Press watchdog rules The Age misrepresented Tony Abbott’s Holden comments

TheAgeThe Press Council has ruled than an opinion piece in The Age on the state of Australia’s car manufacturing industry contained a “substantial misrepresentation” of remarks by Prime Minster Tony Abbott.

The media watchdog, who declined to reveal who lodged the complaint, concluded that the interpretation by writer John Legge of Abbott’s comments did not accurately reflect what he had said.

The article, headlined “Auto report is a fantasy with a tragic twist”, and which appeared in February, discussed the PM’s reaction to Holden workers losing their job.

“Abbott….said they should be grateful they were liberated from slaving on an assembly line, moving to living off Newstart and Work for the Dole,” the opinion piece read. “If this sort of liberation will suit Holden workers on $60,000 per year including overtime, how much more delightful it should be for Productivity Commission analysts on three times that. It can’t happen soon enough.”

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