Whatever it takes

The focus was on glossy magazines and photo opportunities to distract the public from the unsightly dumping of a sitting prime minister by the factional bosses.

It is clear there is much more effort being put into presentation than into substance.

Take for example the announcement of a "deal" with the mining sector.

It was carefully stage managed, even to the point of letting the media know that champagne was delivered to the Cabinet room to celebrate the end of negotiations.

Ms Gillard announced that her deal on the mining tax lowered the rate, lifted the threshold, excluded all minerals bar iron ore and coal, exempted over 2,000 mining companies leaving just over 300 companies in the net, and yet that it would still collect $10.5 billion of the original $12 billion in tax revenue.

The numbers simply beggared belief but Labor knew it was enough to fill the 10-second grab on the nightly news and make a headline splash across the morning newspapers. Mission accomplished.

Days later, the Treasury conceded that it "massively underestimated" the take from the original super tax which would have been closer to $15 or $20 billion.

So the tax grab is still about the same because Treasury increased the forecasts for higher commodity prices.

As Treasury Head Ken Henry said "it is certainly convenient for the government".

Labor's announcement yesterday of new measures on border security has taken spin to entirely new levels.

Ms Gillard castigated those who suggested that seaworthy boats should be turned around and described any such policy as a "kind of evil".

Yet that is precisely what she espoused in 2002, "We think that it is important, important from a humanitarian perspective and important from a security perspective, that we do everything we can to disrupt people smuggling. And we think turning boats around that are seaworthy, that can make the return journey, and are in international waters, fits in with that."