Can I Just Say…

Reflections of a roving mind
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Hi there - welcome to my blog!

I'm a 30-something Sydneysider embarking on blogging for the first time. My blog ranges from relationships and food to politics and entertainment. The unifying feature of the posts is that they are related to things I'm interested in and care about. I'm also very curious about other people's perspectives - enjoy!

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May 2010

 

Thoughts on David Campbell saga

You may have heard about the David Campbell saga - here are my thoughts that I've just e-mail to Channel 7. I'll post my views if I hear back from them:


Channel 7
The Complaints Officer
PO BOX 777
PYRMONT NSW 2009
 
Monday 24 May 2010
 
Dear Sir/Madam,
 
Re Channel 7 report of David
Campbell, Channel 7 news, Sydney, 6pm Friday 21 May 2010
 
I was unsurprised to see your network pursuing sensationally
another story that in no-way constitutes news in the public interest. Your
puerile, hysterical reporting masquerading as news is nothing new. However, the
fact that in the case above you chose to invade the privacy of an individual is
beyond the pale. David Campbell’s entering of a gentleman’s club in Kengsington
is in no way in the public interest. Conjecture about his sexuality and the
nature of his relationship with his family based on your covert filming bares
no relationship to his capacity as a transport minister – the only aspect of Mr
Campbell which is of interest to the public. Your station's news director,
Peter Meakin defended the decision to run the story to the Age[1],
saying that as Mr Campbell had been police minister, he is “exposed and he is
potentially compromised”. Please explain how he is potentially compromised? His
attendance at the venue was legal. This is a total-non-sequitur to me. He is
only exposed because your unscrupulous news stations divulged his private
goings-on.
 
As you know, the Television Broadcasting Code (reproduced below)
only allows televisions stations to report about a person’s personal/private
affairs where there is an identifiable public interest:

4.3.5 must not use material relating to a person’s personal or
private affairs, or which invades an individual’s privacy, other than where
there is an identifiable public interest reason for the material to be
broadcast;

I am most interested in how you believe that you were within your rights as a
broadcaster in secretly filming Mr Campbell in the manner you did. If I am
dissatisfied with you response, I intend to make a complaint to the Australian
Media and Communications Authority.  If dissatisfied, I also intend to cease watching Channel 7, and will
advise friends and family to do so for the same reason. I eagerly await your reply.


________________________________

[1] http://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw-mp-apologises-seven-stands-by-story-20100521-w1y7.html?from=age_sb

Posted by Michael 
 

Show me the transfer!

You might have noticed (if you live in Sydney) that the government has just introduced a new ticketing system, called My Zone, which simplifies some fares and integrates public and private bus ticketing. This is definitely a move in the right direction as hopefully this simplification will encourage more people to use public transport - whether it be bus, trains or ferries. 

However, the one thing they didn't do, and which is probably the biggest obstacle to more people using public transport is allows transfers. As the Sydney Morning Herald article explains, every other state capital allows people who buy a single ticket, to transfer to another service - usually within a specific timeframe of a few hours, or within a particular geographic area/zone. What this means is that people generally don't mind changing services, as they don't have to fork out extra money to use the second one. 

The problem where transfers don't exist is two-fold (or possibly more?) First, for anyone who's been in the city during peak hour knows, there's a parade of half empty buses crawling up George or Elizabeth streets to Circular Quay. What should be happening is that around half the buses should be terminating at Town Hall or Central, where a large portion of people have already alighted, and allow passengers who want to continue to the northern CBD to transfer to the other buses at no cost. If there was no cost for transferring, people probably wouldn't mind changing buses to one of the many services heading up to Circular Quay, and in fact would welcome it when they see how much quicker the journey is, with only half of the buses heading north on the narrow, streets.  


Second, people who are on a bus or ferry route that only takes them to one end of the CBD are not able to get to another part without paying for the privilege. Usually the routing is due to geographic limitation - like with ferries that there is only habour on the northern and western sides of the CBD, or for buses with them still following old tram routes designed at the beginning of last century. An example is the 378 bus route from Bronte to the Central, on which there are no stops in the northern CBD. Unlike in most other cities in which transfers exist, commuters on the 378 can't hop on another bus to get to somewhere in the northern CBD with their original single ticket - they have to pay again for a separate ticket. This lack of convenience flexibility and ability to transfer, would likely discourage people from taking the bus in the first place, when if they travel by car say, they can get right to their destination. 

When the government announced the new ticketing system that didn't include transfers, I was so annoyed that I wrote to the Premier and the Minister for Transport - david@campbell.minister.nsw.gov.au in case you want to let him know your thoughts :) I've been advised by the MInistry of Transport that I will be receiving a detailed response from the Minister addressing my concerns. I'll keep you posted on what happens...

Posted by Michael