Word: laborative
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...political agenda, governments can manipulate public perceptions. Political scientists have written about the "public relations state"; not "spin" per se, but the way public relations has become institutionalized within government. Not only does the Howard government maintain some three dozen media advisers to deliver its message; like its recent Labor predecessors, it also uses additional people in the state capitals to monitor local media and produce transcripts. If a Labor frontbencher is interviewed on Perth radio, there's a good chance that within a few hours the relevant minister will be responding to the remarks; if a prominent commentator criticizes...
...material is produced by public servants. News of tax changes, family payments or recent modifications to Medicare will be disseminated via government advertising campaigns. The federal government spent $A78 million on advertising in 2003, making it the fifth biggest spender in the country (wedged between Nestl? and Harvey Holdings). Labor says the government has spent $A650 million since 1996 on taxpayer-funded advertising. Running the country, of course, means placing employment ads, recruiting military personnel and explaining administrative changes. But it also provides tremendous strategic opportunities for getting out the government's message...
Almost half can be squirreled away for the following year - and used for a direct-mail onslaught before an election campaign. For postage or a website, there's an annual allowance of up to $A30,800 (for large-area electorates). A senior Labor party figure says that in the 20 or so seats it is targeting at the coming election, its candidates will be facing incumbents with an average of $500,000 in taxpayer-funded resources for the poll. As well, the system of public funding for political parties provides $A1.90 for each "eligible vote". The more votes a party...
...precise demographic and issues database; for instance, any decent M.P. in a marginal seat should be able to list the top five issues for 40-ish working mothers or know what self-funded retirees want. This data can then be channeled to the back-room party wizards. Although Labor rules in all states and territories, Liberal federal director Brian Loughnane probably has access to superior "marginal-seat" material...
...poll is the example par excellence of the power of incumbency at the national level. Labor needed to pick up seven seats to win government - a mere 0.8% swing in the coalition's most vulnerable seats. But those seats did not fall to Labor. Not a single sitting Liberal or National M.P. lost to a Labor candidate. (Two coalition seats fell to Independents; Labor won Ballarat after a popular Liberal retired). For a variety of reasons, Labor also lost a bunch of its own marginal seats - or those that were deemed theirs through redistributions. According to a recent study...