As several media veterans have noted, ABC Political Editor
Mark Simkin’s decision to jump the fence from journalism to political spin is a
courageous one indeed. Never mind for the moment the product he has to work
with; the two fields are not as similar as many assume them to be, and as
technology, media and audiences become more sophisticated, the differences
become greater.
Mr Simkin has accepted a role in the Prime Minister’s Office
(the PMO), heading up Tony Abbott’s Communications Team. Included in his
position description will be such fabulously new and interesting concepts as
crafting the message, media strategy, scheduling, social media engagement,
stakeholder management, risk management, damage control, feedback and
assessment – and if these aren’t all in the position description of
Communications Director, they’re doing it wrong.
My lecturer in Communication 101 started our first lecture
by telling us that the quality of our communication would be effected by our
perception of the product. In other words – don’t try to sell a product you
don’t believe in. We’ll have to assume that Mr Simkin is a Liberal supporter.
Like Abbott and Joe Hockey, Mark Simkin is a product of a Catholic North Shore
education, courtesy of St Aloysuis’ College.
This move should mean a change in profile too, as Simkin
moves from in front of the cameras and behind the microphone, to behind the
scenes and out of sight. Tony Abbott must be front and centre as both the
product itself, and the spokesman for the government. While redeveloping Tony
Abbott’s public persona with one hand, he’ll also need to work on minimising
the visibility of Chief of Staff Peta Credlin.
The first challenge Mr Simkin will have to deal with is Tony
Abbott’s skill-set. Personal charisma may be an asset, yet Public Speaking is
not in the Prime Minister’s strengths
column. Even his scripted speeches and
press conferences are peppered with ums, ers and uhs, resulting in a faltering
rhythm that lacks the air of confidence and robs his words of credibility. A
speech therapist, or a stint with Toastmasters might work wonders.
And lets stop calling it a “gummint”!
Don’t expect miracles though, as the Prime Minister has
admitted that he doesn’t trust himself to stick to the gospel truth. Coupled
with his awkward speech pattern, we can almost see his mind ticking over,
searching for the next phrase or repeating the one he’s just said. At its
worst, it’s uncomfortable to watch.
The logical approach is better preparation - rehearse the
Prime Minister to the nth degree. The
downside: you risk a Pavlovian response similar to the one we saw this week
with Lisa Wilkinson on the Today Show. Ask a question about the government’s
achievements? Talk about repealing the Carbon Tax. Repeat the rehearsed talking
points and annoying slogans.
And then there’s the messaging. Tony Abbott’s pressconference yesterday about the threat of terrorism in the aftermath of the
Sydney siege was simply one of the worst press conferences I’ve ever seen. From
anyone. Are we supposed to be afraid of the terrorists, or reassured that the
government, along with police, ASIO and Defence, have the increased threat
under their control? Even experts in terrorism were puzzled, suggesting that
the press conference was unofficially raising the threat level from three to
three and a half.
Since the G20 in Brisbane last month, the government has
been in panic mode, with the Prime Minister talking openly and vaguely about
barnacles and resets. Frankly, these terms, these conversations are the ones
that should be kept within the PMO. Weeks of mocking speculation about who or
what might constitute a government barnacle have provided a new setting for
Canberra’s brilliant crop of political cartoonists.
The Reset itself, announced in a Monday morning press
conference that should’ve set the agenda and tone for the week, has been such a
spectacular failure that had it not been for the announcement, we might not
have noticed it at all. The standout message from that press conference was
that the need for a reset was equivalent to an admission of failure. And now,
we’re scraping barnacles off the reset, or resetting the barnacles. It's unclear. It’s been
an awful few weeks of strategic communication that should find its natural home
in a first year textbook about what not to do.
Then, of course, came this week’s reshuffle, less than a
week before Christmas. Aside from former Assistant Treasurer Arthur Sinodinos,
only one Cabinet level barnacle was punted – former Defence Minister David Johnson.
To the amazement of many on the left, as well as some on the government back
benches, serial underperformers George Brandis, Christopher Pyne and Joe Hockey were left unscathed.
The deeply unpopular Scott Morrison has been moved to Social
Security, unleashing a torrent of hostility and disbelief that the Minister who
has dealt so callously with asylum seekers will be handling our unemployed, our
homeless, our disabled and disadvantaged. Former Health Minister Peter Dutton,
a man so loyal to his constituents that he tried to hop electorates to a
“nicer” one and failed preselection there, gets to wrestle with on-water
matters in the Immigration portfolio, while Kevin Andrews, known for his pre-nuptial
counselling vouchers that no-one wants, gets to play with the big boys’ – and
girls’ - toys at Defence during a period of significant upheaval.
It doesn’t matter how many times the Prime Minister
expressed his confidence in his senior ministers, or how many times he refers
to a year of achievement. If the public is not convinced, repeating it won’t
help.
Obviously, Mark Simkin’s new role will be about managing
perceptions, and right now, the Abbott Government has an enormous problem with
how it is perceived. How do you spin a positive message when the figurehead
is a poor communicator, the message is confused, and the product is unpopular?
My old Communication lecturer would have told me to walk
away. Unless Mark Simkin believes heart and soul that the Abbott Government is
on the right track, he – and the government – will continue the struggle.
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