Double Take: Spin, sink and NDIS

Works under way at Newtown Primary school.

THE iron curtain closes soon on adverse publicity for the NDIS.
That’s the implict warning from public service spin doctor Julie Lawrence, apparently on her way to a job in the new outfit’s Geelong office.
She foretold her media-management strategy on the Indy’s Facebook page – of all places – under a link to last week’s front-page story on the NDIS stripping assistance from Grovedale MS victim Rob Goodman.
“Not good. Haven’t started yet but when I do this won’t be happening,” Jules commented ominously on the bad publicity.
She’ll love this week’s paper, then.

TALK about a sinking feeling.
Remember when Australia’s economy would have gone down the gurgler if not for a massive multi-billion education infrastructure cash injection?
Apparently it kept us all afloat, especially those of us in school rooms built so hastily they didn’t quite meet the requirements to avoid flooding.
Like at Newtown Primary School, where the entrance to the new building was sited at the bottom of a rather obvious slope.
Sadly the need for speed didn’t extend to fixing the place up afterward.
Fortunately, drainage works to fix the matter are now under way, several years later.
At least it helped fix the economy, eh?

A City of Greater Geelong media release on the redevelopment of Portarlington Pier was revealing in more ways than one.
A quote attributed to acting mayor Bruce Harwood made reference to the Portarlington safe harbour project and the push for a ferry service. But those comments were conveniently cut from the same quote issued in a media release from State Government, which, for obvious funding reasons, might like to keep the $30 million harbour project on the back burner.
Then again, the City release also referred to additional “births”.
Ahem, methinks it meant ‘berths’, unless the new pier has aphrodysiac qualities!