They’re prime ministers, premiers and frontbenchers. They’re bureaucrats and union heavies. Media owners and broadcast loudmouths. Billionaires and business titans. Legal eagles and corporate regulators. Faceless men and public women. Leaders and followers. Watchdogs and advisers and writers and thinkers.
Power in Australia is held by many, and not always in the hands of who you think. As Paul Barry writes:
“The truth is that power in Australia is remarkably pluralist. Different groups have power in different areas, and lots of people affect decisions. What’s more, the locus of power is constantly changing, and it depends on how people play their cards.”
Today, The Power Index begins its countdown of the most powerful people in Australia. Our team of journalists have been stalking Australia’s most influential movers and shakers for 12 months and are set to deliver their verdict on which of them really runs the joint.
Can a politically vulnerable Prime Minister top the list? Or will it be money or media influence that wins out?
Stay tuned …
Come now. Are you serious? Power may be SEEN to be shared but you have to follow the money trail and see where it leads you.
Whilst power may appear to be in the obvious places it normally resides in the hands of those with enough money to purchase it. You just haveto look hard enough.
You can’t tell me that cash for comment radio jocks do it because of political conviction alone. You can’t tell me that liberal party MPs have their election campaigns paid for (‘donations’ is the vernacula used) to do other than what their political masters dictate. You can’t tell me that the labor side of politics has no strings attached. And then of course Gina Rinehart is purchasing Fairfax shares because she is interested in the media and the mega rich miners are running a feel good prime time TV campaign because they are interested in being environmentally friendly. Yeah right. Seen the tooth fairy lately?
Many people who have unsuccessfully tried to get the mainstream media to publish anything other than the polarised views of their owners will understand how it works. Thank God for publications like Crikey which are not (yet) owned by ‘the money’. But I dare say as soon as circulation hits a certain level Crikey will be bought out too. That’s how it normally works.
@ MICK J – Right on!
What I don’t really understand is why “Our team of Journalists have been stalking Australia’s most influencial movers and shakers for 12 months…” I mean, who cares? We of the “little people” cannot do anything about these power hungry, rich lunatics among us anyway.
What a total waste of time – I am not the slightest bit interested in “who really runs the joint”!! Whoever they are, they are not doing a very good job!!!!