Bread and Circus: Australian media tries to run the election campaign agenda

Letter from Loughnane to Bitar
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The Gillard Government's re-election team appear intent on starving Tony Abbott of oxygen in the federal election campaign now underway in Australia.

With only one leaders debate on the schedule (instead of the hoped for three) and that apparently right in the middle of the Sunday night feeding-the-kids time zone for many families, both the mainstream media and the Coalition must be fuming.

The attempt to corner Gillard by applying public pressure has badly backfired on both. The media has lost two more opportunities to ponder at length on vagaries of The Worm and Abbott additional televised chances to send his often outrageous claims nationwide without being restricted by a news/current affairs format.

Posted in Crikey on 19 July 2010 along with a letter (above left) from the Liberal Party Secretariat:

Statement from Press Gallery President Phillip Hudson on election debates

The Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery committee looks forward to both the Labor Party and the Liberal Party delivering on their previous promises to participate in three leaders' debates during the formal election campaign.

In particular, we look forward to a guaranteed debate on the first Sunday of the campaign (which is four or more days after the issue of the writs) and, most importantly, a debate on the last Sunday before polling day.

We believe this will allow a proper debate about all the issues and scrutiny of the promises made during the formal campaign launches.

We believe the debates must be designed for television, internet and radio broadcast and there must be no restrictions on the use of audience response meters or other devices.

The members of the Press Gallery are ready to participate in and facilitate these three debates.

Phillip Hudson

Press Gallery President