The PM’s ‘smug silence’ is no match for the likes of Samantha Maiden and Katharine Murphy.
The recent media focus on the toxic male culture of Parliament House has demonstrated something remarkable in the press gallery: the A-team is overwhelmingly women. This A-team is changing what gets considered “news” and how news events get hammered out as the political narrative.
It’s caught the government by surprise. The old tactics just don’t work; whether it’s dismissing unfortunate “one-off” events, hiding behind the “no one told me” defence, or even playing the “as a father” gambit.
The narrative is now out of their control. This is a broad-ranging critique in how patriarchy works in Australia’s parliament and elected government. As women, the members of the press gallery A-team can bring their own lived experiences to the story. And they’re not buying the lines fed out by the boys in the government.
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