Some of you will know about the Australia Institute. This is an organisation, led by Clive Hamilton that is not afraid to shine the spotlight on the shady antics of our Liberal government. Clive is a prolific writer - having produced "Growth Fetish", "Silencing Dissent" and "Scorcher". Each is a ripping read.
But I had no idea that our Federal government is in the business of funding 'reality' TV programs. Here is an extract from the September 2007 issue of the Australia Institute newsletter.
"After John Howard's success in the 2001 election campaign demonising asylum seekers, the government wanted to portray itself as running a firm but fair immigration policy. Instead of an extensive advertising campaign or courting journalists, three federal government agencies teamed up with a commercial television network to launch Border Security, a 'reality' TV program. One provision in the contract negotiated with the agencies is that they have the power of veto over material to be aired".
No doubt everyone else knows about this - obviously I wasn't paying attention. It's a joke right?
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