Wednesday, January 29, 2003

"Let's look out for Australia" - the only thing this TIPS clone has going for it is that it isn't tied in with a TV show like AMW When I was back in Australia, I was alarmed to notice frequent ads involving Steve Liebmann (a very well-known TV personality) telling Australians to keep their eyes peeled for suspicious activity. We are advised to "be alert, but not alarmed" and are provided with a free phone number to report suspicious behaviour. The ad mostly features footage of Australia's diversity, including smiling Muslim women wearing scarves, but there are a few glimpses of law enforcement personnel and cute sniffer dogs. "Australians are friendly, decent, democratic people." Then Steve's tone hardens a little, "And we're going to stay that way." (Tell this to victims of Australia's xenophobic policy of mandatory detention of illegal immigrants, but now I digress). The TV spots have been followed up with full-page ads in all the major newspapers. The campaign hasn't been well-received. It flies in the face of the Australian anti-dobbing more, which is deeply ingrained in our culture. Apparently at least one third of the calls to this hotline have complaints against the campaign. You can view the ads at http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/ 9:26:42 AM

© Copyright 2003 Morgan Wilson. Last update: 5/14/03; 12:26:55 AM.