The following PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES column was recently syndicated to newspaper editors in the U.S. and Asia. By Tom Plate – A spat between Indonesia and Australia is not receiving proper attention in our media. This is predictable given American parochialism but, even so, it is causing serious heartburn in some…
Category: Asia Pacific
AUSTRALIA: Media Company Seeks ‘Big Money’ With New Stock Shares
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – Ready for a comeback faster than Sylvester Stallone in Rocky III? Nine Entertainment certainly is. Barely a year after its near bankruptcy, Nine Entertainment Co., one of Australia’s leading media groups, plans to release an initial public offering (IPO), as announced early last week. With this…
AUSTRALIA: Time to “Break Bad” in Australia
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – An Australian film corporation revealed that it will finance the production of more sophisticated TV drama for the enjoyment of audiences worldwide last week. In an attempt to satisfy viewers’ increasing demands for “high-end” television shows that are “taking creative risks and developing complex narratives,” SCREEN…
NEW ZEALAND: Diving into an Ocean of Telecommunication
EJ DE LARA WRITES – New Zealand is taking the plunge into a deep sea of possibilities for research and telecommunication development with its new submarine cable plans. On October 26, the New Zealand Government signed a deal with Hawaiki submarine cable for 15 million. With this plan, Hawaiki plans…
AUSTRALIA: Ad Regulators Think Serious is Too Sexy
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES — It wasn’t too much skin, but too little smile that led Australian advertising authorities to can a provocative billboard last week. The ad, promoting Ella Bache skincare products, featured three nude women with straight poker faces beneath the catchphrase, “Skin Solutions As Individual As You Are.” An…
NEW ZEALAND: All In For The Media
E.J. DE LARA WRITES – After more than two years of study, a New Zealand commission says a single body should handle Kiwi media complaints, whether they target broadcast, print or online entities. Under the recommendation, three current media bodies would be replaced by a single “News Media Standards Authority”…
AUSTRALIA: Knockout Student Art
ASIA MEDIA seeks to spotlight outstanding talent from the Asia-Pacific region that speaks to the cutting edge of our contemporary political concerns and emotional needs as human inhabiting a troubled planet. This issue’s featured art comes from Australia. It is perhaps hard to believe, but this fabulous 46 x 61…
New Zealand: Government Tries to Blow Smoke from Tobacco Dangers
Known for its green and environmentally friendly efforts, the New Zealand government is at it again, trying to enact policies that are not only “good” for the environment, but also good for the people. First Target: Tobacco companies. Influenced by the Australian government’s recent introduction of “plain cigarette packaging,” the…
MALAYSIA: Government Tell Aussie to Butt Out
Australia has every right to question Malaysia’s actions. Nick Xenophon, an independent senator from Australia, was recently deported from Malaysia after traveling to Kuala Lumpur on an unofficial parliamentary “fact-finding” journey to analyze the ‘free and fair elections’ in Malaysia. Malaysia says otherwise. According to the Malaysian government, Xenophon was…
NEW ZEALAND: Green for Profit?
New Zealand’s popularity as a tourist destination relies on its natural beauty and flawless scenery. The Government has chosen to market itself to tourists on this basis, with a clean, green brand. However, according to the New Zealand Herald, the Government has not been supporting the green brand like it…
AUSTRALIA: Crikey! Obama Wins Again
November 6th was an important day for the entire world and each country reacted differently to President Obama’s reelection. Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard commended the president by stating, “On behalf of the Government and people of Australia, I offer warm congratulations to President Barack Obama on his reelection and…
AUSTRALIA: Can’t Stand Graffiti? Now There’s an App for That.
Citizens of Queenslanders, Australia, now have the ability to report lost and damaged property, graffiti, and loitering via a newly developed mobile phone app. Mere hours after issuing their Annual Statistical Review, Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson and Police Minister Jack Dempsey released the PoliceLink app which enables citizens to contact…
AUSTRALIA: To Sext or Not to Sext?
Anti-sexting laws in Australia might end up wrongly accusing teenagers who send each other nude pictures of themselves via text message as sex offenders. According to the new submission by the National Children’s and Youth Law Centre of Australia to the Victorian parliamentary, laws originally created to protect children from…
AUSTRALIA: You may not believe how tasteless this story is….!!!
According to reports by the Canberra Times, on-air comments by Radio 2cc’s Jorian Gardner have prompted swift responses by management to contain the embarrassing situation. During a show last week – believe it or not — the on-air host stated jokingly that Communications Minister Stephen Conroy should wear a ‘penis…
AUSTRALIA: Suddenly There’s Wiggle Room
Reports by the New Zealand Herald and Sydney Morning Herald have confirmed that after 21 years, the world famous children’s singing group, the Wiggles, with be losing the majority of its members following the conclusion of its Celebration Tour in December. The move announced by the group earlier this month…
NEW ZEALAND: Court Rules Greenpeace Ad For the Birds
According to the New Zealand Herald, one of two complaints made against a Greenpeace ad has been upheld in court. The controversial ad stated that the recent Rena Oil Spill killed as many as 20,000 birds in the surrounding area and suggested that deep sea drilling could kill 1000 times more. The court…