Scoring On Email Error
Newcastle Herald
Saturday August 2, 2008
PREMIER Morris Iemma has played down the misdirected emails embarrassment as proof his Government is doing its job.
A spokesman for Mr Iemma said yesterday "being in government actually involves talking and engaging with the electorate unlike the cocooned and lazy Opposition MPs who refuse to move beyond Macquarie Street"."The Premier had asked that ministerial offices be reminded that the community's focus on the Olympics was no reason not to be visiting regional NSW," Mr Iemma's spokesman said.But as the Opposition pointed out, this answer ignores one major point; all 20 Iemma Government ministers had been ordered into just two areas the Illawarra and the Central Coast at the expense of the rest of NSW.The controversy began yesterday when The Herald published two emails sent mistakenly by a staffer from the office of Ports Minister Joe Tripodi.The emails called on staff to find "ideas for radio ring arounds for the Premier" and called for "story ideas" for the two regions."The Powers That Be have requested all Ministers to visit the Central Coast and Wollongong between August 11 and August 22 [during the Olympics]," one email said."I know Wollongong would be good for another ports announcement but perhaps we can go down and push Shop Trading Hours again? Is there anything new to announce."Mr Tripodi, who declined to talk to The Herald yesterday, played down the controversy, saying: "Some poor staff member sent her email to the wrong destination."Ironically, the emails were sent the morning after an episode of ABC TV spoof The Hollowmen contained a similar storyline about ministerial staffers looking for ideas to sell the annual budget to the public.Indeed, the staffer who mistakenly sent the emails joked with this reporter the script was so accurate they were checking for hidden microphones in their offices.Opposition spokesman for the Hunter MLC Mike Gallacher said the funny side of the emails should not overshadow a serious message."There is a serious side to this revelation that the Hunter Valley is officially off the Premier's radar for good news stories during the Olympics," he said."Instead of tackling the serious issues . . . this Government wants to send in their spin machine to make all their problems go away."Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell said the slip-up revealed the Government's true colours."This is an arrogant and incompetent Government, a Government that believes a few visits will overcome the state's problems, a Government that can't even keep a secret spin strategy private," he said.Online poll theherald.com.au
© 2008 Newcastle Herald