MEDIA
RELEASE
University
Communications
View RMIT media
releases and
find experts:
rmit.edu.au/newsroom
MELBOURNE
BRUNSWICK
BUNDOORA
FISHERMANS BEND
POINT COOK
HAMILTON
HO CHI MINH CITY
HANOI
Liberals’ climate of crisis: Experts available for comment
The following RMIT University experts are available to talk on aspects of the
Liberals’ leadership crisis and related issues.
Dr Andrew Scott – 0412 210 283
Dr Scott, author of Politics, Parties and Issues in Australia: An Introduction
(Pearson Education Australia, Sydney, 2009), believes the current crisis reflects
the philosophical division between conservatives and social liberals in the Liberal
Party.
It is further evidence that the Liberal Party has historically relied on a strong leader,
and falls apart when there is no one to play that role.
Professor Paul James – paul.james@rmit.edu.au (emails normally responded to
within five minutes) or (03) 9481 1570 (home)
Professor James, Director of RMIT’s Global Cities Research Institute, argues that
the Liberal Party is floundering over how to respond to Australia being the highest
per capita carbon emitter in the world just as China is announcing a 40 per cent cut
to emissions.
If Tony Abbott assumed leadership of the Liberal Party, Kevin Rudd would find
himself in a position that doing little on climate change was very comfortable.
Professor Sinclair Davidson – 0430 235 681
Professor Davidson, Professor of Institutional Economics at RMIT, is available to
explain the cost-benefit analysis of the Government’s emissions trading scheme,
what the sticking points are, Treasury modelling and the economics behind the
debate.
Adjunct Professor Noel Turnbull – 0417 363 800
Adjunct Professor Turnbull, one of Australia’s leading public relations practitioners,
believes the Liberals’ leadership crisis is out of control and no spin will bring it
back.
A
feature of the Westminster system is the media thriving on gossip from insiders,
which makes it easy to fuel speculation around leadership and fill pages about it,
rather than analyse the real issues of ETS and climate change. Much of the
coverage is “supply” rather than “demand” driven.
For general media enquiries: RMIT University Communications, David Glanz,
(03) 9925 2807 or 0438 547 723.
27 November, 2009
NEWS 
