting public, it just shows
how small the party is.
Daniel Valentine.
Another perfect day in paradise.
Have a good one.
Recent stories exclusive to
(how to)
subscribe/rs of the Australian National News of the Day:
Fairfax on
trial- 23rd September 1998
Where the politically
correct hang out - 20th September 1998
A brief lunch time
controntation with Jeff Kennett- 8th September 1998
One Nation's
Primary Industry Policy- 7th September 1998
One Nation's Tax Policy-
4th September 1998
One Nation "Media
Adviser" shows true colours- 1st September 1998
One Nation
Federal Fund Raiser - 21st August 1998
B'nai B'rith's
discriminatory and un-Australian "Racewatch" - 18th August 1998
Four Corners become
"Flawed" Corners - 11th August 1998
The Nicholas
Street Rally - 4th August 1998
Their first
day in Parliament - 28th July 1998
The 60 Minutes
debate/debacle - 26th July 1998
Return to Australian National
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