Mood:
quizzicalTopic: aust govt
Picture: Taken by this author Tom McLoughlin February 2006, spied while driving down Balmain Rd Rozelle, Sydney. Did they have NSW Education Dept permission for this blatant use of public school assets to make an advertisement for their corporate PR?
Another political/business stunt?:
20 March 2009 McDonald's maths program 'not an ad' Sydney Morning Herald
The subtext to the M for Maths, M for McDonalds spin of their CEO in the news this last 24 hours and more relates to this:
Julia Gillard, complete with inbuilt red livery, needs political friends in business asap. The Opposition are attacking the economic "competence" of the Government in federal parliament as businesses hit the wall.
Similarly Gillard has just lorded it over the business lobby with the skewering of the so called Work Choices 'Frankenstein monster'. You could be forgiven for thinking you were in a giant solar workshop in Canberra amongst charge regulators, deep cycle batteries and inverters given there was so much talk about reconnecting 'the electrodes'.
And then there is are the systemic job losses due to the real monster of 'the Great Recession' with the Government strategy (just like 1990) to park youth in training. Well it was always going to attract McDonalds' legion of critics, as per this image lifted off "Uncyclopedia". Grim isn't it?
And what does this all add up to? Gillard endorsing a blatant attempt at corporate recruitment with national headlines they could not have paid for advertising their corporate 'character'. For those distracted by the sophistry of alleged honest motives - a corporation is a corporation is a corporation. It acts to increase profits, or more likely defend them from rampant health and nutrition activists.
Too cynical? Look at the history. Look at the picture at Rozelle Public School above.
This is how the issue played when we wrote back on 7th February 2006:
Ronald making fat kids using public school grounds? Minister Tebbutt pls explain
Posted February 7th, 2006 by Anonymoussubmitted by Tom McLoughlin, ecology action sydney
contact: ecologya@....phone: 0410 558838
Fat kids indeed. What is the Ronald McDonald corporate trojan horse of highly paid developmental psychologists on the Advertising Industry payroll doing in a public school grounds in Rozelle surrounded by a film crew and children making an advert of dubious benefit to NSW children. Did money change hands?
Picture: Just another image for Super Size Me, The Corporation, and The Yes Men? Photograph taken by this writer on or about Saturday 28th January 2006. Conveniently in the shadow of the long weekend holiday following Australia Day perhaps away from normal detection by the school authorities?
This would be one for Helen Steele and Dave Morris and the McLibel documentary.
The item would go something like this: McDonalds have crafted their advertising message to include local taxpayer funded school grounds as a backdrop for recruitment of the target child audience into diet choices skewered toward their fatty, salty, sugary, highly processed, composite foods.
In this case it reveals maladministration of the public school grounds and raises serious questions for the relevant Education Minister in the NSW State Government, Carmel Tebbutt. For instance how much money changed hands if at all for McDonalds to be filming there?
Related story here:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200601/s1558253.htm
Last Update: Monday, January 30, 2006. 5:07pm (AEDT)
Greens seek food ad ban
Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown wants a ban on all food advertising during children's television viewing hours.The Greens proposed amendment to broadcasting legislation is being sent to other senators today.
Senator Brown says it is important to ban food advertising when children are watching TV, as obesity creates low self-esteem
"Obesity shortens and reduces quality of life and those are things, as a doctor in the past, I've been keen on," he said.
"I think public health is the best delivery of medicine."
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Green Party latest offering too
On February 8th, 2006 Tom, eas (not verified) says:[So do the Greens get the time to watch Futurama? 8 till 8.30 pm Channel Ten Tuesday nights, cartoon for adults and children perfect demographic for pathetic unhealthy food advertising, seriously!?]
Tuesday, 7 February 2006
Greens' move to ban junk food ads gets public acclaim
Greens Leader Bob Brown's move to ban junk food advertising during children's TV viewing hours is getting a very good public reception.
Senator Brown plans to move an amendment to the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1), when it is placed back on the Senate agenda.
"The public feedback is close to unanimous. I hope the Senate vote reflects this when the bill finally comes before the Senate," Senator Brown said.
Senator Brown congratulated Tasmanian Liberal Senator Guy Barnett for his work in childhood obesity but said that the move to ban junk food ads was not "extreme" as Senator Barnett describes it.
"I agree with Guy that the epidemic of childhood obesity should be a national health priority, but I think it follows logically from there to ban junk food ads to kids just as we banned smoking ads a few decades ago," Senator Brown said.
Further information: Ebony Bennett 0409 164 603
Ebony Bennett
Media Adviser
Office of Greens Senator Bob Brown
Mobile: 0409 164 603
Ph: (02) 6277 3170
