A Number of Debuts

Tonight marks the inaugural meeting of the ALP's Central Policy Branch, with special guest speaker, the former Prime Minister Bob Hawke.

I've expressed my doubts about the Central Policy Branch concept - in particular, the potential that it may be used to rort pre-selection. Though I'm very interested in the notion of reviving and restructuring branch meetings to encourage higher rates of participation, I don't think creating a sort of ALP-branded Fabian Society meeting is necessarily the way to go about it, especially as the location of the meeting will restrict it to the sort of inner-city activists who are already amongst the rather vocal choir of the converted. I was intending to attend the first meeting for interest's sake, but I have other commitments. If any readers do go along, I'd welcome your comments.

Also debuting tonight is the new Lateline spin-off, Lateline Business. I had already planned to suggest the programme was created to fill the void left by Channel 9's Sunday Business - and that was even before I realised that the show's former host, Ali Moore, would also be hosting Lateline Business.

We saw yesterday how Channel 9's Sunday can shape the national agenda, and it's to the network's detriment that they plan to jettison such important shows as this. However, it's the ABC's gain, and I imagine their new show will be just as agenda-setting as its Channel 9 predecessor. Apparently Eddie Macguire doesn't realise that prestige comes down to ratings only - it also comprises producing shows that are, for a small but very influential slice of society, must-see TV.