LETTER from CANBERRA OM Canberraand Beyond
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LETTERSavingLETTERSaving you you time. time.LETTERSaving A A monthly monthly you time. newsletter newsletter A monthly distilling distilling newsletter public FROMpublicFROM distilling policy policy and andpublicFROM government government policy and decisions decisions government CANBERRACANBERRA which which decisions affect affect CANBERRA business businesswhich affect opportunities opportunities business in opportunitiesin Australia Australia and and in beyond. Australiabeyond. and beyond. LETTERSaving you time. A monthly newsletter distilling publicFROM policy and government decisions CANBERRA which affect business opportunities in Australia and beyond. 2323 JULY JULY to to 2313 13 JULYAugust August to 201013 2010 August Issue Issue 2010 No. No. 27: 27:Issue Campaign Campaign No. 27: EditionCampaign Edition Edition This week’s Morgan Polls suggest LetterLetter from from Canberra, Canberra,Letter established establishedfrom Canberra, 2008, 2008, established is is a asister sister publication 2008,publication is a sisterof of Leter Leter publication From From Melbourne, Melbourne, of Leter Fromestablished established Melbourne, 1994 1994 established 1994 ‘hung’ Parliament - Pages 9 - 12 OOUURR EXPECTATIONS EXPECTATIONSOUR EXPECTATIONS INSIINSIDDEE INSIDE EditorialEditorial by by Alistair AlistairEditorial Urquhart Urquhart by Alistair Urquhart PunchPunch and and counter counterPunch punch. andpunch. counter punch. WeWe have have raced raced to Weto get get have this this raced edition edition to to getto you you this at at editionthe the start start to of you of the the at last thelast week start week of of thethis this last five five week weekweek of federal thisfederal five election election week federalcampaign. campaign. election campaign. GillardGillard regains regainsGillard miner miner regains poll poll miner poll ThisThis edition edition could couldThis well well edition become become could something something well become of of a a keep-sake.something keep-sake. ofGood Good a keep-sake. for for helping helping Good you you musefor muse helping one one day dayyou as asmuse to to why why one what whatday as to why what ascendancyascendancyascendancy happenedhappened did. did. It happened Itbrings brings together together did. It bringsmuch much oftogether of what what you muchyou were were of toowhat too busy busyyou to wereto either either too listen busylisten to toto or eitheror read, read, listen or or purposefully purposefullyto or read, or purposefully avoided.avoided. avoided. Policies.Policies. Water, Water,Policies. broadband, broadband, Water, broadband, mentalmental health… health…mental health… DespiteDespite all all the the nonsense Despitenonsense all and and the foul foulnonsense language language and of offoul the the languagecampaign campaign of (You’ll (You’llthe campaign remember, remember, (You’ll I didI did remember,go go on on about about I didthat that go in in onmy my about last last that in my last editorial),editorial),23 JULY certain certain toeditorial), issues13 issues August have havecertain at at least issuesleast2010 been been have Issueclarified. clarified. at least No. beenProfessionalProfessional 27: clarified. Campaign debates debates Professional by by treasurer Editiontreasurer debates WayneWayne by treasurer SwanSwan and and Wayneshad shad- -Swan and shad- CostingsCostings fumbles fumblesCostings fumbles owowLetter treasurer treasurer from Canberra, Joe Joeow Hockey, Hockey,treasurer established and and Joe by by2008, Hockey,foreign foreign is a sister ministerand minister bypublication foreign Stephen Stephen ofminister LeterSmith Smith From andStephen and Melbourne,shadow shadow Smith foreign foreignestablished and shadowminister minister 1994 foreign Julie Julie Bishop, Bishop,minister Julie Bishop, bothboth at at the the National Nationalboth Pressat Press the Club NationalClub in in Canberra, Canberra, Press Club were were in Canberra,civil civil and and informative, informative,were civil and if ifunexciting, unexciting,informative, exchanges. exchanges. if unexciting, exchanges. DDebates.ebates. Seconds-in-liners Seconds-in-linersDebates. Seconds-in-liners OUR EXPECTATIONS INSIoutout doD doE out do ThatThatEditorial said, said, bythe the Alistair campaign campaignThat Urquhartsaid, has hasthe shown campaignshown politics, politics, has Australianshown Australian politics, national national Australian politics, politics, national at at a apretty pretty politics, low low level, atlevel, a prettymaking making low it itharderlevel, harder making it harder leadersleaders leaders forfor some some to to regain regainfor thesome the respect respect to regain and and thetrust trust respect to to which which and they trustthey might mightto which otherwise otherwise they might feel feel entitled.The otherwiseentitled.The feel campaign campaign entitled.The launches, launches, campaign launches, Punch and counter punch. bybyWe the the have Liberals Liberals raced threeby tothree getthe weeks thisweeksLiberals edition into into three the tothe you campaignweeks campaign at the into startand andthe byof campaignby theLabor Labor last in weekin andthe the finalbyof final thisLabor week,fiveweek, in the weekmakemake final federal a a mockery,week,mockery, election make yet yet campaign.again, a again,mockery, of of yet again,RR uddofudd Gillardhas has gallbladder gallbladder regainsRudd has miner out outgallbladder and andpoll out and politicianspoliticiansThis edition in in thecould thepoliticians eyes eyes well of ofbecome the thein public.the public. somethingeyes Evidently, Evidently, of the of public. it’sa it’s keep-sake. all all Evidently, about about which Goodwhich it’s allpartyfor party abouthelping can can which claim claimyou musepartythe the most, most,canone claimdayfrom from as thethe theto treasury,whymost, treasury, what from the treasury, getsgets a a part part time timegetsascendancy (UN) (UN)a part job. job. time (UN) job. forforhappened campaign campaign did. expenses. expenses. forIt brings campaign The togetherThe longer expenses. longer much you you drag Thedragof what longerit itout out you the youthe weremore moredrag youtoo ityou out busyget. get. the On toOn more thiseither this basis,you basis, listen get. one one Onto wonders thiswondersor read, basis, why orwhy one purposefully they they wonders don’t don’t why they don’t AndAnd he he ‘Makes ‘MakesAnd up’ up’ he ‘Makes up’ justjustavoided. save save their their “launch” just“launch” save for fortheir the the “launch” eve eve of of election election for the day! eveday! of election day! Policies. Water, broadband,withwith Julia Julia with Julia mental health… WeWeDespite look look forward allforward the Wenonsense to to lookgetting getting forward and back back foul to tolanguage gettingreality reality and back andof thedistilling, distilling,to campaign reality in inand future future(You’ll distilling, editions, editions,remember, in futurethose those I did itemseditions, items go on which which about those have havethat items a in acentral mycentralwhich last have a centralLathamLatham tries tries Lathamhis his hand hand tries at at jour jourhis- -hand at jour- importanceimportanceeditorial), certain for for businessimportance business issues and haveand for the the atbusiness community.least community. been and clarified. theHappy Happy community. Voting! Voting! Professional Happy debatesVoting! by treasurer Wayne Swan and shad- nalism.nalism. Fails, Fails, nalism.according accordingCostings Fails, to fumblesto accordingOake Oake to Oake ow treasurer Joe Hockey, and by foreign minister Stephen Smith and shadow foreign minister Julie Bishop, both at the National Press Club in Canberra, were civil and informative, if unexciting, exchanges. Debates. Seconds-in-liners out do That said, the campaign has shown politics, Australian national politics, at a pretty low level, making it harder leaders for some to regain the respect and trust to which they might otherwise feel entitled.The campaign launches, by the Liberals three weeks into the campaign and by Labor in the final week, make a mockery, yet again, of Rudd has gallbladder out and politicians in the eyes of the public. Evidently, it’s all about which party can claim the most, from the treasury, gets a part time (UN) job. for campaign expenses. The longer you drag it out the more you get. On this basis, one wonders why they don’t And he ‘Makes up’ just save their “launch” for the eve of election day! with Julia We look forward to getting back to reality and distilling, in future editions, those items which have a central Latham tries his hand at jour- importance for business and the community. Happy Voting! nalism. Fails, according to Oake 23 JULY TO 13 AUGUST 2010 14 Collins Street ABOUT THE EDITOR ALISTAIR URQUHART Melbourne, 3000 Alistair Urquhart graduated from the Australian National University in Canberra, in Law, Victoria, Australia History and Politics, was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court P 03 9654 1300 of Victoria, and remains a (non-practicing) member of the Law Institute of Victoria. F 03 9654 1165 Before that, he graduated from high school in Bethesda, Maryland, and had many [email protected] opportunities to become aware of the workings of Washington DC. For 30 years, he www.letterfromcanberra.com.au listened every Sunday evening to the late Alistair Cooke and his Letter From America. His early career was mostly in the coal industry, where he became involved with energy, environmental and water issues, and