GILLARDS AWU SCAM...why the Press ran dead. Prior to Gillard’s election to Prime Minister, senior Press Gallery hacks were canvassed by the ALP Right faction to determine if her connection to the AWU fraud would “be a problem”. The Press was emphatic; it wouldn’t be! From that point on the senior scribes did everything to ensure their prediction came true. The media’s love affair with the hapless Gillard was doting and loyal and, if it weren’t for a few mavericks who saw meat on the AWU bone, she may have staved off Rudds return. The Press gallery had become more of a rogues’ gallery after struggling newspapers were forced to cut staff in their Canberra bureaus, leaving a handful of seniors to mentor some cheaper, snotty-nosed cadets on steep learning curves. But Gillard was eventually forced to hold an impromptu press conference to elicit questions on the brewing scandal. The juniors had no idea what she was talking about and the seniors naturally refused to ask a single probing question. The juniors had been told the story was old, had no legs and was a blind- alley figment of internet bloggers’ delirium. ABC journalists I spoke to admitted they hadn’t even read the damning Cambridge affidavit. There wasnt the slightest interest in it. The scenario I wrote the following day went something like this: {{August 23, 2012, 10 am: John McTernan walked into Gillard’s office. Gillard was discussing Nauru with Chris Bowen and what they would both say at a Press conference due in a few minutes. “Sorry to interrupt”, said McTernan, “but I’ve just stuck my head in the Blue Room and no bugger’s there; just the kids and Bongiorno. Might be a good time for that Wilson thingy.” “What Wilson thingy?”, asked Bowen. “Shut up Chris, just leave me alone with John for a minute will you?”, said Gillard. Bowen left. McTernan put both knuckles on Gillard’s desk. “You won’t get a better time Julia. I’m telling you the kids in there know bugger all about the Wilson thing and Bongiorno won’t ask anything hard anyway.” “Are you sure?” asked Gillard. “I don’t need egg on my face over this!” “Look Julia, I’ve spoken to these kids and they love ya. I happen to know not one of them has heard of that Cambridge affidavit, let alone read it! “Just go in there and announce you are holding an impromptu Press conference to clear this thing up once and for all. Tell them to start firing their best questions at you, theyll be nonplussed!” “Okay John, I’ll do it. It will mean cutting Bowen off at the knees but I can apologise later”, said Gillard. “Go for it baby; get out there and spend an hour talking about nothing. I guarantee you will not get any embarrassing questions because they simply don’t know of any. Then, when you get asked in future by anyone who does actually know something, you can say you are on record, exhausting every question for an hour; so piss off!” “You’re a fornicating genius John! Let me at ‘em. “By the way, are you married?”}} So who were these senior Press gallery journalists who were determined not to allow the AWU story oxygen? Well, if you mumbled the names Grattan, Oakes, and of course Bongiorno, you wouldn’t be far wrong. It’s a shame that honest journos like Michael Smith and Glenn Milne who shone an arc light on the AWU rats nest had to pay such a high price. - Larry Pickering. 5/12/13.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Dec 2013 02:13:25 +0000
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