The West Australian, Saturday May 13,
2017. https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/guilty-of-doing-a-great-job-ng-b88474204z
Paul Murray is a self-styled Perth ‘Shock-Jock’, a long serving Editor of The West Australian newspaper and a well
-known columnist.
To put his publicly expressed admiration for Lisa Scaffidi and her greatness into perspective, Murray is a populist writer who knows full well how his journalistic bread is buttered.
In this case his controversially perverse presumptions include that his Lord Mayor has stirred up green-eyed monsters because she is guilty of being an effective and energetic Lord Mayoral appointee willing to travel extensively (for free) to promote Perth, albeit first class for both travel and accommodation.
Unfortunately-those obviously jealous were the US Securities and Exchange Commission worried that Mrs. Scaffidi was party to a breach of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by BHP Billiton over her trip to Beijing- with the WA Corruption and Crime Commission envious too.
As an opinionated columnist, Mr Murray has to have a mind like a steel trap with a memory for facts, figures and faces dating back decades. However, he appears to have forgotten that Mrs. Scaffidi may have waived a $25,000, City of Perth, fee for BHP Billiton, just before strapping herself in luxury to fly to the China, Olympics.
Also that she called the non-declaration of hundreds of thousands of dollars of free travel a ‘technical failure’ after declaring the gift to her, as Lord Mayor, of a $20 goblet.
Mrs. Scaffidi probably declared this cheap object d’art because she was a senior member of the State Administrative Tribunal and knew she was obliged to do this. It is a pity she forgot to mention all those much more expensive gifts.
Mr. Murray has a problem with the word ‘gifts’. He claims that the constant referencing of benevolent external contribution to costs as ‘gifts’ by those he works for, the media, has been particularly damaging by fuelling a misleading perception.
Hang on Paul! What other word would you like to use- donation-handout-favour-benefaction or maybe gratuity, sweetener and sinecure sound better?
Mr. Murray blames a politically motivated Machiavellian conspiracy that wants poor Mrs.Scaffidi removed from office even though she owes no political allegiance?
Murray has apparently forgotten that his Goddess has been a well-known member of The 500 Club, an organization of right-wing, rich individuals dedicated to striving for conservative political leadership in WA and Australia. It could otherwise be called the ‘Tony Abbott’ fan-club.
To put his publicly expressed admiration for Lisa Scaffidi and her greatness into perspective, Murray is a populist writer who knows full well how his journalistic bread is buttered.
In this case his controversially perverse presumptions include that his Lord Mayor has stirred up green-eyed monsters because she is guilty of being an effective and energetic Lord Mayoral appointee willing to travel extensively (for free) to promote Perth, albeit first class for both travel and accommodation.
Unfortunately-those obviously jealous were the US Securities and Exchange Commission worried that Mrs. Scaffidi was party to a breach of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by BHP Billiton over her trip to Beijing- with the WA Corruption and Crime Commission envious too.
As an opinionated columnist, Mr Murray has to have a mind like a steel trap with a memory for facts, figures and faces dating back decades. However, he appears to have forgotten that Mrs. Scaffidi may have waived a $25,000, City of Perth, fee for BHP Billiton, just before strapping herself in luxury to fly to the China, Olympics.
Also that she called the non-declaration of hundreds of thousands of dollars of free travel a ‘technical failure’ after declaring the gift to her, as Lord Mayor, of a $20 goblet.
Mrs. Scaffidi probably declared this cheap object d’art because she was a senior member of the State Administrative Tribunal and knew she was obliged to do this. It is a pity she forgot to mention all those much more expensive gifts.
Mr. Murray has a problem with the word ‘gifts’. He claims that the constant referencing of benevolent external contribution to costs as ‘gifts’ by those he works for, the media, has been particularly damaging by fuelling a misleading perception.
Hang on Paul! What other word would you like to use- donation-handout-favour-benefaction or maybe gratuity, sweetener and sinecure sound better?
Mr. Murray blames a politically motivated Machiavellian conspiracy that wants poor Mrs.Scaffidi removed from office even though she owes no political allegiance?
Murray has apparently forgotten that his Goddess has been a well-known member of The 500 Club, an organization of right-wing, rich individuals dedicated to striving for conservative political leadership in WA and Australia. It could otherwise be called the ‘Tony Abbott’ fan-club.
But his biggest load of bullshit is that travel prohibitions that Scaffidi has transgressed have come under widespread attack by strangling the proper workings of local government. Widespread attack in this case means the WA Local Government Association, a systemic Local Government leech.
Murray has little idea that by suggesting massive gifts to Local Government Officials are appropriate, he is potentially dooming ratepayers across the state to widespread Local Government corruption.
Murray caters to the 2 million population of Perth- compounded by filial leanings towards the upper end of town. Even though only about 2.5 % of the population buy ‘The West’ to read it these days, unlike the 1.4 million a week when he was, Editor, nearly two decades ago.
He arguably courts controversy for his ego’s sake, mostly contentious, sometimes ill-considered, ill-conceived and in this case poorly researched, and promoting unacceptable practices.
Although an extremely intelligent man, Murray’s long term relationship with- and understanding of- rural and regional WA is that it produces a decent Chardonnay and Cabernet, it is where some of his breakfast muesli comes from and can produce a top class filet steak.
The fact that Rural, Regional and Remote WA ‘is’ the state’s economy and Perth is an expensive consumerist nightmare is of little interest to the metropolitan area elitists, such as Mr. Murray.
It would appear that he could not care less that his ‘white knight’ defence of Mrs. Scafiddi’s conduct, promotes and perpetuates the lack of probity, morality, ethics and accountability that is infiltrated Local Government in this state over most of the last decade.
He could not care less that 32 Local Government Areas are considered to be at administrative high-to-median risk of malfeasance and that 50 % of councils fall well below the standards of compliance
with the Local Government Act 1998. And that some rural rates have gone through the roof because of incompetent local government excesses.
He does not appear to know that the State Administrative Tribunal is mainly an inept pussy or know that Jennifer Mathews has been removed from her position as Director General of the Department of Local Government because of her failure to ensure quality local government governance, particularly in rural, regional and remote areas which would include ‘Prohibited Gifts’.
And like his friend, Mrs Scaffidi, Mr. Murray would not venture forth to York unless it had five star
accommodation and similar restaurant facilities. In Mrs Scafiddi’s case- for free.
I have known Paul Murray for forty years and worked closely with him when he was Editor of
The West Australian. I have a deep admiration for Mr. Murray and his past works. Unfortunately
this effort is an absolute shocker, where Mr. Murray ‘knows not what hedoes’.
David Taylor
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