John Howard Launches $23 Million Ad Campaign Pimping His "Balanced Voice" On Warming, Energy

THE Howard Government is planning another huge advertising campaign, spending $23 million to sell its "leadership role" and "balanced voice" on global warming while persuading Australians to cut their power use.

Details of the proposed campaign undercut the Government's repeated assertion that its advertising strategy is designed only to inform the public on important issues. The brief for the climate change campaign lists a chief objective as being to "increase awareness of the Australian Government's leadership role … by building awareness of the Australian Government's climate change strategy".

It would also "position the Government as the primary balanced voice on climate change", showing it as taking a middle path between global warming "sceptics" and those the Prime Minister has called "doomsayers". The campaign comes several months after John Howard did an about-turn on the climate issue, installing Malcolm Turnbull as Environment Minister and dropping the Government's scepticism on the science of climate change.

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The Government's sensitivity over the campaign is seen in the brief, which advises that it may be accused of "a greenwash". But it provides extensive market research commissioned by the Australian Greenhouse Office to help justify the campaign. This includes material showing Australians were "confused on climate change and uncertain as to the nature of the Government's response". Phase two of the campaign is planned for August and will include a website promoting actions such as changing light globes, switching off appliances at the wall and advising people against single car trips. It will also provide a calculator for households to measure their carbon emissions.

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http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/23m-to-save-planet-and-pm/2007/05/24/1179601579530.html

rivers drying up? first typhoons ever last summer? good time for that slow steady approach.