Peter Costello has been toppled. The Treasurer has tumbled down the charts in this week’s Crikey/Media Monitors Top Twenty, pushed out by a trio of premiers – Peter Beattie, Morris Iemma and Steve Bracks.

Beattie was propelled up the charts by the Palm Island case and the acquittal of Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley early in the week.

Matters indigenous have dominated the political news agenda since then.

Mal Brough has jumped 12 places to land in the Top 10 this week on the back of media coverage of the Government’s intervention plan for indigenous communities. WA Premier Alan Carpenter has soared 25 places with his contribution to the debate, including claims the Commonwealth should have acted earlier to address problems in indigenous communities.

Politician

Press

Radio

TV

Internet

Total

1
(0)

John Howard

773

9,300

4,956

6,477

21,506

2
(0)

Kevin Rudd

464

5,926

3,108

3,971

13,469

3
(4) 

Peter Beattie

159

2,584

936

1,438

5,117

4
(0)

Morris Iemma

147

1,851

402

1,642

4,042

5
(5)

Steve Bracks

154

2,223

438

1,072

3,887

6
(-3)

Peter Costello

171

1,101

525

1,611

3,408

7
(12)

Mal Brough

131

2,063

522

562

3,278

8
(0)

Tony Abbott

70

1,011

1,183

398

2,662

9
(-3)

Joe Hockey

86

1,116

673

720

2,595

10
(-5)

Julia Gillard

70

551

574

1,106

2,301

11
(25)

Alan Carpenter

60

876

656

343

1,935

12
(2)

Helen Coonan

89

587

432

741

1,849

13
(-2) 

Malcolm Turnbull

59

643

116

934

1,752

14
(-2)

Wayne Swan

53

436

436

602

1,527

15
(-6)

Alexander Downer

32

386

18

679

1,115

16
(5)

Brendan Nelson

68

347

166

348

929

17
(21)

Bill Heffernan

27

400

404

56

887

18
(14) 

Philip Ruddock

30

591

44

153

818

19
(7)

Mike Rann

82

300

232

190

804

20
(4)

Stephen Conroy

13

287

111

304

715

John Howard remained the most-discussed politician on talkback, although Mal Brough has crashed the top five.

 

Talkback Top Five

Rank

Politician

Talkback

1

John Howard

755

2

Kevin Rudd

185

3

Peter Costello

157

4

Steve Bracks

152

5

Mal Brough

110

There’s more on the issues of the week at the Media Monitors website.

And for our comparison of the coverage between pollies and the rest of the world, we have some badly dressed fat guy and his sheila.

James Packer/Erica Baxter

149

648

2,175

385

3,357