Campaign costs start adding up

FROM MY CORNER ... with Ann Brunswick

It just seems like yesterday that successive federal Labor Party opposition leaders were complaining long and loud about the Howard government’s misuse of public funds to run thinly disguised political advertising campaigns in the lead-up to an election. It is still impossible for me to hear a Joe Cocker song without waiting for a voiceover telling me how good the GST will be for our nation.

Once in office the Howard government found it easy to justify any number of ad campaigns in the months preceding a scheduled election. Of course the trick always was not to declare an election date until all the ad campaigns had run their course. It just wouldn’t be fair to run them in the campaign proper would it?
Opposition leaders from Kim Beazley, Simon Crean, Mark Latham, Kim again, and Kevin Rudd all lambasted John Howard for using taxpayers’ money to run government ad campaigns benefiting the Liberal Party.
But that hasn’t stopped the federal Labor government mounting a campaign to convince us of how great its new health reforms will be. You know, the ones that were subject to an agreement with all but one state, Western Australia, and which will no doubt be the subject of debate in the coming election.
Hang on, doesn’t that make the issue and the ads promoting it political? Well, the government obviously doesn’t think so. It must also think that climate change, tax reform, its broadband plans and paid parental leave also are non-political issues. Because apparently we are going to see campaigns on each of those issue in coming months too.
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My quest last week for a new outfit for an upcoming social event took me to the popular James Street precinct. And pretty much immediately it took me away from the popular James Street precinct.

Wheeling my trusty Land Rover around the local streets it soon became obvious there was no on-street parking available. So it was a matter of finding an off-street spot. But that was easier said than done. You see, not being too familiar with the establishments in the shopping centres straddling James Street, it had been my intention to park and take a stroll around to see if there was an outlet that might stock the type of dress work shorts I was seeking.
But there is no provision for browsers in either centre. Each parking spot is assigned to a particular store and carries a notice telling you so, and often a warning not to park there unless you are patronising that specific outlet.
So, off went my Land Rover back onto James Street and away to another shopping centre in an entirely different postcode where my purchases were made.

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Speaking of parking, a brief trip to the airport to pick up a family member saw me park for less than an hour for $13. Given that a good 10 minutes of that was taken up by walking to and from a new temporary car park well away from the southern end of the domestic terminal, it does seem a tad excessive.

So much so that it raises the question of whether the Brisbane Airport will be liable for the new 40 per cent tax to apply to the super-profits of resources companies given they seem to be operating goldmines in the form of car parks.
A colleague told me he saw what must come close to being the definition of an accident waiting to happen. It was the driver of a large furniture removal van engaged in a phone call while driving. He wasn’t holding a handset.
In fact he was using a hands-free set. But at the same time he was writing on a note pad. To do so required him to lean forward and using only his forearms to steer and maintain control of his truck. Maybe we should just scrap all road laws, including those covering use of mobile phones and texting while driving.
It seems it would be easier to have a blanket law making it illegal to drive while stupid. Now that would relieve congestion on our roads.

• Got something to tell Ann? Drop either him or her a line to ann@theindependent.com.au or via old-fashioned post to PO Box 476 Fortitude Valley Q 4006.