The police investigation into Energy Minister and one-man calamity industry Angus Taylor’s office, for sharing an allegedly forged document with the media to attack a political opponent, has dominated the week’s news.
Much of the commentary believes Taylor is in serious trouble. Even The Australian‘s Dennis Shanahan, while arguing the issue should have been “dead within minutes of it becoming public” concedes Taylor’s “stupidity”.
No such worries, however, for New Corp’s Chris Kenny, who on his Sky program said he had never seen “a more pathetic scandal”.
“Is there an adult anywhere who believes someone would deliberately change $1700 to $1.7 million and expect to get away with it?” he said, of a document where someone had done just that. “What on earth would be the benefit of bumping up $4000 to $14 million when it would be so obviously exposed?”
Beyond the interesting defence of this is too dumb to be a crime, we can see why Kenny in particular wouldn’t see why any of this is a big deal.
Crikey was put in mind of the “Utegate” scandal, one of those moments that really summed up Malcolm Turnbull’s political instincts while opposition leader. An email (later revealed to be forged) purportedly demonstrating corruption on the part of then-prime minister Kevin Rudd and then-treasurer Wayne Swan was shared with the papers. When it was shown to be a phony, Turnbull’s standing plummeted, and he was eventually ousted by Tony Abbott as Liberal party leader.
During all this, who was Turnbull’s chief of staff? One Chris Kenny.
“They’re even stupider than I am, so couldn’t be criminals” is a novel approach.
I still find it incredible that, as Downer’s media man, Kenny does not seem to know who among his colleagues over the weekend of 20-23 June 2003 leaked the Wilkie ONA Top Secret document to Andrew Bolt. You’d reckon a competent media adviser would have some idea of which of his colleagues was talking to the media. But that would be begging the question…
I hope you are not barking up the wrong tree DF
Well clearly News Corpse thought it was all legit, ’cause they happily published the doctored numbers as part of their ongoing war with Clover-Moore. Not that it actually matters, though, as the mere act of doctoring & leaking this document represent a breach of the law.
Oh man I never knew that last detail.
I can see his point though for different reasons. A criminal investigation will go nowhere and just polarise along predictable lines.
A good bit of remorseless ridicule will stick more firmly in the public mind. Half the work is already done. There’s something about Gus’ lumbering yet entitled pomposity that’s made for comedy.