Confessions of a Faceless Man: Inside Campaign 2010 by Paul Howes

Author:Paul Howes [Howes, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Politics, Political Science, General
ISBN: 9780522858846
Google: B4eV_2lLx_EC
Goodreads: 10124263
Publisher: Melbourne University Press
Published: 2010-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

Day 19

Wednesday 4 August 2010

Launceston–Sydney

The morning’s work starts early, which isn’t much fun as I stayed up far too late last night with the AWU delegates. I have, probably foolishly, agreed to a 7 a.m. interview with Fran Kelly.

Kelly’s producer sold the interview to me on the basis of having a frank discussion about policies rather than internal ALP stuff. But as it turns out, I am again proven wrong in placing too much trust in the word of a producer from the national broadcaster. Fran immediately launches into a series of questions about Julia’s accession to the leadership and the role of Rudd in the campaign. However, I manage not to put my foot in it too badly, or at least it seems that way, since the rest of the media don’t really follow it up afterwards.

It’s just emerged that the big tobacco companies are funding a $5 million advertising blitz against Labor’s plain packaging laws. It’s a bizarre move, mainly because it’s bound to backfire.

After being interviewed about the election for ABC Radio’s Tasmanian breakfast program, I go out to a small steel-industry workplace in the Launceston suburbs to address a mass meeting of union members and do a press conference with the Labor candidate for Bass, Geoff Lyons, and Senator Helen Polley, both members of the AWU. Labor must retain Bass to stay in government. It seems that Geoff Lyons is the president or secretary of every local sporting and community organisation in the area, so he should do well. The Liberals are running a guy who used to be the local newsreader, but while he has a big local profile, he is apparently also a pretty divisive figure.

Before heading back to Sydney I catch up with Brant Webb, who has popped in to the aluminium industry conference, which is continuing for a few more days. Brant was one of two miners trapped underground for thirteen days in 2005 after an Anzac Day rockfall at Beaconsfield, which is located beside the Tamar River north of Launceston. Brant is a larger-than-life personality who seems to have a joke for all occasions—except maybe when trapped underground, which isn’t funny in anyone’s book. He remains a loyal member of the AWU, although he has now become a real estate agent after just failing in his attempt to enter the Tasmanian parliament at the last state election. Brant should run again for Bass at the next election—I think he can win it.

It was good to catch up with Brant and his wife Rachel, who became a close friend during the fortnight’s wait for the rescue of Webb and Todd Russell. I arrived at Beaconsfield the morning after the rockfall and remained there until the miners were rescued. It remains the most fraught experience of my life and I still find it hard to talk about it.

It wasn’t just the agonising wait for the rescue to be concluded, but the over-the-top media circus that descended on the small town and made it impossible to even walk down the street without being filmed.

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