Access all areas

I’ve been working as a journalist in Britain for about four years. In that time I have interviewed opposition leader David Cameron twice, reported on a visit by Prime Minister Tony Blair once, and attended one speech by Chancellor Gordon Brown.

I’ve been working as a journalist in Australia for about four weeks. In that time I have interviewed Prime Minister John Howard, federal Treasurer Peter Costello and New South Wales opposition leader Peter Debnam, and attended a speech by New South Wales premier Morris Iemma.

(I should stress that by interview, I mean an informal session involving a number of reporters freely firing out questions – I’m nowhere near important enough to get one-on-one sit-down interviews with senior politicians.)

The comparison illustrates just how different Australia’s media and political culture is from Britain’s. Here political leaders make themselves available for questions from all journalists on any subject almost every day, and John Howard seems to do a sit-down radio or TV interview every day. In Britain politicians and their aides attempt to shape the daily news agenda by using announcements, initiatives, speeches, leaks, exclusive interviews and press calls where it is made clear the Minister will not answer questions on any subject other than the one in hand. The classic cycle would be a leak about a new policy to a Sunday newspaper, followed up with speculation on the Sunday morning TV and radio political shows, then coverage of the expected announcement in Monday’s papers, reports of the announcement itself on Monday’s TV news bulletins, and finishing with full accounts of what was actually said in Tuesday’s papers. It doesn’t always go to plan – someone from the Home Office recently told me The Sun had “completely f***ed up” a planned announcement by breaking the story early – but when it does the Minister can get three days of favourable front pages.

I am probably understating the extent to which this management/spin/ manipulation (delete according to vehemence of feelings) also goes on in Australia. But senior politicians here are definitely more accessible and less shielded by layers of advisers and media handlers. I think this makes for a less frustrated relationship between Ministers and journalists – none of the papers here is as bitterly opposed to the government as The Daily Mail in Britain. Although it does also seem to lead to rather over-cosy links with the establishment in some cases – I’m not sure I approve of journalists using politicians’ first names professionally.

Another factor, of course, is the national security situation. Recently there has been a run of stories about shortcomings in the protection of the Australian Prime Minister – a high school student was able to hug John Howard to wish him a happy birthday (this in itself says a lot about Australian politics) while holding a screwdriver he had been using to fix his boat; a film maker was dropped off at the wrong quay in Sydney harbour and found himself at the PM’s residence, but was able to climb over a fence to get out without being challenged by security; an intruder walked into the PM’s Sydney offices and wandered around etc etc. But nonetheless when I went to John Howard’s Sydney residence, Kirribilli House, yesterday, I was allowed through the gates and onto the lawn without having my ID or rucksack checked by any of the federal police protection officers wearing the classic ill-fitting black suit and sunglasses combination also favoured by the British Special Branch. This contrasts with the procedure for getting into Downing Street these days, which involves having your press card checked and all your bags put through an x-ray machine. And you don’t even get close to the PM or the Chancellor. (Incidentally, Kirribilli House, which is located at the end of a leafy, breezy, tranquil side street north of the Harbour Bridge and overlooks the harbour, must be the nicest prime minister’s residence in the world.)

You also have to consider the relatively small number of media outlets in Australia, which means even a press call with the PM is unlikely to involve more than four TV crews, four radio reporters and four print journalists – there don’t seem to be anywhere near as many photographers fighting for pictures over here. And the extra importance of talk radio stations – in Sydney at least – probably necessitates more frequent press calls.

Whatever the reason, it’s refreshing to have the chance to ask politicians whether they’re lying rather than just assuming that they are.