THE_SHELL_ISSUE_4

THE I S S U E 4 September 2014
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
DIGITAL TERRORISM
BUD BURST
SACKING THE COACH
INTERNET FREEDOM
365 DAYS OF PM ABBOTT
CLOTHING OUR HOMELESS
THE VALUE OF INTERNS
REMEMBERING PHIL
TACKLING SUICIDE
SENATE REVIEW
By Lisa O’Brien, The Smith Family
By John Wells
By Julie Sibraa
By Alexandra Mayhew
By Isabelle Walker
By Carrie Deane
By Madeleine Scott-Murphy
By Keith Jackson AO
By Benjamin Haslem
By Julie Sibraa
By John Wells
THE
THE FUTURE
OF TOBACCO
HARM REDUCTIONA CALL FOR STANDARDISATION, SAFETY, REGULATION
Official publication of Wells Haslem Strategic Public Affairs
E-CIG

Wells Haslem: diversity
John Wells, Chairman
Welcome to the latest edition of the Wells Haslem
publication The Shell.
Our Spring edition has some very interesting articles for
you to review.
The past six months has seen very significant milestones
reached in our business. The first is the strongest growth
since we started in July 2012 and the second is the
substantial increase in the diversity of client work.
We also bring you the very sad news of the passing of a
great Australian, Phil Charley. Take a few minutes to read
Keith Jackson’s wonderful tribute to his great friend, on
page 19.
The newest member of our team, graduate Isabelle
Walker, has settled into her role as Account Executive
and is working very keenly and efficiently for many of our
clients.
Isabelle studied Government and International Relations
at the University of Sydney and has a keen interest in
politics and media management – areas in which Wells
Haslem specialises.
This issue’s cover story focuses on the introduction into
Australia of e-cigarettes. Our article looks at how proper
regulations must be put in place to ensure this effective
cessation tool is available, along with others, to smokers
and those trying to give up smoking tobacco.
Australia is running well behind Britain and Europe in the
introduction of e-cigarettes and the case is now being
made for their introduction into this country. It is worth
reading as you’ll find out some interesting information
about these devices and the impact they already have in
other parts of the world.
Since our last edition we have been working on projects
as diverse as the Black Dog Institute, The Smith Family,
James Hardie, and regional issues in the Hunter Valley,
the Law Society of NSW and others.
It’s been a hectic but rewarding period in the expanding
life of the company.
We outline how the Black Dog Institute is advocating for
the introduction of a systems-based approach to suicide
prevention. The institute argues there is no evidence-
based rationale for distributing funding for suicide
prevention in Australia.
We outline how the current Federal Government is faring
after its first year in office. It’s been a tough battle for the
Prime Minister and Treasurer but they now seem to be
achieving their election promises.
Have a look at Julie Sibraa’s piece on “sacking the coach”.
Should the coach get the chop after a poor performance?
…. read on, she will tell you.
And as we’ve always told you, we are not just
another PR company. What we try to do is quickly add
value to our clients’ projects. This is something we
have always been renowned for.
At the centre of our firm is the desire to help clients
communicate better and to resolve issues affecting
how they communicate.
Our work covers all key disciplines of communication:
strategy development, issues management,
government relations, media relations, crisis
management, digital media and FMCG promotion.
If you think we can help you, or you want to know
more about our services, please ring John, Ben,
Alexandra, Isabelle on +61 (0)2 9033 8667, or visit our
website wellshaslem.com.au
John Wells
Chairman

E-cigarettes: Your right to choose
The future of tobacco harm reduction
Benjamin Haslem & Alexandra Mayhew
It was the first country in the world to introduce plain
packaging for cigarettes.
It is was at the vanguard of strong and graphic health warnings,
advertising bans and smoke-free restaurants, bars and
workplaces.
Backing for these measures, while at times shaky among some
on the right of politics, enjoys broad political and community
support.
It is against this backdrop of prohibitionist fervour that
Australian regulators and politicians will be asked to deal with a
device that many – from cigarette companies to tobacco-
control experts – believe could be the biggest revolution in
helping people quit smoking.
You may have seen one - an electronic cigarette - a device that
delivers nicotine without the harmful side-effects of smoking
tobacco.
E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that create a mist for
inhalation that usually contains nicotine.
They are often, although not always, designed to look and feel
like cigarettes.
Their use (known as ‘vaping’) mimics the behavioural and
sensory aspects of smoking and simulates a ‘smoking’
experience.
Fans of the US political drama House of Cards will have seen the
show’s anti-hero Frank Underwood smoking an e-cigarette.
“You’re cheating,” says his wife Clare as a wisp of what appears
to be smoke rises from Frank’s mouth, a cigarette-shaped
device between his fingers.
“No I’m not,” Franks responds in his deep South Carolina drawl.
“It’s vapour … you should try it – addiction without the
consequences.”
Anecdotal evidence suggests many thousands of Australians
would concur.
In Europe, over 20 million people are estimated to have tried an
e-cigarette and millions of smokers are turning to them as an
effective tool to quit tobacco cigarettes.
pg.3|E-cigarettes–BenjaminHaslem&AlexandraMayhew

Fast Facts
Many countries, including 28 nations in
Europe, are putting in place regulatory
frameworks to ensure smokers can
purchase and use e-cigarettes, which
usually retail for less than traditional
cigarettes.
In most States and Territories in
Australia (WA is the exemption) it is
possible to purchase electronic
cigarettes as long as they do not contain
nicotine, which is controlled as a poison.
If Vapers want nicotine they need to go
online.
However, this is a grey area of law, as
some states ban the sale of any product
that resembles or mimics a cigarette,
such as confectionary – you may recall
FAGS, a cigarette-shaped lolly complete
with a red dyed tip, later rebranded
FADS, sans tip.
Wells Haslem client Nicoventures
manufactures and sells e-cigarettes in
the UK and Europe and hopes to secure
regulatory approval to sell them in
Australia.
Debate among health experts on the
safety and effectiveness of electronic
cigarettes is passionate.
Many people who have spent a life time
campaigning against tobacco are
strident supporters of e-cigarettes,
which they argue will save millions of
lives by transitioning people off
traditional cigarettes, onto e-cigarettes
and in many instances off all nicotine
products completely.
In late May, 53 leading tobacco control
experts (including five Australians)
wrote an open letter to Dr Margaret
Chan, the Director General of the World
Health Organisation (WHO), cautioning
against the over-regulation of e-
cigarettes:
“There are now rapid developments in
nicotine‐based products that can
effectively substitute for cigarettes but
with very low risks. These include for
example, e‐cigarettes and other vapour
products…,” the letter’s authors wrote.
“The urge to control and suppress them
as tobacco products should be resisted
and instead regulation that is fit for
purpose and designed to realise the
potential should be championed by
WHO.”
‘E-cigarettes … represent a safer
alternative to cigarettes for smokers
who are unable or unwilling to stop
using nicotine’
In June last year Britain’s Royal College
of Physicians published an opinion that
“electronic cigarettes and other
nicotine-containing devices offer
massive potential to improve public
health, by providing smokers with a
much safer alternative to tobacco. They
need to be widely available, and
affordable to smokers.”
The UK’s Action on Smoking and Health
– ASH UK, one of the world’s most
strident anti-tobacco activist groups –
has advocated loudly for e-cigarettes to
be widely available to adult consumers.
“…The harm from smoking is caused
primarily through the toxins produced
by the burning of tobacco,” ASH said in a
statement in June.
“By contrast, non-burnt pure nicotine
products, although addictive, are
considerably less harmful. E-cigarettes
consequently represent a safer
alternative to cigarettes for smokers
who are unable or unwilling to stop
using nicotine.”
1.3 million – The number of people that
use e-cigarettes in the UK.
Quadrupled - Smokers reported using e-
cigarettes in the UK: 3% in 2010; 7% in
2012; 11% in 2013.
45 million - Total number of smokers in
the USA
2.5 million - Total number of e-cigarette
users in the USA
31% - The number of Americans who
tried e-cigarettes that quit smoking
within 6 months
$2 billion - Worldwide sales of e-
cigarettes
$10 billion - Worldwide sales of e-
cigarettes forecast for 2017
1-2% - The percentage of Victoria's
650,000 smokers who have tried e-
cigarettes
50/50 - In Australia, use of nicotine and
nicotine free e-cigarettes is split evenly
down the middle

What’s an e-cigarette?
A team led by Professor Robert West,
Director of Tobacco Studies at the
University College London, undertook a
cross-sectional study of 5,863 adults
who had smoked within the previous 12
months.
The study concluded that “among
smokers who have attempted to stop
without professional support, those who
used e-cigarettes are more likely to
report continued abstinence than those
who used a licensed NRT (nicotine
replacement therapy) product [gums,
patches] bought over-the-counter or no
aid to cessation”.
In fact, West found e-cigarette users
were 60 per cent more likely to succeed
than if going cold-turkey, or using other
nicotine replacement therapies without
support.
“By comparison, the harm from
tobacco smoking – the leading
cause of preventable death in the
UK – is well established.”
However, some experts, including the
University of Sydney’s Professor Simon
Chapman, caution that the long-term
health effects of e-cigarette use,
particularly on the lungs, are unknown
and we need to tread carefully.
Other health experts respond that
pharmacy grade nicotine used in e-
cigarettes is mixed with water,
propylene glycol and glycerol, which
have been used widely in food and
pharmaceutical products for decades
with no adverse health effects.
ASH UK says: “One study concludes that
electronic cigarettes have a low toxicity
profile, are well tolerated, and are
associated with only mild adverse
effects”.
“Compared with smoking, using an
electronic cigarette is safer. However, in
the absence of a thorough clinical
evaluation and long term population
level surveillance, absolute safety of
such products cannot be guaranteed
“By comparison, the harm from tobacco
smoking – the leading cause of
preventable death in the UK – is well
established.”
Other critics warn that e-cigarettes
could re-glamourise smoking and act as
a gateway to non-smokers to take up
the habit.
However, both Public Health England
and ASH UK have said there is no
evidence that e-cigarettes get people
into smoking by acting as a gateway.
Studies in the UK and Europe show that
about one per cent of people who have
never smoked, have reported trying an
e-cigarette.
Nicoventures – a stand-alone company
in the British American Tobacco Group –
argues that e-cigarettes in Australia
should be regulated, legal, and widely
available for sale.
They must be manufactured to a strict
and regulated standard to ensure users
know what they are inhaling.
A major risk for e-cigarette users in
Australia today is that they do not know
what standard their device has been
manufactured to and what ingredients
are included in the nicotine liquid.
Unlike in the EU and US, to date the
Federal Government has not declared a
specific regulatory approach to
electronic cigarettes.
E-cigarettes are battery-operated
devices that create a mist for inhalation
that usually contains nicotine.
E-cigarette use (known as ‘vaping’
amongst users) mimics the behavioural
and sensory aspects of smoking and
simulates a ‘smoking’ experience.
E-cigarettes use either disposable or
refillable cartridges containing nicotine
(typically 0- 24mg) and/or flavourings
dissolved in propylene glycol and/or
glycerin.
When puffed, the liquid is heated into a
fine vapour that is inhaled into the lungs.
The vapour does not contain carbon
monoxide or the other toxic products of
combustion in tobacco smoke.
Some models also have an LED light at
the tip, which glows during inhalation.

1 YEAR
The Abbott
Government –
what’s been
achieved one
year on
John Wells
The weekend of September 6-7 marked one year since the
Coalition under Tony Abbott’s leadership was elected to replace
a largely discredited Labor government.
Tony Abbott ran his campaign around Building a Stronger
Australia.
Since the election, the government has worked to deliver on its
commitment to the electorate to make decisions that it says are
in the best long-term interests of Australia.
This process has not been without its pitfalls. Some of the
government’s own making and others delivered by a largely
hostile Senate.
The government’s focus has been on building what it calls a
strong, prosperous economy and a safe and secure Australia.
Often you might argue that these are glib statements. You be
the judge.
The government’s main focus has been on four key policy
initiatives but backed up by a range of others. Here’s the score
card:
 abolished the carbon tax;
 stopped unauthorised boat arrivals;
 began a $50 billion roads and infrastructure
investment program; and
 abolished the mining tax.
Other significant policy initiatives the government claims credit
for include:
 environmental approval to major new projects worth
over $800 billion;
 boosting exports and jobs with Free Trade Agreements
with two of Australia’s major trading partners;
 reducing Government debt and attempting to get the
budget back under control; and
 creating 109,000 new jobs since the end of 2013.
These achievements, the government suggests, are just the
start. To mark the occasion the government released a 20-page
glossy brochure to trumpet its achievements.
Prime Minister Abbott said: “we’ve faced serious challenges in
the past year because of the increasingly uncertain world in
which we all live”.
“Uncertainty in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine and the rise of violent
extremism has tested Australia, as it has other nations.
pg.6|PMAbbott–JohnWells

“In an increasingly uncertain world, we are
determined to keep Australia safe and secure.
“Over the next two years, the Government will
continue its work building a stronger economy
because that means more jobs and prosperity
over time.
“We’ll be building roads, protecting the
vulnerable, ending rip-offs, fixing the Budget and
ensuring the country is safe.”
While Mr Abbott has taken some time to get into
stride as Prime Minister, many supporters argue
that he has been confronted by extreme events,
which have hardened his resolve and forced him
to step up to the plate as a leader.
Certainly his performance as Prime Minister
during the Malaysia Airlines disaster over Ukraine,
has been very strong and the issues sensitively
handled. He has been ably supported by Julie
Bishop as Foreign Minister.
Notwithstanding the rogue nature of the new
Senate, the government appears to have
improved its communication and negotiating skills
and deal more reasonably with new Senators. This
has helped secure the abolition of the mining tax.
Only time will tell if this new found co-operation
lasts and is applied to other significant policy
changes.
The government’s major changes at a glance:
Abolished the Carbon Tax
Removed a $9 billion a year hand brake on the
economy and reduced energy costs for all
Australians.
Stopped the boats
Only one successful people smuggling venture has
arrived in the first eight months of 2014. This
compared to 268 in the same period last year
under the previous Labor Government.
Getting the Budget under control
Australian taxpayers are paying $1 billion a month
in interest on Labor’s debt. The government has
indicated it is not going to pass on a massive debt
burden and higher taxes to the next generation of
Australians. Hence its tough budget.
Infrastructure investment
A record $50 billion to improve road and rail links,
reduce travel times and support economic
growth.
Boosting exports and jobs
Securing Free Trade Agreements with two of
Australia largest trading partners, Japan and
Korea, with India to be negotiated.
Abolished the Mining Tax
Improving competitiveness and certainty for a
major export industry sector, which employs a lot
of people.
Helping small business
Up to 10,000 pieces of legislation and regulations
have been removed as part of a commitment to
reducing red tape.
Investing more in schools and hospitals
The government claims it has increased schools
funding by $4.9 billion (37%), and hospitals
funding is increasing by $5.3 billion (40%), over
the next four years.
Getting the NBN under control
More than double the number of homes and
businesses are receiving NBN services compared
to a year ago.
Providing jobseekers with support
Restart (payments up to $10,000 for businesses to
employ mature long-term unemployed workers),
Job Commitment bonuses and relocation
assistance.
Tackling environmental issues
The Green Army that Mr Abbott promised has
been established. Over the next three years it will
facilitate 15,000 young Australians, working on
1,500 community-led projects, to improve the
environment.
Support for apprentices
Created Trade Support Loans of up to $20,000 for
apprentices.
The New Colombo Plan
The first group of 1,300 Australian undergraduate
students are studying in our region, as part of the
New Colombo Plan.
National Disability Insurance Scheme
Trial sites are up and running and more than 7,300
tailored packages are now supporting Australians
with disability, with a participant satisfaction rate
of over 90 per cent.
pg.7|PMAbbott–JohnWells

Girls at the Centre
Helping Aboriginal girls stay in school
Dr Lisa O’Brien, CEO of The Smith Family
School attendance – particularly in remote Aboriginal
communities – has been a much-discussed topic in recent
months.
No one questions the importance of school attendance.
School attendance is one of the crucial building blocks when it
comes to a child’s education and development and their
capacity to fully participate in our society as an adult – and
particularly so if they come from a disadvantaged background.
A recent ground-breaking study by the University of Western
Australia examined school attendance rates in government
schools in the state between 2008 and 2012.
It confirmed that as absences add up over several years there
can be a cumulative effect on achievement. They found there is
no ‘safe threshold’ for absenteeism – every day of attendance
counts toward a child’s educational outcomes.
The study found the state’s most disadvantaged students –
many of them young Aboriginal people – missed more than a
day of school each week. The equivalent of one term of school
each year or 1.7 years of missed school by the end of primary.
Attendance has a much greater influence on the achievement
of students from disadvantaged backgrounds: as their absence
rates increase, their decline in achievement is more rapid.
But where disagreement can occur is around the methods by
which attendance can be improved.
The Smith Family is Australia’s largest children’s education
charity.
We help more than 110,000 children and young people from
low income backgrounds each year succeed in their education –
7500 who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Our close vantage point tells us that recent efforts to close the
gap in educational performance between Aboriginal and other
Australian young people have leaned too heavily on sport as a
tool to attract and encourage school attendance among
Aboriginal children.
Available evidence suggests sport has been successful in
engaging Aboriginal boys and young men in their schooling.
However, it also suggests that it’s less effective in attracting and
retaining Aboriginal girls.
pg.8|GirlsattheCentre–LisaO’Brien

As a result, we’re at risk of neglecting
the educational needs of Aboriginal
young women.
Broad improvements in educational
performance and school attendance
among Aboriginal girls will only occur
with support programs tailored to their
variety of needs and interests.
Our analysis is based on an independent
evaluation of our Alice Springs program,
Girls at the Centre, which has been
successful in boosting school attendance
among Aboriginal girls in their early
teens through a variety of methods.
The Smith Family has operated Girls at
the Centre in partnership with Centralian
Middle School since 2008.
The program motivates and supports
girls from Years 7 to 9 to stay at school
and contributes to educational
achievement by providing participants
with dedicated ‘coaches’ and other
supports, such as after-school activities,
access to mentors, and regular
excursions to broaden life experiences.
As a result, the average attendance rates
for Girls at the Centre participants
between 2008 and 2013 were
consistently higher than their peers.
It’s clear that after completing first
semester in 2013, the average
attendance rate for Girls at the Centre’s
Aboriginal participants was 75 per cent,
12 percentage points higher than the
average attendance rate for all
Aboriginal girls at the school (63 per
cent).
There’s also clear evidence of Girls at
the Centre improving self-confidence
and school engagement. For example, in
2012, the positions of Centralian’s
Captain and Vice-Captain were filled by
Girls at the Centre participants as was
Dux and 22 other recipients of academic
achievement awards.
Girls at the Centre’s success comes down
to a range of factors. The coaches are
based at the school and provide a mix of
support and positive guidance, and have
high expectations of the girls,
particularly in relation to school
attendance.
The program also offers weekly after
school activities that appeal to different
interests – one week it could be
gymnastics, the next it could be
jewellery making or rock climbing.
Each fortnight a community mentor
visits the school for breakfast with the
participants. After a short presentation
the girls are encouraged to ask
questions about the person’s
achievements.
The girls also have their own space at
the school – the Girls’ Room. It’s the
location for many of the program’s
activities but also offers a safe transition
space between home and school.
Another major part of the program’s
success is the involvement of parents
and carers – an effort which the
independent evaluation described as an
‘extraordinary achievement’. It’s had the
effect of improving child-parent
relationships and boosting parental
engagement in school and in their child’s
academic achievements.
Aboriginal young women are at
significant risk of poor school
attendance or dropping out prematurely
because of the need to care for siblings,
parents and other family members.
Aboriginal young women are also more
likely than other Australian females to
start a family early.
And when it comes to post-school
options, because of a range of
responsibilities, young Aboriginal
women may be less inclined to pursue
tertiary study and a career. The lack of
culturally appropriate and affordable
childcare also makes things difficult.
All of which helps explain why only 28
per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander young women have completed
Year 12 or its equivalent compared with
60 per cent of other Australian young
women.
Girls at the Centre gives us a model for
improving school attendance and
educational outcomes among Aboriginal
young women Australia-wide.
pg.9|GirlsattheCentre–LisaO’Brien
Today, there are more
than 638,000 Australian
children living in jobless
families.
Disadvantaged students
have significantly lower
Year 12 completion
rates.
Disadvantaged students
are on average 2-3 years
behind in reading and
maths by the time they
are 15 years old.
Last year, 112,124
disadvantaged children
and their families received
support through Smith
Family programs.
Last year, we supported
34,480 Australian students
through our Learning for
Life sponsorships.
In 2013, 83% of children
in our student2student
reading program
improved their
reading age.

What do Jenifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Kirsten Dunst, Gabi
Grecko and the UNAA Young Professionals all have in common?
They’re all talking about how the internet interplays with
human rights.
These women were just a few of the 101 celebrities whose
naked photographs were hacked and posted online.
A spokesperson for Lawrence confirmed the photos were real
and said it was a "flagrant violation of privacy", while Gabi
Grecko (partner of Melbourne businessman Geoffrey Edelsten)
went so far as to call the nude photo theft a "sex crime".
Lawrence’s spokesperson stated they had contacted the
authorities and “anyone who posts the stolen photos of
Jennifer Lawrence," and no doubt, someone will be prosecuted.
And while this may be a clear-cut case of rights violation, the
internet is often a more difficult environment to navigate when
it comes to behaviour, rights, and prosecution.
At a recent UNAA Young Professionals event, Freedom of the
Internet as a 21st century human right: what does it mean and
what good can it do?, an expert panel and Gen Y discussed an
individual’s right to unrestricted internet content, how to
ensure children are protected when using the internet, and
whose role is it to police this environment.
What was interesting was the lack of a consensus among both
experts and the audience.
That’s because it’s a complex issue at the best of times. For
example, content is sometimes just not available to Australians
in a timely or affordable manner. One only need look at our
record-breaking illegal downloading of Game of Thrones (GoT)
to see that.
GoT, along with other popular programs like House of Cards,
are difficult to obtain quickly, with fans having to wait until
Australian TV networks deign show them – and even then they
may not be shown by free-to-air networks. In that case people
need to have some form of pay TV and even then episodes can
be weeks behind. Some people, short of engaging in internet
piracy, resort to using Netflix, which means while paying for the
service they must trick Netflix into believing they are accessing
the streaming service from within the US.
When piracy offers no-cost, quick solutions, it is just obvious
that people will choose to illegally download. Just one problem
- at the end of the day, it is theft and that is wrong.
The ABC has attempted to combat this with airing the latest
season of Doctor Who in real-time on its online platform iView
– at least it’s an innovative solution and not simply trying to
regulate the problem out of existence (which will not work
anyway as the internet-savvy will quickly find loopholes).
The issues around the internet and human rights are vast, from
issues around big data (how to store it, who can access it and
what information can be gained from collecting such data) to
services sites (freelancing, outsourcing, and crowdsourcing) like
Freelancer (ensuring fair payment for work done) and
absolutely everything in between and much yet to come.
All in all, it’s a highly contentious, unresolved environment that
will continue transform over the years. It’s something that not
even the experts have perfect solutions for. It’s easy to look at
how these women’s bodies have been plastered all over the
internet against their consent and know that it is undoubtedly
wrong. Most everything else, shades of grey.
Thegreythatisinternetfreedom
Nude photos and
human rights
United Nations Association of Australia
Young Professionals
Alexandra Mayhew
pg.10|UNAAYP–AlexandraMayhew

Sacking the coach
Is it fair and does it actually work?
Julie Sibraa
“Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing”
NFL Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi
(1959-1967).
As in many other parts of life, including business and politics,
the cutthroat world of professional sport has seen the demise
of many a once much fancied and revered leader – the coach.
But if the 2014 National Rugby League (NRL) season is anything
to go by, it seems to be happening on an increasingly regular
basis and, even more brutally, early or mid-season.
This year in the NRL a record seven or nearly half the coaches in
the competition have either been sacked by their Club’s Board
or announced a premature departure in response to the poor
performance of the team on the pitch.
The first sacking happened after just a handful of games into
the regular season.
The last and most recent victim had spent almost the entire
second half of the season coaching a young, talented team
knowing the axe could fall at any moment.
Ironically, it was a “performance review” conducted by another
former coach who had himself been sacked from his last Club,
which was used by the controversial CEO to persuade the Board
to dispense with his services.
In the last English Premier League season (EPL), it was coaching
carnage with 12 of the 20 Managers sacked.
This apparently rising trend isn’t confined to the NRL or EPL but
is being played out across a variety of professional sports where
sponsors and fans, closely followed by the boardrooms who
rely on the sponsors and fans, expect results and demand
immediate answers when their team is not meeting their start
of season high expectations.
And in the small coaching pool that makes up the NRL
Competition, these sacked coaches often simply end up at rival
clubs via a musical chairs type process.
“If we can play like that every week we'll get
some level of consistency” Sir Alex Ferguson,
Manager Manchester United (1986-2013).
pg.11|Sacking the Coach – Julie Sibraa

When a team is consistently
underperforming and losing matches -
who is responsible, and if it is the coach
or manager, does sacking them lead to
better outcomes?
When a team of otherwise talented and
highly paid players underperforms or
loses week after week it’s difficult to
properly or objectively assess who is
responsible. With 11, 13, 15 or 18
players on the field in whatever code,
it’s a bit hard to blame the players. They
can’t all be playing poorly. It must be
poor coaching. But on the other hand,
how many times have we seen one
player single-handedly turn a game
around by an act of sheer individual
brilliance? How many times have we
seen an otherwise poorly performing
team respond to a perceived injustice
such as a cheap shot by an opponent
lead to a complete turnaround in effort
and result? Surely that points to player
responsibility?
To make it more confusing, different
coaches seem to see things differently.
One NFL Coach certainly predicted his
own demise when he said:
“I feel that a great coach is
one that has a vision, sets a
plan in place, has the right
people in place to execute
that plan and then accepts
the responsibility if that plan
is not carried out”
Mike Singletary, NFL
Footballer and Coach, sacked
by the 49ers in 2010.
Yet Brian Clough, one of the EPL’s
greatest ever managers, “the greatest
manager England never had”, saw it
differently:
"Players lose you games, not
tactics. There's so much crap
talked about tactics by
people who barely know how
to win at dominoes”.
He also believed the buck didn’t
necessarily end with the Coach. When
asked about the number of managers
getting the boot he said:
"If a chairman sacks the
manager he initially
appointed, he should go as
well."
Judging by the quotes for which he is
famous, legendary NFL Coach of the
Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi
acknowledged the precarious nature of
the coaching role when he said:
“If you aren't fired with
enthusiasm, you will be fired
with enthusiasm”.
In the AFL at least there’s been a bit of a
fight back for coaches. Perhaps scarred
by his own brief experience coaching the
International Rules Football Team for
two losses and two narrow wins,
Melbourne Football Club icon Garry
Lyon recently called on his old team to
stop pointing the finger at their coach
for their poor showings on the field:
"Stop blaming coaches. Stop
blaming the poor culture.
Stop blaming the last five
years, Melbourne players."
West Coast Eagles co-Captain Matt
Priddis took defending his coach much
further when he said:
"It's the players…it doesn't
matter who's coaching, it's
purely the players."
So no-one will probably ever agree on
where the blame lies for a team’s poor
performance. But if we accept for a
minute the proposition that the leader
or coach needs to go, is there any
evidence this produces better results?
In English and European Football where
the ruthless practice of sacking the
coach has been around a lot longer, a
couple of studies appear to shed some
light on the subject.
Dr Bas ter Weel is deputy director at the
CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic
Policy Analysis in The Hague, the
Netherlands and a professor of
economics at Maastricht University.

In 2011 he released a paper titled “Does
Manager Turnover Improve Firm
Performance? Evidence from Dutch
Soccer, 1986–2004”1
. According to the
paper, over the time studied the average
season saw around 50% of teams
changed managers, and of these, about
44% were forced resignations. Dr ter
Weel studied the performance of not
only the teams who fired their boss
when times were tough, but also those
who stuck with the beleaguered coach
and weathered out the season. The
paper found no difference in
performance between the two groups:
“What is clear is that
performance increases after
one period are significant
but that the new manager
performs worse compared to
the control group in the next
three periods he is in
charge”.
A similar study2
conducted around the
same period but of the German
Bundesliga came to very similar
conclusions. University of Muenster
researchers examined more than 40
years of German professional team
records in an effort to determine if
coaching changes affect a team’s results.
Using the goal differential (GD) as the
measurement for team performance,
the study found no significant difference
in performance or results gained from
replacing the coach mid-season.
The frequent positive results achieved
immediately following a coach dismissal
is explained as “a simple statistical
selection effect (regression towards the
mean)”, which, according to Wikipedia
used to be known, perhaps more
appropriately, as “reversion to
mediocrity”.
Unfortunately there is little hope that
statistical studies of this type will lead to
less coaches being fired mid-season.
Pressure from the media, the sponsors
and fans who fund professional sport
and demand results will continue to
determine the fate of coaches who do
not meet their high expectations.
Finally, there’s the view that no manner
of great coaching or player talent can
produce a desired result – that it is
something in a Club’s DNA that
ultimately determines their long term
success.
Therefore the last word goes to
Australian Rugby League “Team of the
Century” coach Jack Gibson who
famously said:
“Waiting for Cronulla to win
a premiership is like leaving
the porch lamp on for Harold
Holt”.
1 Does Manager
Turnover Improve Firm
Performance? Evidence
from Dutch Soccer,
1986–2004, Bas ter
Weel
Published online: 18
January 2011
2 Heuer A, Müller C,
Rubner O, Hagemann
N, Strauss B (2011)
Usefulness of
Dismissing and
Changing the Coach in
Professional Soccer.
PLoS ONE 6(3): e17664.
doi:10.1371/journal.po
ne.0017664

Benjamin Haslem
Every eight minutes someone in Australia attempts suicide.
It’s a stark and confronting fact that each year 65,000 people in
Australia will try to take their own life; 35,000 of them will be
hospitalised for suicide-related injuries.
2,500 will die.
Suicide is the most common cause of death in Australians aged
15-44. Young Australians are more likely to take their own life
then die from motor vehicle accidents.
The personal toll on loved ones, friends and work colleagues is
incalculable.
While there are no widely accepted, reliable, estimates of the
financial cost of suicide nationally, the Australian Bureau of
Statistics and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare have
calculated the economic cost of suicide and suicidal behaviour
on the Australian community is $17.5 billion a year.
Despite these terrible statistics, funding for suicide research
from traditional sources such as the National Health and
Medical Research Council is low.
A 2011 report by Helen Christensen, who heads Wells Haslem
client the Black Dog Institute, and others, established that
suicide and self-harm research funding per disability-adjusted
life-year1
had not increased between 2001 and 2009, and it
received the lowest level of investment compared to other
mental health categories.
Australia is not alone.
A recent report from the science journal, Nature, reported that
“government should invest as much in suicide prevention as
they do in reducing fatal road accidents. In 2008-2009, UK
spending on road-safety awareness, including television
advertisements, topped £19 million; by contrast, £1.5 million
was invested over three years in suicide research. Fatal road
accidents have declined steadily over the past decades,
whereas suicide rates have levelled or even increased”.2
Wells Haslem is helping the Black Dog Institute advocate a new
approach to suicide prevention to the Federal Government.
The Black Dog Institute, based at the University of NSW, was
founded in 2002 and is a world-leader in the diagnosis,
treatment and prevention of depression, bipolar disorder, and
suicide.
1
The disability-adjusted life year (DALY) is a measure of overall disease burden, expressed as the cumulative number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death
2
Aleman & Denys (2014). Mental health: A road map for suicide research and prevention. Nature
Bringing the black dog to heel
Why we need a new approach
to suicide prevention
pg.14|Bringingtheblackdogtoheel– Benjamin Haslem

It focuses on the rapid translation of
quality research into improved clinical
practice, increased accessibility for
consumers, and delivery of long-term
public health solutions.
The Institute argues that in addition to
the lack of funding into suicide research,
there are three other major reasons
Australia is failing to reduce suicide
rates.
First, and most importantly, the major
stumbling block to reducing suicide is
the lack of an agreed program of action
to reduce suicide rates. At present,
there is no evidence-based rationale for
distributing funding. A range of
initiatives is funded, with little
consideration or concerted effort.
Second, the approach taken by the
Australian Government to lower suicide
rates, while laudable, is not optimal.
This year an Australian Healthcare
Associates review of the 49 activities
funded under the National Suicide
Prevention Program and selected
elements of the Taking Action to Tackle
Suicide package, found that many of the
suicide prevention activities were not
sustainable.
The report called for a stronger role for
the Australian government in “setting
and disseminating the policy agenda”
and “improved coordination, facilitation
and funding of strategic, translational
research that addresses the key
evidence gaps in suicide prevention”.
Third, Black Dog argues, there is “very
little investment in suicide prevention
for the size of the problem, and certainly
not when compared to costs of reducing
other forms of injury”.
There is an alternative approach.
International experience demonstrates
that the best suicide-prevention
response may be gained from a multi-
level, multifactorial, systems-based
approach. This recognises that suicide
prevention involves both healthcare
systems and community approaches.
It also involves buy-in from Industry and
people who have been directly or
indirectly affected by the suicide of
someone they know.
A systems approach requires that each
system involved must move in concert
with other systems to put all evidenced-
based interventions into action
simultaneously.
This includes both public health and
health care systems.
Taken together, these changes reflect a
revolution in policy and practice. They
suggest that suicide can be prevented,
and that suicide prevention is an
achievable goal.
Black Dog argues that this “is a case of
the whole is greater than the sum of the
parts, and implementation of all
strategies simultaneously has not been
tried in Australia”.
Examples of strategies in the hospital
setting include keeping accurate health
records that can be data mined to better
predict suicide; specialist medical teams
able to assess suicide attempts;
assessments of patients by qualified
specialist practitioners; brief treatments
or interventions before people are
discharged from Emergency
Departments; inpatient Cognitive
Behavioural Therapy for people
admitted to hospital; hospital building
design to reduce access to means to
commit suicide; and suicide literacy and
materials addressing stigma for hospital
staff about developing positive attitudes
towards people who attempt suicide or
self-harm.
Community mental health services could
include 24/7 call out emergency teams
experienced in child/adolescent suicide
prevention, while at Medicare Locals
GPs could be better trained in the
detection of suicide complemented with
training in Cognitive Behavioural
Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour
Therapy from psychologists and
psychiatrists.
The NGO sector also has a major role to
play in a systems approach via crisis call
lines and chat services for emergency
callers; e health internet-based
programs; and community education
around the nature of suicide stigma.
At schools, teachers and other staff
would receive gatekeeper training,
which equips them with skills to identify
people at high risk for suicide and then
to refer those people for treatment.
Local Councils can reduce suicide risk
through better planning such as building
fences to prevent people jumping off
bridges and promoting awareness of
programs to assist people at risk of
suicide.
The Black Dog Institute acknowledges
that many of these strategies are used in
Australia. However, no attempt has
been made to combine these strategies
through communities and health
systems in local areas, simultaneously.
The Institute has asked the Federal
Government for funding to run four pilot
studies (one in each of inner city Sydney
and Melbourne and one in each of
regional NSW and regional Victoria) to
demonstrate that the systems approach
can be successful in lowering suicide
rates in Australia.
The studies would test the hypothesis
that a systems-based approach will
lower suicide rates and attempts 20 per
cent in 24-48 months.
Suicide is a complex behaviour, with a
range of causes and triggers, which vary
between individuals and communities.
The Black Dog Institute argues that if
Australia continues a fragmented
approach, funding diverse projects,
many of which are not specifically aimed
at suicide prevention, fail to prioritise
interventions with proven effectiveness,
and ignore the opportunity now to
integrate across community and health
systems, suicide rates will continue to
rise.
blackdoginstitute.org.au
pg.15|Bringingtheblackdogtoheel–BenjaminHaslem

Uncertain times in the Senate
Or have we seen it all before?
Julie Sibraa
In a research paper titled “The Australian Senate”1
– prepared
for a Parliament once more grappling with the perennial
question - ‘what to do about the Senate?’ – the author quoted a
political scientist who in 1949 observed that the Senate “enjoys
little public interest and evokes no enthusiasm”.
In 2014 that does not seem to be the case. With the new
Senate having taken their seats in Canberra’s Federal
Parliament on 1 July this year, there has been what seems like
endless discussion, debate and speculation about its likely
future given the balance of power is held by a group of
previously unknown Senators, including those representing the
Palmer United Party.
The idea of a non-Government controlled Senate appears to be
a new concept to some in the business of political commentary.
You would think after three years of a hung Parliament during
the last Gillard/Rudd term that we’d be quite used to the fact
that the government of the day must, at times, negotiate some
of its more contested legislation. But no, it’s as if it has never
happened before. There have been predictions of Tony Abbott
calling for a double dissolution or even “a fresh Senate election”
to rid the Senate of the imposters, restore it to its normal
equilibrium and give the Government its rightful majority.
In its entire 13 years, the Hawke/Keating governments never at
any time had control of the Senate – yet the legislative reform
agenda that passed through it during that time was significant
by any measure. In fact the last time a Labor Government had a
majority in the Senate was 1950-51.
In 1993 two previously unknown Green Senators from WA,
Christabel Chamarette and Dee Margetts held up John Dawkins’
mean-spirited budget for 64 days while they negotiated a series
of trade-offs to ensure the budget was more socially equitable.
In 1999, after narrowly winning the previous year’s GST
election, John Howard had a protracted negotiation with
Democrats Leader Meg Lees to get the GST bills through the
Senate. In return for support, she achieved a series of
concessions, including the removal of the GST on fresh food.
More recently however the Coalition did gain control of the
Senate.
After a stretch of some 24 years when neither the ALP nor
Coalition either in government or opposition had held an
absolute majority in the Senate, John Howard finally achieved it
as a result of his sweeping 2004 election victory, which meant
from 1 July 2005 until the calling of the election in 2007 he had
absolute control of the Australian Parliament.
Ironically, as many have suggested, this was probably his
downfall. The so-called “workplace reform” agenda he had
cherished for so long and finally had the means and opportunity
to deliver was the policy mistake that ended his long political
career.
Since the current proportional voting system was introduced in
1949, governments have only had absolute majorities in the
Senate for a total of 16 years. But somehow the wheels of
successive governments and their legislative agendas have
rolled on.
1 Scott Bennett, The Australian Senate, Politics and Public Administration Group, Information and Research Services, Parliamentary Library, February 2004.
pg.16|UncertaintimesintheSenate–JulieSibraa

There’s no doubt, however, the last
election threw up some unusual new
characters and parties to grace the
crossbenches of the Australian Senate.
Dominating this new group is the Palmer
United Party (PUP), whose sudden
appearance on the political scene has
surprised even some of the more
seasoned political commentators.
But it was no quirk of the electoral
process that saw them gain one lower
house seat and three Senate spots in the
2013 election. PUP Leader Clive Palmer
ran a nationwide advertising campaign
and ran candidates not only for the
Senate, but also for lower house seats
(presumably for the purpose of
encouraging voters to vote for them in
the Senate).
In a relatively short space of time his
populist policies and delivery of simple
messages generated interest and appeal
to voters looking for an alternative to the
major parties.
How the PUP Party will evolve and
whether it will continue to grow or
eventually fade into political obscurity is
anyone’s guess.
Like the Hanson Party before it, PUP’s
representatives come from vastly
different policy places and seem only to
share a disaffection with the major
parties.
How long the glue that currently holds
them together lasts is yet to be seen.
On the other hand, the election of single
representatives from each of the
Motoring Enthusiast Party, Family First
and (nearly, but for the Senate re-run
election in WA) the Australian Sports
Party, and the Democratic Labour Party
(2010 election) is a different matter.
These candidates gained their Senate
spots with microscopic primary votes and
a labyrinthine set of preference deals
mostly unknown to voters.
This was highlighted in last year’s
election by the appearance of the so-
called “preference whisperer”, Glenn
Druery, who had previously used
preference harvesting to great effect in
the 1999 NSW Upper House election
which featured the famous tablecloth
ballot paper and spurred the Parliament
to make changes to the election process.
This is where it can be argued that
changes need to be made to the Senate
election process to ensure the
manipulation of the result does not
happen again.
The idea that the electoral system could
be exploited to get Senators elected is
not new.
Most famously, in 1937 when
candidates for the Senate were not
listed by Party affiliation or from a draw,
but rather alphabetically, the Labor
Party nominated the 'Four As' on its
New South Wales Senate ticket -
Armour, Armstrong, Arthur and Ashley –
and they were elected, taking all four
Senate spots up for election courtesy of
the donkey vote and the preferential
block voting system in force at that time.
Unsurprisingly, this was changed by
Robert Menzies in 1940, but in the
House of Representatives the practice of
listing candidates alphabetically
continued right up until 1983, as
humorously described by Mungo
McCallum:
“This led to many interesting battles of
tactics between the Comms (Communist
Party of Australia) and their arch-rivals
the DLP (Democratic Labor Party), who
were also keen to get their people at the
head of the ticket. The Comms usually
won, thanks to their recruitment of
numerous members of the Aarons
family: short of re-christening their own
candidates something like Aardvark,
there wasn’t much the DLP could do
about it....2
So what sort of reform of Senate
elections could realistically be
contemplated? Because even if a
genuine trigger existed, and Tony Abbott
believed he would win the election, a
double dissolution would most likely
only lead to the election of more minor
or micro party candidates. This is
because the quota or threshold for a
double dissolution is half that of a
regular half Senate election.
Firstly, in order to curb the worst of the
cynical preference dealing that was the
hallmark of the last Senate election, an
above the line preference system should
be introduced as exists for the NSW
Legislative Council.
This system puts the power back in the
hands of voters who want to determine
themselves where their preferences go,
without having to number every single
square (in the last election up to 110) and
risk an informal vote. This also eliminates
the shady preference deals between
parties.
Second, consideration should be given to
introduce an electoral threshold or
minimum percentage of, say, 5 per cent
as per the German system, whereby a
candidate not reaching this threshold on
first preference is immediately excluded
from the count.
Lastly, the current system for the
registration of political parties could be
further tightened. In between the 2010
and 2013 elections, the number of
registered political parties jumped from
25 to 54. Some measures to curb this
could include increasing the number of
members required for registration,
requiring annual registration renewal and
audits of membership databases and
raising the primary vote percentage in
order to receive public funding.
These sorts of changes would still allow
for minor parties to be elected (as they
still are in NSW), but would eliminate the
worst and most cynical of the wheeling
and dealing that has led to the current
crop of micro parties determining the
fate of critical legislation.
The final point to make is that apart from
some of the more extreme examples
(such as the Motoring Enthusiast Party
and the Australian Sports Party) the
electoral system alone doesn’t deliver a
non-government controlled Senate.
There has been at least one minor party
or independent Senator elected in each
Senate since 1955, and if voters truly
believed the Senate was ungovernable
without government majority, then why
would periods of 24 years elapse without
the situation being corrected, only to
return to its previous state soon after?
It can be contended that Australian
voters have been deliberately hedging
their bets and ensuring a check on
executive power for quite some time,
forcing successive governments to
negotiate and amend controversial
legislation. But that would have to be the
subject of an entirely separate article.
pg.17|UncertaintimesintheSenate–JulieSibraa
2
Mungo MacCallum, Mungo: The Man Who Laughs (Sydney: Duffy and Snellgrove, 2001), pp 64-65.

pg.18|ThosebrilliantPNGyears–KeithJackson
Phil already had 25 years of broadcasting under his belt when
he and the family arrived in Papua New Guinea early in 1970.
Those New Guinea years turned out to be very good years for
the Charleys, and the aura of that time - and the many
friendships made - extend to this day.
Phil and I were recruited to the PNG Government Broadcasting
Service at the same time: me from the ABC in Moresby; Phil
from commercial radio in Deniliquin.
Phil was despatched to manage Radio Eastern Highlands, and
his favourite PNG yarn comes from this time.
A large crowd had gathered for the formal opening of the new
studio complex in Goroka. They included Phil’s office boy,
Semena, at the time aged around 50.
Semena’s official role at the station might have been modest,
but he was a man of influence. This was signified by the papier
mache London Bobby’s helmet he wore at all times.
At the crucial point of the opening ceremony, Semena was
instructed to smartly raise the national standard on the flagpole
- “Semena, kisim plag, na putim igo antap!”
Whereupon Semena grabbed the flag, shinnied up the pole,
tied the ensign to its rope and slid back to earth. The assembly
greeted the act with thunderous applause and Phil always
regarded this as an archetypal PNG moment.
During the early seventies, Phil and I found ourselves
periodically despatched on assignments around the country and
were frequently thrown together. We became good mates.
By 1973, independence was rushing in and our stations were
placed in the hands of local managers. Phil and I were
transferred to Port Moresby; to the headquarters of the new
National Broadcasting Commission – an amalgam of the
Government and ABC networks.
Our Tolai mate, Sam Piniau, was appointed to run the NBC but
to our dismay was surrounded by senior colleagues who were
pukka ABC types. They found PNG a bit of an enigma and very
demanding, although they did appreciate the servants.
These ABC sahibs were displeased to be inundated by half-a-
dozen roughneck bush station managers who preferred beer
and tobacco to gin and valium. Phil was the only one with any
elegance, and his father was Sir Philip, and they liked that.
But that didn’t save the two of us from being deposited in the
ABC’s equivalent of Siberia – a small open-fronted booth
opposite the men’s toilet.
We had little to do really, other than to plot our futures, and
eventually Phil was made head of presentation and I became
head of a think tank, designated the Secretariat but commonly
referred to as the Gestapo.
During those pre-independence years, Moresby was a socially
effervescent town and the Charley clan epitomised this - being
full of flair, bursting with music and brimming with goodwill.
Inexorably I was drawn into the family.
Phil’s love of jazz and his virtuosic clarinet playing quickly
gained a place in the local music scene. Studio 903, the main
production facility at the NBC, gave its name to a weekly jazz
program with journalist Carolus ‘Charlie’ Ketsimur on guitar,
Doug Fyfe on piano, and Larry Danielson, the man who was to
become the Woolworths bomber, on drums.
Phil and Carolus, who was Bougainville’s infrastructure minister
when he died earlier this year, shared a passion for jazz, jokes
and radio. It was a great friendship that endured.
Meanwhile, my Gestapo was adopting a greater role in the
NBC’s operations – including planning the introduction of radio
advertising.
Phil was assigned to work with me on the project, which was to
lead to his greatest challenge and greatest triumph in PNG.
The Somare government of the time had pretensions to
socialism and vehemently objected to commercial
broadcasting.
Frustrated in his efforts to stop us, Michael Somare wrote to
chairman Sam Piniau describing Phil and me as arrogant,
overzealous, unprofessional and disregarding of authority. I
decided to quit and so did Phil, but subsequently changed his
mind.
Somare decided to legislate to remove the NBC’s right to
introduce advertising. But in a dramatic day in parliament, his
bill was defeated and in March 1977 radio advertising was
introduced. Phil had stuck to the job and guided the ship home.
It is worth noting that, in the lean years since, advertising has
kept radio – and now television – afloat in PNG.
When Phil was awarded the Order of Australia in 2002, the
citation read - “for services to broadcasting in Australia and the
Asia-Pacific region". It could have added “and for winning
friends for Australia wherever he roamed".
Phil and Marie returned to Australia in 1979, as did I, and we
continued to collaborate.
There were projects in Indonesia, the Philippines and Fiji and
the establishment of Radio New Dawn on Bougainville in the
aftermath of the civil war.
We eventually finished our book, Manage by the Moment, in
which a bottle of good wine was expended for each page we
wrote. Much to Phil’s delight, it was later republished in
Indonesian.
Phil’s New Guinea days, like his entire life, were accompanied
by love, laughter and jazz. By exceptional friendships. And by a
wonderful family.
It was a good life; it was fully lived.
And I’m glad I got to share some of it.
PHIL CHARLEY
Those brilliant Papua New Guinea years
A tribute by Keith Jackson AM, Phil’s long-time
friend and colleague

pg.19|BudBurst–JohnWells
Bud burst
John Wells… Resident Hunter Correspondent
What is bud burst you may ask. Well it’s early September when
the grape vines, all around the country – but particularly in the
Hunter Valley – spring to life.
Often it starts right on 1 September. The first day of spring. But
more often than not it takes a week or two into September for
millions of little furry buds on grape vines to start their cycle
for the next vintage.
In the Hunter Valley the 2014 vintage was a cracker. Many,
including all the major vineyards, are suggesting it could be the
best vintage ever in the Hunter. Now that’s a big call. But that’s
what’s being said.
Soft rich Shiraz is ageing in barrels and Semillon is about to be
bottled and sold.
On August 30 I wandered through the small shiraz vineyard on
Ray Kearsley’s Bimbadeen Estate, high up on the hills of Mount
View overlooking the Hunter.
You can see the very light green shoots - or leaves - just
beginning to unfold from their long winter slumber.
It’s a marvellous site, just watching these wonderful little
shoots popping out randomly all over the vineyard. No
particular order or patterns, just everywhere and anywhere.
I’ve always marvelled at how these tiny shoots mature into
wonderful juicy bunches of grapes that all so often end up as
marvellous bottles of Shiraz, or Semillon or Pinot.
As the weather starts to get a little warmer over coming weeks,
more and more vines will spring into life. By the end of October,
the Hunter will be covered in luscious green leaves, signalling
the start of what could very well be another fantastic vintage
for those vignerons who take such great care of the vineyards.
If you’ve never tasted a Hunter shiraz, you don’t know what you
are missing.
Get up there and get into a few.

pg.20|DigitalTerrorism–IsabelleWalker
Digital Terrorism:
Is societal obsession radicalising violence?
Isabelle Walker
Has the age of digital media heralded a new era of extremist
propaganda? Is our obsession with being 100 per cent
connected at all times making us vulnerable to new displays
of terror? Does our incessant internet use encourage radicals
to take advantage of our weaknesses?
In mid-August 2014, the world woke to graphic and distressing
images surfacing all over the internet. James Foley,
international correspondent, veteran war zone journalist and
American citizen, had been brutally decapitated by the fringe
radical Islamist organisation, ISIS.
The still image of the tall, bald, white-skinned man in an orange
prison jump suit, kneeling next to a man shrouded in black
brandishing a kitchen-sized knife will be seared into the
memory of all who saw it.
Moments later, as many of us who refused to watch the full
footage were told, he had been killed – decapitated – by his
captors.
The image is intended to distress, to anger, to disturb. The
image, and indeed the video, is begging for a reaction.
The question is, how much was our digital world the catalyst for
this type of fundamentalist propaganda? No doubt, we’ve seen
videos of hostages before, during the Iraq and Afghan wars.
But never has such a graphic and startling image been seen
and shared so many times, through Facebook, Twitter
and all manner of online publications.
It brought up many questions, not only around journalistic
ethics, but also about the motive and modus operandi of ISIS.
Firstly, was it right for many of the world’s largest publications
to print the still of Foley in his last moments - when the knife
was put to his throat? Was it right for many television news
outlets to play his (undoubtedly scripted) renunciation of
America, and his last words? Many have argued that it was not.
That that is exactly what the ISIS radicals wanted.
Many news outlets who had decided to air the stills and the
footage had said it was their duty as purveyors of the truth to
show their audience. But they were criticised at going against
the wishes of Foley’s family, who begged the world ‘not to
watch’ the video, and especially not to share it.

James W. Foley Legacy Fund
The Foley Family intends to form the
James W. Foley Legacy Fund, with public
contributions to further Jim’s passionate
pursuits, particularly in education and
journalism. The Fund’s goal will be to
bring Jim’s empathy, humanity and
courage to these fields.
Contribute here: freejamesfoley.org/
Not only did watching and sharing the
video go against the Foley family’s
wishes, but it denied James Foley of his
dignity in the last moments of his life. He
will be forever remembered for this
despicable act, rather than for his
bravery in covering the world’s most
tortured and conflict-addled regions.
Though ISIS’s motives seem straight
forward – to stop the US bombardment
of the militant group through threats –
national security and terrorism experts
believe their motives are far different.
These experts believe ISIS means for the
USA to be galvanized into full-scale
invasion and bombardment of ISIS-held
areas in the hopes that more Islamist
radicals will head the call to join the
Islamic State.
By sharing the video and abhorring
millions, and for those millions to call on
their government to act, ISIS has used
the digital world for their own ends – to
promulgate propaganda and recruit
more militants.
Have we been played as a society? Have
we watched and shared the video
millions of times in outrage, only to be
giving radical terrorists the exact ends
they wished for? Would this type of
horror work in previous years – before
we were glued to handheld devices
connecting us with the horrors of
Aleppo, Gaza and Mosul?
The flip side of this coin is that now we
are confronted. Now we cannot look
away. Whether it is a small Palestinian
child calling for his father, three Israeli
teens killed at the hands of Hamas, or an
American journalist who will never
speak to his family again, we can no
longer ignore startling reality.
Images: Front: James Foley, Tripoli
(Libya) airport, August 2011. Photo:
Jonathan Pedneault
Above: James Foley, Aleppo, Syria –
07/12. Photo: Nicole Tung.
pg.21|DigitalTerrorism–IsabelleWalker

THE VALUE OF INTERNS
THOUGHTS FROM A
YOUNG UNDERGRAD
Madeleine Scott-Murphy – a paid and happy intern at Wells Haslem
Scour through any Australian job listings website, and you’re
sure to find hundreds of internship options. The catch: at the
bottom of the advertisement, in tiny size 8 font, many will read
‘this position is unpaid’. For a company, this may seem like a
great idea. Free labour, and the chance to siphon off grunt work
onto an unskilled student. However, not only could this unpaid
intern be a drain on your company, but offering an unpaid
position could land you in some legal problems.
Theoretically, an internship should be mutually beneficial. The
intern should learn new skills and gain experience in their field,
while the company will benefit from an extra pair of hands and
fresh perspectives on different projects. However, recent years
have led to mounting criticism over the ‘exploitative’ nature of
unpaid internships. It is a little too close to slave labour to make
a 20-year-old do endless photocopying and filing for no pay.
Taking on an unpaid intern may not be in your best interests,
either. To make an unpaid internship lawful, the intern:
1. must not undertake ‘productive’ work;
2. the benefit of the internship should be the intern, not the
company; and
3. the intern must receive a meaningful learning experience
and/or skill development.
If your company cannot fulfil these three criteria, then the
intern should be paid.
Moreover, unpaid interns are usually a drain on staff
productivity, and due to lack of financial incentive, are not very
productive themselves. Some will argue that no one forces
students to undertake unpaid work. This is not entirely
accurate, as internships have slowly become mandatory for
recent graduates looking for full-time work. In certain fields,
particularly journalism, politics, film, and social services,
internships are crucial to securing entry-level positions. When
did this become the case? When did internships become so
prolific that bright, talented students started to ruthlessly
compete for the chance to work for no pay?
If you want your company to get the most out of an intern,
offer a paid position. You will attract higher calibre candidates,
and be able to get the best person to work on your team.
Financial incentive is also a great motivator for productivity – a
paid intern will work harder and faster than an unpaid one, and
will be more enthusiastic about their work. If your company is
considering taking on an intern, offering a paid position is in the
best interests of you and the intern. And really, is minimum
wage really that much?
pg.22|Thevalueofinterns–MadeleineScott-Murphy

pg.23|RoughThreads–CarrieDean
We’re are all in this together
Clothing our homeless
Carrie Deane
It is scary to say, but for some, sleeping on the streets is actually
safer than staying at home. Those who end up there do so for a
range of reasons from domestic abuse and substance problems,
to mental illness and displacement. The reasons are varied and
every story is different. However, those in crisis and
disadvantage often share one similarity - a loss of dignity, self-
worth and esteem.
Launched in October 2011, Rough Threads restores a sense of
self and community connection through the delivery of street
festivals to those most in need. These events support at-risk
groups and give them the chance to participate in a community
event where everything is free and all are welcome.
I established and manage Rough Threads because I believe we
all have the ability to help, and so many people are in a position
of need.
Our events bring those who have capacity to give and those
who need assistance, together in one space.
In three years Rough Threads has grown into a full service
community event which now includes free food, clothing,
beauty and wellness treatments, seedlings to grow gardens, live
bands, and even a postage service.
The event visitor list is also expanding. Originally targeting just
the homeless, the event now welcomes anyone in crisis,
whether they are living on the streets, struggling with addiction,
asylum seekers, or refugee families.
Rough Threads isn’t just about a quick fix, it’s about showing
people that they belong and are part of the community.
These festivals of humanity are fully supported by local
residents and businesses, with the organisation now boasting a
50+ volunteer base. Each event is unique and brings a sense of
inclusion and social connection to communities across Sydney.
The demand for these events is growing and now Rough
Threads is reaching out to corporate partners to help them
bridge theses gaps in society. If you interested in getting
involved please visit roughthreads.org or
emailcarrie@roughthreads.org.

02
03
01
Nuts to poor
language and
false analogies
30 June 2014 - Benjamin Haslem
BLOG SPOTwellshaslem.com.au/blog
7 tips to
becoming a
stellar networker
27 February 2014 – Alexandra Mayhew
Your choice of words and the
emotional response it elicits in the
reader can either make your
message highly effective or a
disaster.
This meme was posted by a friend on
Facebook.
It was originally posted by a group
called Young Mums.
I am the father of a boy who is
severely allergic to peanuts. He has
to carry an epipen with him. One
peanut consumed, without a shot of
adrenaline from the epipen, could
kill him. Thankfully, we have never
had to use the epipen.
So I came to the meme with a certain
lack of objectivity.
I am also a passionate opponent of
the anti-vaccination movement,
which poses a grave risk to public
health.
My initial take on the meme was one
of anger. To my eyes it was
cheapening the risk posed to some
children by peanuts.
The words "because someone might
be allergic" smacks of condescension
or a sense that people are being put
out or inconvenienced, especially
when contrasted with the message
below.
It also suggests the danger posed by
peanuts is not very high or even
exaggerated.
However, my friend argued that he
read it as along the lines of (to
paraphrase) "why is it that as a
school community we can organise
to ensure our playgrounds are safe
for kids with peanut allergies but we
can't make parents vaccinate their
kids?".
That's a reasonable interpretation
for someone who doesn't have a
child with a peanut allergy.
But the problem with the meme is
that the choice of language doesn't
convey that message.
Another problem, which I'll discuss
shortly, is that it uses analogy as a…
Keep reading: http://bit.ly/1AZJrG2
No doubt throughout your career
you will be invited to many
networking events, you’ll be offered
membership to networking groups,
and most likely be asked to join a
networking database “at a very
reasonable cost”. Each of these door-
opening activities has merits, but I’m
here to tell you it’s not just a
numbers game – it’s all about the
strength of the relationships you
form. Here are some tips so you get
the most out of your networking.
1. It’s not ‘who you know’ it’s how
well you know them.
I’m one of the few who are happy to
openly share my contacts (with their
approval). I do this not only because
it’s a nice thing to do, but I recognise
that while someone may take a
name from you, they cannot take the
relationship.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking
that you’re a successful networker
because your LinkedIn profile reads
500+ connections or your database is
four-plus digits long – the value in
contacts is trust, will they do you a
favour because they know you,
because they trust you? Make the
effort to have deeper relationships,
as opposed to a long list of names
filled with people you can’t place.
2. Don’t just ask for favours.
Give people information and
opportunities that don’t necessarily
benefit you.
This will help you develop a good
rapport and continue to build the
relationship – meaning when you do
need a favour he/she will be more
willing to lend a hand.
Not to mention, again, it’s just a nice
thing to do.
3. Get outside of your industry
events
A mistake a lot of people make is
networking with their own kind.
Get out and go to something outside
of your industry, you’ll not only meet
a whole new bunch of people, but
you’ll probably be the only person…
Keep reading: http://bit.ly/1pOUTke
PR FAIL:
Prove wife's
death
7 April 2014 – Isabelle Walker
How is it an era where Twitter is
king, company protocols (like no
refunds) can still trump human
emotion and graciousness?
Camper Travel learned this the hard
way today, scrambling into damage
control after asking a customer to
prove the death of his wife, only to
refuse the refund anyway. This
starkly contrasted with Virgin
Australia’s approach to the same
situation, which can only be hailed as
best practice.
If there is one thing that can truly
inspire faith in the human race, it is
compassion, grace and
understanding in the wake of a
horrible tragedy. Conversely, the
opposite can prompt one to all but
lose faith in humanity.
There were two examples of this
over the weekend when Mr Rob
Armstrong, widower to shark attack
victim Christine Armstrong, had to
cancel their upcoming trip camping
trip from Darwin to Adelaide in July.
In a public relations nightmare for
any company, an inadequately
trained staff member informed Mr
Armstrong that proof of his wife’s

04
05
06
death would be necessary to
proceed with the cancellation. The
employee even suggested Mr
Armstrong send through a news
article to confirm his wife had indeed
been the victim of a shark attack. To
add insult to serious injury, after it
was confirmed that Mr Armstrong
was telling the truth, the company
informed him he would not be
refunded anyway.
It was not about the money, Mr
Armstrong said, but that he was
“cancelling all our bookings as a
matter of courtesy”.
It was only after he had received the
unfathomable correspondence from
Camper Travel, compared with the
compassionate response of another
travel company that he realised just
how completely immoral and
unconscionable” Camper Travel’s
reaction had been.
Keep reading: http://bit.ly/1rDvXPp
Does digital
journalism still
lack legitimacy
25 February 2014 – Isabelle Walker
With the increasing use of social
media, online publications, and blogs,
more traditional media outlets need
to review their approaches to
appreciating and acknowledging
genuine journalism, otherwise
important stories will be missed and
authors wrongly credited.
In the last 24 hours a disturbing yet
intriguing story has emerged from the
controversial Manus Island detention
centre, which is in damage control.
In the last week stories from the
remote Papua New Guinea (PNG)
Manus Island – where many asylum
seekers are sent after being
intercepted travelling by boat to
Australia – have flowed thick and fast.
While many Australians have their
own opinions on offshore processing
and the consequences it leads to, this
story has appeared to have shocked
everyone it has reached.
There has been confirmation a former
Sri Lankan military officer has been
employed at the Manus Island
detention centre as the Acting
Operations Manager. This has huge
human rights implications, as many
refugees who are at Manus Island
are in fact persecuted Sri Lankan
Tamils, who opposed the Sri Lankan
Army during the country’s
devastating 26-year civil war. To
have a military official oversee the
detention of his former enemies is a
poor oversight on the part of the G4S
(the company formerly in charge of
running the centre), especially given
the spate of violent occurrences at
Manus in the last week.
This is clearly a huge story, but it’s
not the only one.
The second story originated from the
fierce journalism of The Guardian
contributor and ‘information
activist’, Asher Wolf.
After making the initial discovery of
Mr Dinesh Perera’s previous
employment in the Sri Lankan Army,
Wolf did some further digging,
trawling through “100s of Sri Lankan
government journals to ensure [she]
had the right person”(@Asher_Wolf
on twitter).
Keep reading: http://bit.ly/1C8BUGv
Media
release
smackdown
9 May 2014 - Benjamin Haslem
Any media manager worth their salt
would usually advise that getting
angry in media releases can be
counterproductive.
It may make you feel better but it
won't actually help you achieve your
objectives. Especially if you're
responding to a group that is
advocating something most people
would support: the safe and
considerate consumption of alcohol.
Not so BrewDog.
As Mashable's Todd Wasserman
reports, the Scottish Brewer wrote a
withering response after Portman
Group, a UK alcohol industry
standards group, rejected BrewDog's
Dead Pony Club ale on the grounds
that the packaging encouraged
antisocial behaviour and binge
drinking.
BrewDog's reply, posted on its blog
under the hashtag #sorrynotsorry,
cuts to the chase:
“On behalf of BrewDog PLC and its
14,691 individual shareholders, I
would like to issue a formal apology
to the Portman Group for not giving
a $%@t about today’s ruling. Indeed,
we are sorry for never giving a $%@t
about anything the Portman Group
has to say, and treating all of its
statements with callous indifference
and nonchalance.
“Unfortunately, the Portman Group
is a gloomy gaggle of killjoy
jobsworths, funded by navel-gazing
international drinks giants. Their
raison d’être is to provide a diversion
for the true evils of this industry,
perpetrated by the gigantic faceless
brands that pay their wages.
“Blinkered by this soulless mission,
they treat beer drinkers like brain
dead zombies and vilify creativity
and competition. Therefore, we have
never given a second thought to any
of the grubby newspeak they
disseminate periodically.”
You can read the full post here.
I've never met anyone who drinks
Dead Pony Club but I suspect they
would be the type of soul who would
love such a strident response to…
Keep reading: http://bit.ly/1pOXlqW
School
For
Life
13 May 2014 – Isabelle Walker
On Saturday, 3rd May, the School for
Life Foundation held its annual Ball to
raise funds for school building
projects in Uganda. Priding
themselves on providing a “hand up,
not a hand out”, founders Annabelle
Chauncy and David Everett began
their mission to improve the lives of …
Keep reading: http://bit.ly/1qmjvzN

For the past 21
Years John was a
founding partner
and senior
consultant in one
of Australia’s
leading public
relations
companies,
Jackson Wells.
Prior to that John’s
career embraced
journalism at the
most senior levels
in Australia and
overseas. He has
extensive
experience in
media
management in
both television and
radio, has provided
policy advice to
Federal political
leaders and offers
public affairs
consulting.
Benjamin has 20
years’ experience
in the media.
Ben worked at
Jackson Wells for
nine years, where
he managed and
worked on
complex projects
and became a
Director and CEO.
Ben possesses an
acute
understanding of
mainstream media,
having spent the
best part of a
decade working for
The Australian
newspaper in
Sydney, Canberra
and Melbourne.
Ben has lectured
students from the
City University of
Hong Kong on
public relations
and government
affairs.
Immediately
before joining
Jackson Wells, Ben
was The Australian
newspaper’s High
Court
correspondent and
regularly acted as
Chief-of-Staff at
the Sydney Bureau.
From 1999-2002,
he was based in
the Parliamentary
press gallery in
Canberra.
Alexandra has over
six years’
experience in the
public relations
industry and a
communications
degree from
Charles Sturt
University.
Alexandra
previously: was an
Account Manager
at Jackson Wells;
headed up
marketing and
media at a sports
publishing
company; and
worked with a
consumer public
relations
consultancy.
Alexandra is
involved in the
United Nations
Association of
Australia Young
Professionals.
Kerry’s career has
embraced the
highest levels of
Australian political
life and the cutting
edge of business
development. He
was an ALP
Senator for NSW
for 19 years,
including President
of the Australian
Senate from 1987
until retiring from
Parliament in 1994
to become
Australia’s High
Commissioner to
Zimbabwe and six
other southern
African nations.
He is a former
director of
Zimbabwe
Platinum Mines
and World IT.
From 2003 to 2010
he served the
Government of the
Republic of
Mozambique as
their Honorary
Consul-General in
Australia.
In 1996, he was
awarded an Order
of Australia.
Kerry Sibraa AO
Special Counsel
Julie has 20 years’
experience in
public policy in
both the
government and
private sectors.
She began her
roles in
government during
the Hawke/Keating
era, working with
Federal
parliamentarians
including the
Health Minister
where she had
responsibility for
drug policy, mental
health and
women’s health.
She later worked
for NSW Minister
John Della Bosca,
for nine years, the
office of the
Premier of NSW,
and was COS to the
NSW Treasurer.
In 2009 was the
Deputy Chief of
Staff to the Federal
Minister for
Employment
Participation.
Julie spent nearly
two years as
National Policy
Manager for
Infrastructure
Partnerships
Australia.
Julie Sibraa
Special Counsel
The Wells Haslem Team
John Wells
Chairman
Benjamin
Haslem
CEO
Alexandra
Mayhew
Partner
Isabelle Walker
Account
Executive
Isabelle recently
completed a
Bachelor of Arts
(Government and
International
Relations) at the
University of
Sydney. Her
passion for US
politics prompted
her to take
numerous courses
at the university’s
innovative United
States Studies
Centre – where
Wells Haslem’s
Michael Baume
was a Board
Member. Here she
was invited to join
a round table
discussion about
US-Australian
affairs with the US
Assistant Secretary
of State for the
Asia Pacific.
Isabelle undertook
an internship in
content production
at the start-up
AroundYou.com.au
pg.26|Team

Ron is one of WA’s
most respected
government
relations
specialists,
enjoying an
excellent working
relationship with
all sides of politics.
From 1983-1993,
he was Federal MP
for the Perth
electorate of
Stirling. Prior to
leaving parliament,
Ron was Deputy
Speaker.
In 2006 he was
awarded a PhD in
Education from the
University of WA,
which investigated
factors that
promote social
inclusion.
Ron is a keen AFL
fan and in 1994
helped established
The Graham (Polly)
Farmer
Foundation. He has
been a Board
member since its
inception.
Ron, who has
extensive
experience in the
fisheries and
mining sectors,
assists Wells
Haslem clients
communicate with
the WA State
Government and
Federal MPs and
Senators based in
WA.
Wells Haslem Affiliates and Counsel
Ron Edwards
WesternAustralia
Trevor has 25
years’ experience
across PR and
government.
A pioneer in digital
media, Trevor Co-
authored one of
the first Australian
monographs for
corporates on
social media.
Prior to being an
independent
consultant (2008 –
2012), Trevor was
Principal
Consultant and
Partner at Jackson
Wells for 11 years.
Trevor began his
career as a
ministerial adviser
to John Dawkins
and as a senior
executive in the
Australian Public
Service,
Department of
Industrial
Relations.
Trevor holds a
Bachelor of
Economics
(Honours) (1981)
and a PhD (2012)
from the University
of Sydney. Trevor
is a casual lecturer
in Australian
politics at
University of
Sydney.
Michael is a former
diplomat, front-
bench federal
politician,
consultant,
journalist, public
company director,
stockbroker, TV
panellist and
commentator,
author and public
speaker.
He is Deputy
Chairman of the
American
Australian
Association Ltd, a
member of the
Sydney Symphony
Orchestra Council
and a former
board-member of
the United States
Studies Centre at
Sydney University.
He is a contributor
to the Spectator
Magazine and a
former regular
columnist in the
Australian
Financial Review.
Michael
Baume AO
Special Counsel
(Emeritus)
Dr Trevor Cook
Digital Counsel
Rob Masters
Melbourne
Robert Masters &
Associates (RMA) is
a strategic
communication
and stakeholder
engagement
consultancy.
Since its inception,
its approach to
strategic
communication
programs,
community
consultation and
stakeholder
engagement
processes have
earned it a
reputation of being
at the leading edge
of communication
management for
over 30 years.
Rob’s services and
clients cover the
energy sector (oil,
gas, coal),
electricity,
forestry,
government
(federal, state,
local) water,
finance,
automotive, health
and health
research,
pharmaceutical,
education,
transport (road
and rail),
information
technology,
primary industry,
environment and
retail.
pg.27 |Team

CLIENTS
Asia Society Australia
Australian Tax Office
Balmain Leagues Club
Black Dog Institute
Boomerang and Blueys Beach Group
British American Tobacco
Caterpillar Australia
Church of Scientology Australia
Eakin McCaffery Cox
James Hardie
Law Society of NSW
CONTACT
Wells Haslem Strategic Public Affairs
+61 2 9033 8667
mail@wellshaslem.com.au
wellshaslem.com.au
Level 1, 50 Yeo St
(PO Box 223)
Neutral Bay NSW 2089
Twitter: @WellsHaslem
Find us on: Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+
Designed and produced by Wells Haslem
Strategic Public Affairs PTY LTD
September 2014
Mercer
National Rugby League
Nicoventures
Plymouth Brethren Christian Church
Sonartech Atlas
The Smith Family
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems Australia
University of Western Sydney
The Whitlam Institute
Zurich Australia
L-R: Isabelle Walker, Alexandra Mayhew & Tiana Bezzina, blogger; Professor Bates Gill,
CEO, United States Studies Centre University of Sydney & Carol Giacomo, New York Times
Editorial Board; Wells Haslem Chairman John Wells & Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

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