Will rents rise by 30%? We don’t know, but the number of stories about rents rising definitely did | Weekly Beast
Brace yourself, The Australian warned on Tuesday, citing a note from the National Australia Bank to its clients: “Rents are projected to soar by as much as 30% over the next two years to compensate many landlords for the loss of property tax concessions” in the budget, its story said.
Hold on, NAB said. That was “one possible scenario” and “not a forecast”.
And on Wednesday, again in The Australian: the real estate agency Ray White “has affirmed that Jim Chalmers’ budget could lead to a 30 per cent spike in costs for tenants”.
Whoa, Ray White said. That wasn’t a forecast. More like a “modelling scenario”.
“We don’t do forecasts for rents,’’ a Ray White spokesperson told news.com.au. “Ray White is not forecasting a 30 per cent rise in rents.”
Not to be denied, on Thursday the Oz ran a further story quoting the real estate agency as saying: “The Australian has accurately represented Ray White’s analysis.”
As with all things real estate, it’s complicated.
Over in The Australian’s news.com.au stablemate, Samantha Maiden had a crack at the Coalition for rolling with the figures even after the qualifications had come out. “What’s curious about the entire hullaballoo is that there are plenty of good and solid reasons to probe and criticise the Albanese government,” she wrote.
“There’s no need to resort to fact-free scaremongering.”
The Wright way to go
Tony Wright, old-school legend, is appropriately called a “special writer” for the Nine newspapers, considering his mastery of prose and ability to write about current events with highly textured historical context.
Wright has now penned his last column in his typical warm, evocative, storytelling style.
He looked on as touching tributes flowed for him in parliament, after 56 years in journalism.
“He’s made us laugh. He’s made us reflect. He’s found joy without ever shying away from sorrow. He’s been pointed, but never barbed,” Anthony Albanese said.
“Crucially, he’s never lost sight of humanity. Not even in this place that sometimes does, and he’s reminded us of the importance of taking the time to stop and smell the flowers, or at least admiring them as you fly past on a motorbike.”
Angus Taylor described his work as “vivid, informative, and a hallmark of clarity”.
“But more than that, you have a deep appreciation of history. And as you’ve said, if something has happened before, it most likely will happen again,” the Liberal leader said.
Questions remain
A week after a One Nation staffer was allegedly assaulted at the Ekka in Brisbane, the media are still hunting for details.
A woman in her 60s wearing a One Nation shirt was “set upon with foul language” by three young women and a man, the party’s chief of staff, James Ashby, told AAP.
They allegedly spat on her, then the man allegedly punched her in the ribs, leading her to require an overnight stay in hospital.
“She now has one broken rib, she’s got enormous bruising and she’s had to go through the unedifying process of having to strip down in front of police so that they can take photographs of her injuries,” Ashby said.
Ashby and others linked the alleged attack to student protests against One Nation last week, and claimed it was “the same young women who demand respect for women” who were responsible.
Barnaby Joyce said the party had been in contact with the woman.
“This is not made up,” he said.
But any links with the protests, or indeed further details of any kind, have been hard to come by.
As of Thursday afternoon, Queensland police had declined to comment except to say they were aware of the incident, but had not received a formal complaint.
The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland, which runs the Ekka, said it was made aware of the “extremely concerning” allegation by police, but had no further details.
One Nation did not respond to questions.
Pointing and piping
Alex Antic, the rightwing Liberal senator, is not known as an admirer of mainstream media.
The Saturday Paper reported last year that he “passed waiting media with his fingers cocked like two pistols”.
“He mocked shooting at the assembled press: ‘Fake news! Fake news! Fake news!’,” the paper reported.
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Antic told Guardian Australia this week “pointing” was not “mock shooting” and that “any suggestion of a ‘mock shooting’ will be referred for legal advice”. He declined to comment on how he felt about the mainstream media in general.
Now he has introduced a bill that would force journalists to declare what they earn, any gifts they receive, and shareholdings or personal relationships that could give rise to conflict or bias, “so that we can all see who’s paying the piper”.
Most media outlets already abide by codes of practice that ensure any conflicts of interest are disclosed, but we’re sure he only wants the best for those who hold the powerful to account.
Meanwhile, One News Australia (which used to be the One Nation Supporters Network) was staggered to find out about a government program announced last year to support a range of media outlets.
People on social media began speculating about how that meant the government was bribing the media to write nice things about them – you can read an SBS factcheck on that here.
We’re yet to see how they’ll feel about the newly passed news bargaining incentive.
The deal means digital platforms have to strike deals with media companies for using their journalism, or pay a 2.5% levy on their advertising revenue.
Potayto potahto?
This week Lamestream reported the ABC had axed its 40-year-old Indigenous TV department, and scrapped the Head of Indigenous role.
Not quite, an ABC spokesperson said. Some staff from the screen team would move into a new division and First Nations programs would continue to be commissioned through existing processes, overseen by a new First Nations commissioning editor.
“The proposal to create a First Nations content and strategy team is currently under consultation at the ABC,” the spokesperson said.
“It is designed to bring together expertise, strengthen First Nations representation and enhance the visibility and impact of First Nations content across the ABC and our platforms.
“The proposal would also support greater collaboration, support and alignment across teams.”
‘Outdated approach’
There was plenty of criticism that both the response to and the coverage of the Sydney Swans’ sexual assault allegations put the football ahead of the alleged victim.
The media must change its “outdated approach” to reporting on sexual assault allegations, Swinburne sexual assault expert Dr Rachael Burgin said, without naming names.
“Young people are smarter than that and they are demanding reporting on sexual violence that doesn’t centre the ‘ruined careers’ of athletes over the safety and dignity of victim-survivors,” she said.
The Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek posted on social media that in the Swans case, and in the case of the alleged sexual assaults by Scots College students, the responses had “fallen alarmingly short”.
News Corp’s Andrew Bolt dedicated his column to Plibersek’s responses to other incidents, including Anthony Albanese’s appearance on the Deep Bush podcast.
The headline writer for the online version saw an easy equivalence between the PM’s jiggling hands and the sexual assault allegations scandal: “After melon-gate, Plibersek’s scolding of Swans’ management reeks of hypocrisy”.
Bills, bills, bills
The owner of the Kiis radio brand has racked up more than $17m in legal bills and settlement costs as the fallout from the on-air argument between the hosts of the former top rating Kyle and Jackie O Show proves costly.
The figure is included in ARN Media’s financial results, released on Friday. It includes most of the $12m-plus settlement that will be paid by the radio station owner to Kyle Sandilands, as well as legal fees linked to litigation with Sandilands and Jackie “O” Henderson.
ARN said proceedings with Henderson were still under way.
Sandilands and his co-host on Kiis FM’s Breakfast Show took separate legal action against ARN after the company terminated their lucrative 10-year contracts a year in.
The legal stoush began when Sandilands and Henderson had an on-air argument and Henderson took immediate leave.
The $17.2m in settlement and other related litigation costs has weighed on the media company’s financials, with half-year underlying earnings dropping a hefty 27% to $18.2m.
ARN linked its revenue drop to “brand safety concerns associated with Kiis breakfast”.
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