Kevvie took a flying visit to my old home town to spruik a project that has already been underway for about 10 years now.
http://www.mwdc.wa.gov.au/Oakajee%20Deep%20Water%20Port.aspx
The Okajee project is a port development which is badly needed, at the moment 3 incompatible items (wheat, talc and iron ore) are brought through the centre of town to be shipped out of a too small port.
The development has run into the usual decade of greenie protests, fisherman’s groups and others all tying it up. The money announced by Krudd is “new” only in the sense it hadn’t been announced yet.
Still Kevvie took a flight to Geraldton to announce the development (again?), and that’s where it gets interesting. The local paper heard a rumour Mr Rudd was to fly in, so they attempted to see if that was correct or not. They couldn’t get an answer from Kevvies minders. So the local newspaper couldn’t be informed of Kevs visit?
Now I’m not aware of anybody threatening the PM in Gero, so this smacks of Rudds spin team leaping into action and ensuring only their version of the visit is “fed” to the public. No-one (publicly anyway) was aware of the visit, so there was no chance of Mr Rudd confronting any ferals protesting against the project or any other of the “great unwashed public” who might have spoiled his carefully stage-managed visit. The paper did get a shot of him getting off the plane though, waving to an imaginary crowd.
Fortunately Geraldton weather was at its best and gave Mr Rudd a complimentary blow dry as he stepped off the plane. (either that or Wron was doing a super job on the VRWC weather control device) I wonder if a hair dryer had to be found before his next appointment?
http://geraldton.thewest.com.au/Regionals.aspx?MenuID=267&ContentId=143141
Waving to who? His visit wasnt announced, so is it an imaginary cheering crowd?
I am a little concerned that this man and his team are such control freaks they wont even inform the local media of a visit intended to hand out good news.
Apparently theres a bit more in the local paper regaurding how they werent told anything today, but unless they put it online I cant confirm that.