Nothing quite like an ex PM riled… to call for reform to Privacy Laws

November 2, 2009 |

The Age reports Paul Keating calling for reforms to Privacy Laws in Angry Keating demands changes to privacy laws. The offending incident is covered in the usual breathless style of the Daily Telegraph in Katherine Keating threat to kill photographer. Obviously the facts are buried under the high dudgeon of Keating patre and the indignant reportage of the scribblers of the society section of the Tele. Both are far from recorders of truth and shedders of light. What appears to be in common agreement is that some one took a photograph of Katherine Keating at a private indoor event.  She didn’t appreciate it.  If the organisers of the event invited the reporters in in today’s legal environment I am not sure Katherine would have much legal redress. Hence Heating the elders demand for a change to the Privacy Laws. But here is the rub, what changes does he seek? An absolute protection against photographs of the rich and silly. Even the English legal development isn’t pushing in that direction (though the Murray case will give some guide on that front).

All of this Keating outrage would be more easily believed if he had thought to look at reforming the law while he was in government, hell while he WAS the government. It is not like there was no call for a statutory right to privacy during his turn on the bridge . His sudden conversion to the cause has the same moral weight as Sarah Murdoch’s Damascene conversion to non airbrushed photographs of models. All very easy to sink the slipper on the fashion world and the mags that thrive off it when you have made your fortune from it and are well established in a new career, a none too eloquent advocate of media friendly causes. Had she spoken out while the Sports Illustrated Model her convictions would be a little more believable. Always nice to hop on a passing bandwagon and take up a luxury seat.

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