Canberra is the seat of power of the federal government in Australia. The federal government has power over taxation, social security, defence, education,health, aged care (through the states) etc etc.
Media companies know this, and this is why there is an enormous and well equipped parliamentary press gallery, with camera operators, sound crew, everything. This press gallery never rest, pumping out thousands of stories, with one common element:
They are all crap.
The press gallery take all their energy and resources, and the fact they are formally accredited and given access by Parliament and write bullshit gossip about the Canberra bubble and that’s it.
A few years ago, the press gallery, with a straight face, awarded its ‘scoop of the year’ award to a journalist who exposed the affair between Barnaby Joyce and his staffer. Yep, in all the issues of funding and legislation and environmental destruction and strikes and wages and states and governments, the press gallery thought the number one issue it had to deal with was a minister having an affair.
It’s the same now with all the media coverage regarding the allegations regarding staffers in Canberra. (Note – of course – if a crime’s been committed, let the police investigate, and let the law take its course).
To the press gallery, this story is the most transcendent, important issue ever to arise in this country. Because it happened in their workplace, in their little circle. And because the Press Gallery HATE writing about policies- (because when they write about real issues, it takes the focus off them, and their gossipy little world)- they will focus on this story, to the exclusion of everything else, for the rest of the year.
The Press Gallery are people who, if granted, access to ask questions at the Yalta conference, would pepper the leaders with ‘gotchas’ about their dress sense, or their feelings about the weather, or fights and scandals amongst the staff. Who cares about the future of post war Europe?! Thats boring!
Same with our press gallery here. Who cares about fires, taxes, social security, collapse of aged care etc etc?. That’s dull! What matters is what happens in our little bubble, amongst our little coterie of friends. That’s all, folks!
The ABC ‘news’ website is now unreadable, as every single story out of Canberra has to have a feminist angle (as does virtually every other story it carries).
The Canberra bubble is not an irrelevant prime ministerial insult (and the obvious bristling by the press gallery at this shows just how deep this description cut). The Bubble is real, and the Press Gallery’s simple inability to do their jobs and write about policy is a core reason Australia is becoming a joke, with skyrocketing corruption and pointless government waste and jobs for mates. Why oh why can’t we have a better press gallery?