Murdoch massages Abbott message

The Abbott government is experiencing more challenges in its early months than many supporters had hoped. Hence Rupert Murdoch has been obliged to expand efforts to conceal some difficulties.

Writers paid to massage the truth about the government include several who effectively distorted the record of the Rudd and Gillard administrations.

Professor Ross Fitzgerald penned a piece last weekend for The Australian headed “Nation better off under an economically astute Abbott”. This was immediately arresting because of the PM’s legendary economic illiteracy.

It contained the bold assertion, “Abbott has a clear economic commitment and a very definite plan of action.”

Again, a surprise after Tony Abbott’s curious speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos last week. For if indeed he had a plan, that would have been the place to reveal it.

So what was the definite plan of action Fitzgerald has detected?

“This includes reducing the tax burden, deregulating the labour market, reducing Australian government debt, promoting free trade, increasing competition via the Productivity Commission review, privatising Medibank and boosting national production by cutting back a vast number of unnecessary regulations.”

Sorry, Ross, that is not a plan. That’s a list of campaign slogans. Precisely the reason the PM was criticised at Davos.

A plan sets out a strategy in detail, showing how it achieves specific desired outcomes. It explains quantitatively how new policies will yield better results than the previous policies –which delivered the world’s strongest economy.

Fitzgerald again:

“Abbott’s economic agenda is likely to help create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.”

According to whom? How, exactly, will more jobs follow labour market deregulation, reducing government debt, promoting free trade, increasing competition and cutting regulations? Why has this not happened anywhere else?

The only authority Fitzgerald quotes is Abbott’s parliamentary secretary handling deregulation, Josh Frydenberg.

Fitzgerald concludes: “The Coalition government has already made an auspicious start.”

Really? According to what data? None are referred to.

Admittedly it is early days, but several indicators show Australia’s economy worsening over the last five months – while the rest of the Western world is recovering.

Indicators looking wobbly already – which Fitzgerald curiously ignores – include job numbers,  job participation, inflation, the deficit, debt, economic freedom,  the Aussie dollar and terms of trade.

Others employed by The Australian to write glowingly of the government in recent weeks include Maurice Newman, Gerard Henderson and Greg Sheridan.

In other outlets such as Sydney’s Daily Telegraph and Melbourne’s Herald Sun Andrew Bolt is on the job. He holds the record for more than 19 fabricated allegations against Aboriginal people – in two articles – according to Justice Bromberg.

Leading the team of creative writers appears to be Dennis Shanahan at The Australian. He still holds the record for the most false assertions in a daily newspaper front page ‘scoop’. His March 2012 story sought to malign prime minister Julia Gillard with seven damaging allegations about her colleagues vetoing her appointment of Bob Carr as foreign minister. The falsehoods were all based on unattributed quotes, and all exposed later that day.

Shanahan was assigned to cover Abbott’s trip to the WEF at Davos, Switzerland, last week in anticipation that some coverage could be negative.

Shanahan wrote on Monday:

“The Prime Minister's keynote speech as the chairman of the world's premier economic forum prompted strong responses from national and business delegations at the conference last week.”

The myriad reports from Davos provide no evidence for this.

Reuters news agency covered the WEF with about 30 reporters and editors who filed more than 250 reports and updates. None indicated that Abbott had any impact whatsoever. Just one brief report noting his support for free trade.

Bloomberg business news agency filed more than 400 reports with interviews with all major participants on every possible topic. They not only ignored Abbott’s keynote speech but failed even to note his attendance.

Even Murdoch’s own Wall Street Journal in the US ran 172 Davos reports. Not one mentions Abbott at all.

Most foreign language coverage also ignored Australia’s PM completely.

Shanahan wrote: “Abbott has used his three-day flying visit to Switzerland to full effect on every level and left a positive impression with some of the most senior business people in the world as well as ‘opinion formers’, WEF directors and other world leaders.”

So can he name a business leader, an opinion former, a WEF director or a world leader? Is there a direct quote?

Unfortunately, no, no, no, no and no.

Shanahan continues: “Chief executives of foreign corporations were asking after some of Abbott's presentations if they ‘could have one of him’ in their country because of his clear and positive outlook.”

Which corporations? No appearance, your worship.

Shanahan again: “Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe … has also been impressed with Abbott and is looking forward to a close working relationship in the region and within the G20.”

But what did Abe actually say? Hmmm.

Shanahan concludes: “One senior Australian businessman told Inquirer Abbott had gone over ‘incredibly well’.”

Really? Who?

In fact, in a full week of solid reporting on Davos amounting to several thousand words, Shanahan appears to have found only one person prepared to put his name to any favourable comment about “the Australian agenda”: Abbott’s trade minister Andrew Robb.

To be fair, The Australian did run one story which revealed that Labor described the Davos speech as embarrassing. But it seems Murdoch’s minions are hoping that just one accurate story will be lost in the fog of falsification.

With prime ministerial difficulties continuing and opinion polls plummeting, but 31 months until the next election, can Australians expect more of this?

Fortunately, the reach and influence of the alternative media, including On Line Opinion, is increasing gradually.