She is the Jobs Minister in a government hammering a message of “jobs, jobs, jobs”.
But despite the nation’s record employment growth, Senator Michaelia Cash, one of the government’s best-known ministers, has an aversion to fronting the media, an analysis of her public appearances reveals.
A review of 10 cabinet ministers over the past year suggests that, as she has lurched from scandal to scandal, Cash has foregone the opportunity to sell the government’s jobs message.
The New Daily recorded Senator Cash conducting only eight radio and TV interviews between April 2017 and April 2018, of which five took place this year. Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg, for example, has done at least 11 media interviews so far this month.
As Jobs Minister, Senator Cash conducts a monthly doorstop interview — where politicians take questions from gathered reporters — to respond to the latest employment figures.
Including those commitments, The New Daily found 19 cases where Cash made a doorstop appearance over the past year.
The figures are in stark contrast to other cabinet ministers — and come despite the Prime Minister declaring his “jobs and growth” slogan of 2016 had become the “big outcome” of 2017.
Of the 10 cabinet ministers analysed, Treasurer Scott Morrison was the most visible, doing 78 doorstops and 161 broadcast media interviews.
Senator Cash’s Senate colleague, Education Minister Simon Birmingham, fronted the media for doorstops and press conferences on 46 occasions and did 150 TV and radio interviews, while Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was also regularly out selling the government’s message (82 doorstops, 119 media interviews).
Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer did only 10 doorstop appearances in 12 months, according to her website, but still faced scrutiny from journalists by doing at least 49 media interviews.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton held 21 doorstops and 108 media interviews, while Attorney-General Christian Porter, formerly the Social Services Minister, only held 10 doorstops, according to his website, but was interviewed by TV and radio stations on 61 occasions.
Since October, Senator Cash has been plagued by scandal, including controversy over her former adviser’s decision to tip off the media about police raids on the AWU.
She has refused to answer questions on the topic, citing an ongoing federal police investigation.
Earlier this year, Cash also faced pressure over her threat to “name” young women in Bill Shorten’s office, which was further fuelled when Senator Cash was shielded by a whiteboard held by Parliament House security guards as she entered a Senate hearing. Bureaucrats have confirmed overzealous guards were at fault, not Cash.
Of the 10 cabinet ministers analysed, Treasurer Scott Morrison was the most visible, doing 78 doorstops and 161 broadcast media interviews.
Senator Cash’s Senate colleague, Education Minister Simon Birmingham, fronted the media for doorstops and press conferences on 46 occasions and did 150 TV and radio interviews, while Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was also regularly out selling the government’s message (82 doorstops, 119 media interviews).
Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer did only 10 doorstop appearances in 12 months, according to her website, but still faced scrutiny from journalists by doing at least 49 media interviews.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton held 21 doorstops and 108 media interviews, while Attorney-General Christian Porter, formerly the social services minister, only held 10 doorstops, according to his website, but was interviewed by TV and radio stations on 61 occasions.
Since October, Senator Cash has been plagued by scandal, including controversy over her former adviser’s decision to tip off the media about police raids on the AWU.
She has refused to answer questions on the topic, citing an ongoing federal police investigation.
Earlier this year, Cash also faced pressure over her threat to “name” young women in Bill Shorten’s office, which was further fuelled when Cash was shielded by a whiteboard held by Parliament House security guards as she entered a Senate hearing. Bureaucrats have confirmed overzealous guards were at fault, not Cash.
This article was originally published at The New Daily
Don’t mozz it ya dills!!
I want to see more of her. She’s hilarious!
Seeing is bad enough but can we at least tell the sound recordist to take a break and spare us that Kath’n’Kim voice and the cackling?
But that’s the best thing about her! Re the “girls in Bill Shortens office” schtick I had a terrific belly laugh. More please!
“Record employment growth”? Only if you fail to account for population growth over the same period. If that growth were real, then unemployment rates would have fallen. No wonder she wants to stay out of the limelight.
“Record employment growth”????
Thanks Marcus for the dose of reality.
*The current unemployment rate [5.6%] is near enough identical to both the rate when the COALition took government in 2013 and when Malcolm won the 2016 election.
No change essentially- certainly not ‘massive growth’ as I have seen stated at Crikey recently.
* The current underemployment rate [[8.3%] is higher [by a large margin] than both the rate when the COALition took government in 2013 and when Malcolm won the 2016 election.
* The combined total of un and under employment is higher than it was at those lost 2 election.
We have gone backwards – there is no ‘record growth”.
Population growth and the casualization of labour [splitting full time jobs into part time jobs] fully accounts for the mirage.
*In 2 of the last 3 months of ABS labour force stats all Australian workers have actually worked less hours than the previous month.
Dec 2018 had 4.2 million less hours worked than November ’17 and Jan 2018 had 24.1 million less hours worked than that December. Hours worked in Feb. 2018 rose but not as much as the total lost in the previous 2 months.
Less work available.
* The last month of ABS stats saw a rise in the unemployment rate
Depressing.
Ahem – Dec 2018 should be Dec 2017 and there are a coupla typos as well …sigh.
The point remains – record employment growth? – no such critter. Obviously.
Also, if we’ve had record employment growth, why have cumulative monthly hours worked remained stagnant?
the way this government can claim more jobs is by their collusion with big business to fudge the figures, E.G woolies/coles has one casual doing 40 hrs per week, instead they cut their hours to 10 a week then put 3 more on at 10 hrs a week, those 3 are now classed as employed so the unemployment rate goes down, this scam is now widespread throughout the economy with big business working with the coalition to hold onto power through their jobs and growth bullshit claims and explains why the casualisation of workers is increasing and incomes are going down, remember, if you work as little as 1 hour in a week you are classed as employed and not included in the unemployment statistics
That’s why if you’re working only a few hours a week and you need a proper job you should report in any jobs survey “not employed.” It’s technically not true but let’s face it: if you’ve only got a few hours’ pay a week you can’t live on that. You should be counted as unemployed.
Is this witch still around? What a shame ball-less Malcom can’t get up smidgen of courage AND SACK HER.