Commentary by Scott Balson: Global Web Builders.
Another
day another dollar... the media pack gathered in a small park below the Ipswich
City Council building. I sat and chatted to Mark Strong a political journalist
from the local Queensland Times. It was idle chatter... about the
weather... a perfect Queensland day with sunny skies and just a tinge of coolness
in the air.
The pack was getting edgy... they had been kept waiting for the promised 1pm press conference.
It was time to take a few pictures....
David
Oldfield, accompanied by Heather Hill strode down from Pauline Hanson's office
and the pack gathered around like a dark cloud on such a beautiful day. There
were two reasons why the press conference had been called.
First to expose Labor party leader Peter Beattie's lies about preferences on One Nation's how-to-vote cards and, second, to reveal the abuse of power by the Goss government in 1990 when it shredded the Heiner documents. (See photo right). Beattie had claimed earlier in the week that One Nation would direct preferences to the Coalition in 38 seats and said that he had (quote) "PROOF".
This was One Nation's proof that Beattie was a bald headed liar who could not be trusted.
Of course the media's role is not about trying to tell the truth so the shreddergate story never got any subsequent coverage at all.
David began proceedings by laying dozens of piles of how-to-vote cards out on the grass.
Every movement was followed, every stack filmed, differing angles, close ups... never had how-to-vote cards received so much eager attention from the media pack.
Oldfield,
an old hand at dealing with the media repeated time and again to the media
before introducing Pauline Hanson's One Nation Queensland State Leader, Heather
Hill, that here was proof that Beattie was a liar because One nation would only allocate preferences in 15 seats and even in these quite clearly state "number squares as you wish".... Beattie was a liar...
anyone missed that?
Well here it is again, "Here's proof that Beattie is a liar."
Funny thing that because the Courier Mail missed that line altogether and ran a story the next day which said that One Nation had shown themselves up as "Coalition partners" who would help get the Coalition over the line with the preferences.
It was now Heather Hill's opportunity to hammer the point that Beattie was a liar home, but still, somehow, with all the evidence before them the truth could not be told. No, it had to be manipulated in a manner in which the well-practised journalists have done time and again in the past and will continue to do in the future.
Hill's performance was, again, exceptional. She was articulate, clear and answered questions directly.
David Oldfield hovered around the side of the pack, head titled as he listened intently to what was being said and what Mrs Hill said in response.
As
the media pack gathered up their belongings, a few how-to-vote cards and
other trivia it was time to get on the road, but not before catching Heather
Hill being interviewed by the Queensland Times' Mark Strong.
Return to Queensland State Election page.