Paul Bongiorno is a thoughtful and informed commentator, one of only a handful, now, who are worth reading.
Yet even he illustrates a blind-spot in news media that is trashing Australian democracy: the baleful influence of the Murdoch family’s News Corporation.
Personifying the Voice referendum no campaign as Peter Dutton’s doing is inexplicably wrong-headed.
In May last year, then WA premier Mark McGowan labelled Dutton as an extremist at odds with Australian mainstream views, and as ‘not that smart’.
It’s an assessment easy to come by given Dutton’s performance. More than that, it’s also quite easy to connect the dots between the far right commentariat of News Corp and Dutton: they set the talking points and Dutton repeats them. Easy politics for a clueless man.
Put another way, Dutton appears to have no policy positions of his own, and just goes along with whatever makes its way to the top of the bilepit at Sky News after dark.
From that perspective, it isn’t Dutton at all driving divisive and hate-mongering politics. It’s News Corporation through its various outlets, including especially in regional Australia
In June 2021 the ABC reported that a new deal by News Corp would see its Sky News ‘metropolitan-based channel’s daily news coverage, as well as its evening line-up of conservative commentators like Alan Jones, Andrew Bolt, Chris Kenny, Paul Murray and Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff, Peta Credlin’ reach seven million free to air regional viewers through the Southern Cross Austereo network.
In Australian cities, Sky News comes as part of a Foxtel subscription package. Why is it free in the regions? Because News Corp has correctly identified that to be successful in its political campaigning, influencing regional voters is a winning strategy.
It exposes News Corporation not as a news business, but as an overt political actor with an agenda loosely identified as right wing populism, quite likely because governments of that stripe are likely to assist corporate profitability by lowering corporate taxes, offering more tax loopholes and subsidies, and dismantling or blocking regulations relating to ethical, legal business practices.
Opposing the Voice is less about racism, though racism plays in populist politics, than it is about undermining politics with any hint of progressive ambitions.
In sum, it would be fair to say the no campaign is driven by News Corp, not the creaky, undisciplined LPA/NPA/LNP axis, and on the understanding that divisive politics takes the spotlight off corporate misconduct and profitability.
So, I think Bongiorno may be right in aggregate, but either blind or too cowardly to call out the real power behind the no vote in the coming referendum.
No comments:
Post a Comment