The message Jenny Macklin sent by choosing to spend the night aboard a $680 per night boat in preference to the local $90 per-night guesthouse on her visit to Aurakun sends a message that basically says "Your community is so shit that I wouldn't even spend a single night there". In fact, according to The Australian, she only spent 4 hours there.
Macklin claims that her intent in spending the night aboard the boat was "to support a local business" (presumably the local guesthouse is owned by some foreign tycoon?), but that really rings hollow.
I'm not suggesting that The Australian doesn't have ulterior motives in the way it's reporting Macklin's visit, seeing as the paper is known for being overtly anti-ALP, but honestly: Macklin shouldn't have made it so damn easy for them. Australia's MPs need to get over themselves, and if they're visiting a community then they shouldn't be thinking themselves too good to spend a single night there. If it's so bad then what about the poor bastards who have to live there all year round? Labor should make a point of differentiating themselves from the Howard government and keep themselves respectable. Otherwise what's next? Commandeering RAAF jets for private beach holidays?
I should also say something else that struck me when I looked up the business that operates the boat and runs tours of the Aurukun wetlands: damn those tours look good. If I had a holiday and a few grand to spare I would go there in a heartbeat.
20 comments:
The Australian's story was a total beat up and pretty slimy into the bargain. The boat is owned by the Aurukun community and is one of their businesses. They didn't pay the full freight for the night either. Indigenous Times has the real story. Don't get suckled into the Australian's grubby agenda. In all stories like this in the Australian take a deep breath wait a day and see the real facts emerge. Even they are back tracking today. And don't you love the higher standard they self righteously apply to labor pollies. Did we even know where the Libs slept when they visited communities?
Total beat up. Never believe anything the Oz says about a Labor minister. Three words. Conservative.Political.Agenda.
Crikey (although we hates them all, the bastards) had this as their lead story yesterday and pointed out:
"If Macklin's "boutique" boat costs $680 a night, and the minister and her guests number eight passengers (which they did), that's a nett cost of $85 per person. I think it's pretty difficult to mount a case that Macklin et al were living large on the taxpayer teat."
Anon, I'm not saying you're wrong on The Australian's agenda, all I'm saying is that it's about perceptions. And the message Macklin sent by not staying in the community she was supposed to be visiting was not a pretty one. No-one's saying the boat is a luxury yacht or that Macklin is ripping off taxpayers, but I want to be able to hold Labor to a higher standard than the Libs because I think they're a heck of a lot better. I don't want to see behaviour from them that in any way resembles what we would have seen under John Howard.
At best I think it could be said that Macklin's decision was politically unsavvy. If she had a good excuse, like there was no plumbing in the guesthouse, or it was currently experiencing a cockroach plague, or a leaky roof, then fair enough. But given her rather lame excuse, it looks very much like she just didn't want to stay in Aurukun overnight.
PS guest house was full...
from today's crikey....Crikey Daily Email
27 March 2008
Dear Sole Subscriber,
The curious affair of The Australian, Jenny Macklin, Aurukun and the good ship MV Pikkuw drags on. It began when The Australian's reporter, Padraic Murphy, questioned why the Aboriginal Affairs minister had stayed on board the "boutique" fishing charter vessel at $680 a night instead of bedding down on dry land behind the "razor wire" perimeter of the community's $90 a night guest house.
What he didn't mention, and what the various subsequent reports from the paper have also ignored, is that the Pikkuw was built by the community as a CDEP project and is now proudly operated as a not-for-profit source of revenue and pride for all at Aurukun.
Murphy's quoted $680 a night is the daily fishing charter rack rate. Overnight accommodation on-board is available for $150 and includes breakfast and dinner. This is what the minister paid. Her guests at the Aurukun "boat barbecue" paid $20 a head for their meal. Locals say the guest house was full on the night in question.
The simple facts are that The Australian's story was an erroneous beat up. The minister never paid anything like the money quoted, and arguably did very much the right thing by patronising a community-based commercial venture. And unlike any minister before her, she actually stayed the night at Aurukun rather than scuttling off to the Hyatt at Cairns. Could it be that the thing that miffs The Australian most is that a Fairfax writer also spent the night on board?
Yeah I have to agree. It was a beat up if the Oz did not mention it was a community employment project that built and operated the boat.
I would say it's a beat up if they didn't mention that the guesthouse was full... but it's indeed curious that it wasn't Macklin's first excuse, as it would have put paid to the entire affair.
Sarah is right, it's is all about perception and blatantly obvious to all. Who's advising this dopey Minister?
And that we're now told, belatedly, that the guest house was full, well, they would say that, wouldn't they.
Sarah, the real story would have been if the Minister had not stayed in the boat that the CDEP team had refurbished. The workers would have rightly felt miffed if the Minister had instead had someone bumped from the guesthouse so she could avoid the local business.
It sounds a little like you are letting your dislike of Jenny Macklin get the better of your judgement.
No offence mangoman, but I don't have any particular reason to 'dislike' Jenny Macklin. I also don't have any reason (yet) to think that she is a bad minister. I just happen to think that she made a bad choice in avoiding staying in Aurukun. You also refer to the boating company as a 'local business'- is the guesthouse not a local business? Am I missing something here?
I'm a bit dodgy on the claim that the guesthouse was full given that there would have been no story to speak of if Macklin had been able to say right from the beginning "we didn't stay at the guesthouse because it was booked out". It's possible, sure, but like I said earlier it seems a bit odd that she didn't mention that fact right from the start.
So where have (I'm fairly sure all) previous high-level govt types spent their nights while visiting? Oh that's right, Cairns.
What a ridiculous, tendentious beat-up.
Staying WITH the local community, on a CDEP-built not-for-profit boat, for the overnight stay price (NOT the quoted day-charter fishing price). What could possibly make you happy?
Oh that's right. Staying at the guest house, which you "don't believe" was full. Maybe the reason Macklin didn't come out firing right away with defensive crap is that she's done absolutely nothing even slightly wrong?
Really Sarah, if you want to be taken seriously, some form of "I was misled by vindictive and wildly inaccurate reporting and completely retract" would be in order.
-FDB
gee, the way some people act when you criticise their 'team'. what a yawn, heard exactly the same sort of crap when we went after howard ministers.
Ok FDB, perhaps you can tell me who the 'locals' are who say the guesthouse was full? Surely the person to quote would have been the manager/owner of the guesthouse?
And do you really expect me to start digging up examples of every former minister who has ever visited northern Australia and start criticising them for not staying in the places they visited just so you can say "well Jenny wasn't as bad as some of the others"?
You may not have realised, but that's not exactly the point. This post wasn't "Jenny Macklin is the biggest scammer and worst minister who has ever lived". It was a criticism of a decision she made regarding her accommodation. I am ready to stand corrected if someone can provide a link to any media outlet who bothered to talk to the guesthouse manager.
Still, I find it strange how people can react just because it's 'their team' who are being criticised now that the Howard government are no longer in power. It's a minor criticism and I'm sure I'll have plenty bigger ones to make over the next 3 years. Deal with it.
Oh, also, FDB, I fail to see how Macklin pointing out that the guesthouse was full would be 'defensive crap'. If it's the truth it's the truth, not to mention a very pertinent fact. I suppose it's possible she had no idea because she wasn't booking her own accommodation, but as far as putting paid to the story I'm quite sure that simple sentence would have done the trick.
It ended up being $150 a night each because it wasn't an all day charter according to the Crikey follow up by the National Indigenous Times.
I think they pretty much conclusively proved it was an utter beat up by the Oz.
But hey how was anyone to know that based on the Oz's original story?
That's the Oz at work. They cherry pick the facts then cast it in an ideological light.
Which is why I can't trust anything they say anymore.
7 . Aurukun Wetland Charters: The Australian got it wrong
Tony Varnes, manager of Aurukun Wetland Charters, writes:
In their two articles "Macklin opts for luxury in Aurukun" on 26 March and "Aurukun boat barbecue leaves a sour taste" on 27 March The Australian chose to portray Aurukun Wetland Charters in a negative light. This was clearly an opportunity to report on something positive and instead was simply a headline grab.
Aurukun Wetland Charters applauds Minister Jenny Macklin for taking the time to visit and support a fledgling Indigenous tourism enterprise.
The $680 per night charge advertised for the boat includes three meals, all snacks as well as numerous full day activities undertaken with the local Indigenous people, such as story place walks and talks, traditional food preparation, honey gathering and bush walks. The vessel also journeys along the multitude of waterways of the Aurukun Wetlands. In this case it didn’t pick up the anchor and go anywhere. The $150 that the minister and her party did pay represents fair value for providing dinner and one night’s accommodation.
Aurukun Wetland Charters is receiving immense support from the tourism industry with companies such as Qantas Holidays, Infinity Holidays, Sunlover Holidays, Conservation Volunteers, Oddyssey Travel, Wild Earth Adventures, Abercrombie and Kent as well as numerous Inbound Tour Operators and overseas wholesalers having put Aurukun Wetland Charters in their brochures and selling this unique Indigenous Australian experience. For all those Australians who have never had the good fortune to interact with some of the most traditional Aboriginal people in the country this is a truly meaningful opportunity.
The Australian’s latest negative story mentions that two Indigenous people attended the BBQ aboard the MV Pikkuw. What it doesn’t mention is that both are the Traditional Owners and directors of the Aurukun Wetland Charters operation and were the hosts of the dinner function. Other community leaders and members had the opportunity to meet the minister and express their views. They had spent all afternoon and some of the next morning in meetings and consultations with the Government delegation.
Gina Castelain, the person referred to in the article as having grown up in Cairns and spent much of her life in Melbourne is in fact, a role model for Aboriginal people in all of Australia. Gina, 22-years-old, is a member of the Western Cape Communities Trust -- Southern Sub-Regional Trust Pty. Ltd., and a director of Aurukun Wetland Charters Ltd., and Aurukun Earthmoving Pty Ltd. These are businesses owned by a group of Traditional Owners of Aurukun -- Gina’s people.
She is also a director of Wik Projects Ltd, a newly formed organization with a vision for the future that marries education for the children and businesses for them to come home to. She is a champion of the concept of an Orbital society for Aboriginal people, and is an example of a young Aboriginal person who left her community to get a good education. After studying for a Masters Degree in Leadership and Organisational Development she now spends all of her time working on the development of an educational and economic future for her people.
Gina Castelain said, "This is typical mis-reporting by mainstream white media. We’ve moved on long ago and you should too. I was there and I expect the other journalists are now flinching at the attitude taken by The Australian’s reporter during this visit."
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18 . And the Wankley goes to ... radio jocks
Jane Nethercote:
We've said enough already about The Australian's front page beat-up of Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin's stay on the local Aurukun boat, MV Pikkuw.
Sarah you are completely right in all your comments as I work in Aurukun, The house boat is run by a local identity who is a daughter of a French national now living in china ,no money goes to the local community,no jobs are created for the local comunnity except for those wishing to line their pockets.Jenny Macklin didn't want to see real aurukun.She even meet the owner of the boat that she stayed on and was given more projects for the community to do and financd by the federal government but any money will go to private indivduals and not to the community. This same person is involved in trying to force senior council staff to award a road mantainence contract to a private company run by herself and others and not helping the local community at all by enlisting the mayor to sit in on meetings with said individuals.
Gina castalain is not interesed in the local community except for profit for herslf and all her so called elders of aurukun who happen to be not of aurukun.
This morning 3.30am locals broke into yard and undid all repairs completed on vehicles done on thurs.To date have fitted 54 ignition switches.In five months have had 32 vehicles stolen,6 written off,15 windscreens smashed,workshop broken into three times. Depot broken into and keys for all vehicles stolen.Every night yard broken into.Damage done to property inmeasurable. Politicians dont care and hide. When politicians visit they spend a couple of hours on the ground then fly out without seeing the real aurukun where violence,stealing and social skills have been put on hold for survival.Most aurukun locals are wonderful people fighting to survive. A culture long forgotten by colonial australia and left to make its own rules for survival.Do-gooders come and go.Rip off merchants run rampant intent on lining their pockets with projects that have no hope of long term viability eg Resort never completed cost 2.3mil, comercial fishing cost $ ?,Fishing vessel cost $ ? money being pocketed by outsiders.Grand plans being put to federal minister to help local community just a ruse to line someones pocket.Senior local politician letting family run sly grog in council vehicle.Senior politician son covicted of complicity in rape of 10 yr old.Another son allegedly involved in stealing fuel from council vehicle while driving council vehicle on council time.Trying to pressure senior council staff to allocate precious work to private companies then trying to explain the meetings away by saying he just happened to be passing and sat in on meeting even though he gave represntatives a ride to meeting. Police underresourced and overworked.
if peter costello could stay in the guest house, so could jenny macklin. i didn't support rudd to settle for a palace coup and you can bet your arses we'll be all over any govt. minister who thinks they can just pick up where the howard govt. left off.
Wow the thread's gotten away from me a bit- thanks for your comments everyone, regardless of your opinion... I was particularly interested to see that we may have a comment from someone who actually lives in Aurukun!
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