Stephen Conroy: Our sneering, sarcastic, patronising, grudge-bearing minister for filtering the internet
This week, I spent longer inside the mind of media minister Stephen Conroy than I would necessarily recommend.
The reason was as we’ve written in various posts his performance at the Senate Estimates Committee.
Reading the transcript has, I must admit, made me change my mind about him.
You see, when he was saying some of the more extreme stuff about his proposed internet filter over the last few months, I assumed it was just politics. I thought he was grandstanding on family values while of course knowing that it wouldn’t fly.
But when you read his thoughts (you can find the 131 page trasncript here if you like), it’s enough to make you think again about him both as a person and as a minister.
(A slight declaration of interest at this point – unlike Rupert Murdoch, I’ve sat next to Conroy at dinner, within a few days of him being appointed. At that stage he seemed throughouly affable, if more interested in talking about soccer than media policy.)
But the person who comes across in the transcript is a sneering, sarcastic grudge-bearing point scorer. And one who won’t give a straight answer to a straight question, at that.
Even for a politician, his refusal to define the word “soon” in respect to the mysterious (wind-the-clock-down-til-after-the-election?) delays in the anti-siphoning review was laughable.
And he’s got his patronise setting firmly at “kill”. Reading his words when asked about plans to help remote homes receive TV signals, suggested a minister with something to hide.
“The answer is that all SBS channels will be available on a satellite to every Australian, across the entire landmass of Australia. That is what a satellite does. It is a remarkable invention. They have been around a few years.”
Or:
“The remarkable thing about satellites is that they are a relatively new invention of about 50 years ago and they provide a pretty good service around the rest of the world.”
And:
“The signal will be provided and miraculously, when signals were turned on with terrestrial, they also needed a receiving piece of equipment otherwise usually referred to as a TV.”
But most of all, it’s the grudge bearing. He took a right kicking from the Murdoch press when he gave a giant rebate to the TV networks on what sounded at the time a very flimsy excuse – that it was to help them achieve local content targets they already legally have to attain anyway.
So his suggestion (several times – not as a single aside) that this was because of the wisdom of Rupert Murdoch appeared very much like he was choosing the words most likely to infuriate the News Ltd camp. Which seems like an amazingly risky strategy for any politician. It certainly suggests that relations have broken down. One can’t help wonder if the fact that he’s never met Murdoch there might be an element of pique. Again, the transcript seems to imply it.
One even comes to admire his bravery a little as one continues to read and discover Conroy picking fights not just with Murdoch but with Facebook and Google too. He seems to have a lot of enemies at present. Indeed, the free TV bosses may be his only powerful friends.
At best he comes across as testy and defensive.
While I never thought Australia had a brilliant media minister, I thought he was probably okay.
For those who have reached the conclusion ahead of me, forgive me for being slow on the uptake. Conroy is no good at his job.
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Tim Burrowes
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Tim, I take umbrage at your self-deprecating remark ” forgive me for being slow on the uptake”. Having sat next to you at a meeting at Reed, slow on the uptake does not describe you. Only the truly cynical i.e. those without hope of any kind, would have pegged Conroy for what he really is…totally out of his depth….before he opened his mouth in the Senate Estimates Committee and proved it beyond any reasonable doubt. Also, perennial second stringers like Conroy have been given permission to behave badly by the ongoing poor behaviour of their senior party colleagues.
No Tim you were not slow on the uptake you just expected competence and decency from our current crop of pollies…..but now you know!
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I just assumed Conroy was a run-of-the-mill fascist but he’s a real arrogant smart-ass, isn’t he?
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gee Mr Conroy we need a TV to receive TV signals?? The mind boggles. How much are we paying this guy to represent our communications portfilio???
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I completely agree with this observation of Stephen Conroy, he is incompetent to the degree that he doesn’t understand anything about the ministerial portfolio that is his responsibility. And as such it begs the question of what incompetent fools, who are in responsible positions of looking after our interests not for what they know, but who they know. You can write to him, as I did about eighteen months ago but the letter you get back will not be about your query, but blurb about the Government’s promised broadband role out.
This man is either dim witted or he is contemptuous of the general public
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No question he is out of his depth as any interview demonstrates within 30 seconds. Not only does that make him ineffective and out of touch it is also more likely his arrogance will result in some ill conceived hair brained legislation being introduced.
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I agree he’s put in a pathetic performance in this portfolio, but I would hold Rudd’s leadership style largely responsible for that.
Why do we think Conroy is selling his own political views. We know Rudd is a micro manager in the extreme – controlling all elements of his Minister’s portfolio (unless they stuff up). We also know that despite being on the same party, Conroy and Rudd are poles apart politically.
Conroy is behaving like a man who has had the fear of god put into him – his extreme aggression a consequence of the pressure Rudd is putting on him to comply.
Anyone who speaks out of turn in Rudd’s team gets seriously smacked. And this vengeful behavior passes on down the line.
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I couldn’t agree more with you Tim.
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i find the perhaps-mistaken concept that someone behind the scenes has some persuading dirt on him to be far more entertaining.
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Election coming up – Rudd is no fool, if he thinks that Conroy is a liability he will ditch him (unless Rudd goes first)
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At least he’s got God on his side..
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It’s senate estimates though… It’s the way they always attack each other… The whole circus usually involves the opposition making cheap political shots at those that are not protected by parliamentary privilege, and those who can go to JAIL for providing incorrect information…
I have read some, but not all, of the transcript, and it appears to be like any other usual senate estimates. Opposition Senator asks inappropriate question to a public servant – and then the Minister (or Minister representing the Minister) steps in, usual political repartee commences…
While I agree some of his comments are a bit inappropriate – I wouldn’t say that it’s any different to the way that the majority of other Minister’s have probably acted at some point in time…
(By the way, it hasn’t been my intention for this post to be defending him or anything – I’ve just watched and read a lot of trasncripts…)
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A technologically-ignorant religious-nut union heavy. What’s not to love?
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Conroy has his own religiously motivated agenda to push through and he cares not a jot about what the Australian public want.
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Anyone here prepared to comment without being jaded by the filter?
As James above says, this is standard operations for Estimates (and be careful before you give the Senators asking the questions too much credit).
Additionally, anyone here like to propose some solutions for reforming the telco and media sector other than tax handouts for small online marketing and advertising outfits? Apparently a national investment in broadband, and taking spectrum back from lazy broadcasters to put to good use for future services is not good enough. Thought not…
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flipped out so called god fearin folk like this slightly green puddle of fleghm need to understand that we all face our own moral choices on an ongoing basis and that having uncle screwball squeeze your shoulder when things are a little suspect is unsavoury to say the least.
power corrupts (not always)dear ones
Love and always fun
Chi
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—Error!!!—This message has been filtered
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what does filtered mean please?Error?
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Sorry to hear that you’ve only learned how deep that rabbit hole goes Tim, but I’m glad that you’ve come to the realisation.
That said, I can understand why you would have missed it as he’s only been beeping so hard on my BS radar because I’m so fond of studying technology and how people interact with it. The filter just simply fails technically in so many ways, it doesn’t even merit the moral and ethical arguments that swirl around it. The icing on the cake is making ISPs pay for most of the stupidity.
I’m really stuck for who I’m voting for this year: The party that breaks all it’s promises once in government, the one that breaks it even before it gets into government or the one that doesn’t have to take responsibility for any of it’s promises… so much variety!
@Jim Couper: Seriously man, do you want a straw to suck up a bit harder? You didn’t need to be cynical to see this coming, he’s been like this for at least 6 months with his filter performances and lack of NBN details.
@Phil Collins: Hmm, how about:
-not creating another potential Telcom to Telstra scenario in the NBN.
-Programs to encourage venture capital for things that don’t involve Bricks, digging crap out of the ground or growing things on it would be nice.
-Some indication that the interactive media market does actually involve people above the age of 18, and helping society accordingly.
-Not relying on the ABC to be the only real antidote to the commercial channels.
Oh, I’m sorry, you weren’t actually asking a question were you.
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Conroy and Wong are the worst ministers. The rest seem mediocre through to some very good ones. It’s not a bad first term ministry: I hink the Hawke one of 1983 was probably the best (though the 1949 Menzies comes pretty close)…
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Hey all, just hope that COnroy doesn’t interbreed with that family First fellah, waht’s his name, er, Fielding. A flat earther, creationist, techo-nut
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I wish someone would hurry up and shoot him. Australia is fast becoming a laughing stock, we might think we are a developed western democracy but the rest of the world disagrees. Even the Chinese are laughing at us, and for good reason.
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the dream police, they are inside of my head.Wait! No they reside in parliament instead!Have a lovely(cencored) day every one
Chi
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