Just under two weeks ago :
Rupert Murdoch arrives in Australia amid biggest media shake-up in decades
He is expected to come to Sydney next week – he reportedly hit the road to his country estate – with Melbourne on the schedule as well.
Murdoch, along with his son and soon-to-be Fox chief executive Lachlan, who is expected to arrive in Australian on Sunday, will attend the News Awards – a night to honour the best of the media giant's Australian journalists.
Advertisement
A News Corp spokeswoman said Murdoch "is in Australia on a business trip"
By the 20th of August, Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers (he controls around 60-70% of the press here), radio stations & the conservative political channel he calls Sky ‘News’, Australia’s version of Fox ‘News’, had done enough to agitate for a challenge to the Prime Minister’s leadership.
Malcolm Turnbull survives Peter Dutton leadership challenge – for now
Malcolm Turnbull has urged colleagues to unite behind his leadership after he prevailed in a snap contest against the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, 48 votes to 35.
Not satisfied at losing the leadership challenge, Peter Dutton with individuals from Sky News allegedly calling conservative politicians to twist their arms into supporting him, have now given Dutton what appears to be the numbers to win the next leadership challenge.
Cormann, Fifield and Cash abandon Turnbull – politics live
PM Malcolm Turnbull should resign and hand over leadership to Peter Dutton, Mathias Cormann says
Senate leader Mathias Cormann and fellow Cabinet ministers Mitch Fifield and Michaelia Cash have told Mr Turnbull he should go, and all have resigned.
Senator Cormann, a key Liberal powerbroker, said he believed Peter Dutton was the best person to lead the country to the next election.
"It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we went to see the PM yesterday afternoon to advise him that in our judgement, he no longer enjoyed the majority of support of Liberal members," he said.
The three senior senators say a majority of party room colleagues believe there should be a leadership change.
Some time ago I posted commentary from one of Australian ABC’s reporters, Chris Uhlmann who pretty much nailed Trump & what happened when he attended the G20.
Australia's ABC Reporting on Trump & the G20
Well Chris has something to say about News Corp & their inteference in the political process in Australia that needs to be heard
@Cuhlmann : I should make this point at the moment, that unfortunately the people in the media who yell the loudest seem to have the biggest glass jaws when you point this out : but everyone from the Prime Minister on down has pointed out to me that they believe there is a campaign being waged against them... so this is reporting news, right, this is what people are telling me about what is going on… that News Corporation — so we’re talking about The Australian, Daily Telegraph, and all of those tabloid magaz ah, newspapers around the country. 2GB in Sydney led by Alan Jones & Ray Hadley & Sky ‘News’ in particular with this evening line-up, are waging a war against the Prime Minister of Australia. Now that’s what they think. That’s just reporting the news.
Apparently if you say that to them now, they get their nickers in a huge twist. Now if they want to be players in this game (Sky ‘News’, ‘News’ Corp), which is apparently what they are, & they’re working behind the scenes as well as in front of the scenes, if they are making phone calls to people trying to push people over the line, then they’re part of this story.
So all I’m saying is if they’re want to dish it out, they should to be prepared to take it. And they’re among the biggest bullies in the land. It’s about time that people called them out for what they are. And if they don’t like that, then they can come after me.
Karl Stefanovic : OK well the blame game, it’s the blame game while they’re losing right, um and ah at the moment you have had all sorts of influences coming from behind the scenes so that’s a big statement for you to make. Why are you making it this morning?
@Cuhlmann : Because look, people have to see this for what this is, & as I say, there are a lot of hands in this game at the moment. You’re asking me who’s talking to Peter Dutton? Well there’ll be a lot of people inside his party who’ll be talking to him. Who’s talking to him from outside his party at the moment? Who outside his party who are influential figures in Australia is talking to Peter Dutton & is telling him what they believe he should do today? Because they’re not just commentators, they are players. They have crossed the line. And that needs to be pointed out because people need to know everyone who’s involved in this today. Because it’s the Australian country that’s at stake here — we have a paralysed government, a government that is unable at the moment to progress any of it’s policies through it’s party room or parliament. So it can’t do the things for Australia that need to be done.
Now all the people who are involved in bringing us to this point need to be held to account & at least be out in the open. Like I say, they can blow on as much as they like from their programs, they can talk about it as much as they like, but when they cross that line to want to be players in the game, to help to feed this & they were feeding it last night. Then they’re part of the story.
Georgie Gardner: Very well said, hear hear
Karl Stefanovic : OK well, And this is really important too, this is why Donald Trump had so much purchase in America with his mantra about fake news, whether you like him or not, the ability for him to, I guess, disconnect from the media and connect with the audience who believed that was the case, is crucial for anyone who is in power now. There is a huge disconnect between media & people watching at home as well. What is real & who are behind things.
@Cuhlmann : Yeah, & one of the big forces in the United States was Fox ‘News’. And one of the big forces in this building, it doesn’t have much purchase beyond this building because it’s a cable network, is Sky ‘News’.
At Sky after dark has been running a campaign Against Malcolm Turnbull (Australia’s Democratically elected leader)
Sky after Dark at the moment is turning Liberal National part voters into One Nation Voters & they’re not coming back. So that’s a real problem for the Liberal National Party.
What we are seeing by the way, at the moment, is the fracturing of that agreement between Liberals and Conservatives that brings you that arrangement of the Liberal Party which has stood the test of time, put in place by Robert Menzies it’s falling apart at the moment. It needs to stop & think that it’s eating itself. People who claim to be it’s allies, are not actually it’s friends.
With friends like Sky ‘News’ Malcolm Turnbull doesn’t really need many other enemies.
Georgie Gardner: Incredibly well said Chris Uhlmann
Karl Stefanovic : Now that is a carve up, so that’s a complete carve up on Sky, how do you think they’ll respond?
@Cuhlmann : I couldn’t give a rats arse. Karl. Quite frankly I’m tired of the bullying that comes out of that organisation, I’m tired of the bullying that comes out of 2GB, and again I don’t really care what they say about me, it is that they are players in the game, listen to them, watch them, you can tell that they’re players in the game. You can tell what it is that they’re trying to do. All I’m saying is that the Australian people have been caught in the cross fire, fine go ahead say it. But the other thing too, if you’re going to dish it out, you have to be prepared to take it.
“the Australian people have been caught in the cross fire”….just as the American, UK people have been caught in the crossfire.
Rupert Murdoch’s media propaganda network has once again acted against stable Australian government & interfered to negate the will of the Australian people. They have deprived Australians of voting for who they want to be their leader OR deprived them of sending a clear message that leader was unsuitable.
To all Americans, Australians, Brits, this media empire run by a single man who cares not a bit about your country, is a player in your politics & will continue to rip your Democracy to shreds if you stay silent.