Communications Minister Helen Coonan. When she finally succeeded in introducing her long-awaited media reforms this year — by just one Senator’s vote — Helen Coonan attempted to justify the new media ownership framework on the grounds that new technology had removed the need to regulate the power of media owners (it hasn’t). Then she said the new laws would protect “diversity” of media ownership (they didn’t). Then she said the new laws would not lead to a flurry of deals (they did, even before they were passed or enacted). Then she said the deals could have happened anyway (except the prices that facilitated the deals only surged after her new laws had passed). Could there be any winner of the Spin Award of 2006 other that the Communications Minister?

2005 Winner: Disgraced comedy host turned man about town Steve Vizard.