Inside Spin/Governing With Spin

Inside Spin/Governing With Spin is a chapter from Bob Burton's book on the Australian PR industry, Inside Spin: The Dark Underbelly of the PR Industry. This chapter reviews the early days of Eric White Associates, which for a while was the world's third largest PR firm. It also examines the recent growth in the use of PR consultancies by government agencies intent on 'managing' public controversies.

Some of the case studies include:


 * Hill & Knowlton Australia's campaign to sell a nuclear waste dump in South Australia;
 * the attempt by Mike Smith, from Inside Public Relations, to salvage the reputation of the beleaguered Governor-General, Peter Hollingworth;
 * how the Australian Customs Service, the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and the Australian Quarantine Service used the reality TV program, Border Security, to advance their interests; and
 * the 'stakeholder' and 'reputation management' work by Katherine Teh-White, from the Melbourne-based consultancy Futureye, for the Tasmanian Forest Practices Authority.

Footnote References from the Chapter

 * 1. G.E. Fitzgerald, Report of a Commission of Inquiry Pursuant to Orders In Council, 3 July 1989, p. 42, accessed April 2007.
 * 2. Parliamentary Committee for Electoral and Administrative Review, Review of Government Media and Information Services, Report No. 22, April 1994, pp. 26–43.
 * 3. "E. White, letter to R.G. Menzies", 27 July 1959, p. 2. This and subsequent documents were obtained from the National Archives of Australia.
 * 4. W.A. McClaren, letter to Secretary, Prime Minister’s Department, 3 September 1959.
 * 5. J. McEwen, letter to R.G. Menzies, 17 September 1959.
 * 6 ibid.
 * 7 R. Menzies, letter to E. White, 30 November 1959.
 * 8. R. Menzies letter to E. Harrison, 28 November 1959. Sir Eric Harrison was the Australian High Commissioner in London.
 * 9. T.J. Dwyer, The Australian Public Relations Handbook, Ruskin Publishing, December 1961. H. Burson, ‘The Next Steps in Going Global: Offices in Asia and Australia’, Burson-Marsteller, August 2003, accessed April 2007.
 * 10. Eric White Associates, ‘Australia’ in Handbook on International Public Relations: Prepared by Executives and Associates of Hill & Knowlton International, vol. II, Frederick A. Praeger, New York,Washington, London, 1968, p. 4.
 * 11 M. Byrnes, ‘Our Own Less Than Perfect Spies’, Australian Financial Review, 31 August 1989.
 * 12. R. Haupt, ‘How a PR Chief Provided Cover for Australian Spies’, Sydney Morning Herald, 24 July 1989.
 * 13. B. Toohey and W. Pinwell, Oyster: The Story of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, William Heinemann Australia, 1989, p. 164.
 * 14. Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, ‘Eric White Associates — Contact With Soviet Trade Office’ (unpublished), 20 May 1966.
 * 15. Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, ‘Political Development—Nauru’ (unpublished), 21 March 1967. The following year EricWhite Associates published a book, Republic of Nauru: Independence Day, January 31, 1968.
 * 16. Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, ‘Arab/Jew Tension in Australia’ (unpublished), June 1970.
 * 17. M. Byrnes, ‘Our Own Less Than Perfect Spies’, Sydney Morning Herald, 31 August 1989.
 * 18. J. Elder, ‘Custom-made entertainment stems from fear’, The Age, 9 July 2006, accessed January 2007.
 * 19. S. Latimer and M. Wardell, ‘Border Security . . . a look behind the scenes of a major TV “docudrama” . . .’ Presentation to 15th Public Affairs in the Public Sector Conference, 17 March 2005.
 * 20. ibid.
 * 21. Australian Customs Service, ‘Review by the CEO’, Annual Report 2004–2005, Commonwealth of Australia, p. 3, cited at accessed November 2006.
 * 22. M.K. McIntosh and J. Prescott, Report to The Minister for Defence on the Collins Class Submarine and related Matters, June 1999, accessed November 2006; P. Kalina, ‘In depth look at submariners’, The Age, 15 December 2005.
 * 23. K. Austin, Australian Pharma Marketing Congress, 17 May 2005. While Austin made the comment in the context of stories on the drug industry, she inferred the ratio was a general ‘rule of thumb’.
 * 24. ‘Toowoomba Preparatory School: Statement by the Governor-General, Dr. Peter Hollingworth’, media release, 19 December 2001, accessed November 2006.
 * 25. Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee, Consideration of Additional Estimates, 18 February 2002, p. 27.
 * 26. H. Grasswill, ‘The Gilded Cage’, ‘Australian Story’, ABC TV, 18 February 2002, accessed March 2006.
 * 27. Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee, Consideration of Additional Estimates, 18 February 2002, p. 27.
 * 28. M. Smith, Speech to 4th National Public Affairs Convention, Media Entertainment Arts Alliance, Canberra, 22–24 October 2003.
 * 29. Senate Finance and Public Administration Estimates Committee of 27 May 2002, Hansard, 27 May 2002, pp. 66–74.
 * 30. Inside Public Relations, ‘Governor-General: Crisis Management’, accessed March 2006.
 * 31. N. Strahan, ‘PR doctor called in to cure G-G’s ills’, The Australian, 21 February 2002.
 * 32. M. Smith, Speech to 4th National Public Affairs Convention, Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, Canberra, 22–24 October 2003.
 * 33. Senate Finance and Public Administration Estimates Committee, Hansard, 27 May 2002, p. 70.
 * 34. ibid.
 * 35. Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General, ‘Answers to Questions on Notice—Budget Estimates Hearings 2002–2003, 27 May 2002: Question PM02’ (unpublished).
 * 36. Office of the Governor-General’s 2001–2002 annual report, Appendix G: Consultancy Contracts awarded in 2001–2002, accessed March 2006.
 * 37. Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training, Public Relations Brief for the Provision of Public Relations Services Surrounding the Announcement of the Decision of Where to Establish the National Repository for the Disposal of Australia’s Low Level Radioactive Waste, October 2002, p. 4.
 * 38. Hill & Knowlton, National Repository for the Disposal of Australia’s Low Level Radioactive Waste (unpublished), October 2002, p. 2.
 * 39. ibid., p. 6.
 * 40. ibid., p. 11.
 * 41. ibid., p. 16.
 * 42. ibid., p. 18.
 * 43. Hill & Knowlton, Proposed Protocol for Approaching and Recruiting Expert Panel Members (unpublished), 3 February 2003.
 * 44. R. Nockles, email to C. Perkins, 28 January 2003.
 * 45. C. Perkins, email to B. Royce, 5 February 2003
 * 46. Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training, Listing of Departmental Files—Science Group, accessed November 2006.
 * 47. B. Royce, email to C. Perkins, 24 February 2003.
 * 48. G. Cook, letter to B. Royce, 26 February 2003.
 * 49. B. Royce, letter to G. Cook, 27 February 2003.
 * 50. H. Ratcliffe, Assistant Manager Communications & Public Awareness, Biotechnology Australia, ‘Ministerial Committee on Government Communications Meeting Wednesday 15 December 1999: Note for File’, memo, 21 December 1999.
 * 51. C. Cormack, ‘Concerns over TPN contract’, email, 11 August 2000.
 * 52. ibid.
 * 53. P. Kelly, Head of Division, Services & Emerging Industries Division, ‘Biotechnology Australia: Approval to amend public awareness consultancy contract’, 27 September 2000.
 * 54. W. Birnbauer, ‘CSIRO job for tobacco defender’, The Age, 25 April 2004, accessed January 2007.
 * 55. P. Roberts, ‘Staff Slap CSIRO’s Public Face’, Australian Financial Review, 7–8 January 2006.
 * 56. R. Beeby, ‘“Damaging” public comment policy scrapped’, Canberra Times, 14 July 2006. accessed October 2006.
 * 57. In August 2003, Manning was set to appear before a public hearing of the committee in Launceston, but Tasmanian Labor Senator Kerry O’Brien successfully moved a motion that Manning’s evidence be heard in confidence and that members of the public and media be expelled. However, Manning refused to agree to give evidence in secret, forcing the committee to cancel the hearing. See Senator Bob Brown, Minority report: Australian Forest Plantations: A review of Plantations for Australia: The 2020 Vision, Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee, p. 161.
 * 58. W.J. Manning, Evidence to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee, Committee Hansard, 8 October 2003, p. 501.
 * 59. Futureye, ‘Forest Practices Authority, Tasmania (formerly the Forest Practices Board) “Re-visioning their organisation through the eyes of stakeholders”’, undated, accessed June 2006.
 * 60. V. Birkinshaw, ‘Futureye Proposal: Forest Practices Board, Tasmania: Communications Plan’, September 2004.
 * 61. B. Montgomery, interview with author, October 2005.
 * 62. G. Law, interview with author, September 2006.
 * 63. A. Graham, interview with author, September 2006.
 * 64. A. Ramsay, ‘Titanic spending is first-class hypocrisy’, Sydney Morning Herald, 27 May 2007, accessed May 2007.
 * 65. Finance and Public Administration References Committee, Government Advertising and Accountability, Commonwealth of Australia, December 2005, accessed April 2007.
 * 66. ‘Work Choices a bonanza for Jackson Wells Morris, Colmar Brunton’, WorkPlace Express, 12 July 2006, and ; ‘AIRC joins Federal Government as Jackson Wells Morris client’, Workplace Express, 31 March 2006, accessed October 2006.
 * 67. J. Andreoli, (no article title available) Le Figaro, 8 April 2003, accessed November 2006); Lindsay Tuffin, ‘Legal Threat’, Tasmanian Times, 17 April 2003, accessed November 2006; C. Altman, ‘Internet papers allow media mice to roar’, The Australian, Media, 22 May 2003, p. B07.

Other SourceWatch Resources

 * Public relations firms/Australia