The Lighter Note

The voice of reason or a cry of anguish?

The Note has always reckoned credibility was in the ear of the beholder – which makes the political arena a very tough place indeed.

Take ‘prhyminster’ Julia Gillard for example. Some suggest her particular version of ‘strine might work well in the back blocks of Sydney where the fight for her political life is going on in earnest. But not everyone agrees.

Natalie Holburn, a voice and presentation skills coach from Creating Communicators, has entered the election debate suggesting Ms Gillard could enhance her credibility, and her election chances, by improving her largely nasal tones.

“I’ve heard some really bad ones, so Julia’s not quite the worst, about a 7.5 or 8 out of 10, if 10 were the worst,” Ms Holburn said.

“But Pauline Hanson, she’s a 9.5.”

“I think the nasality is one of the problems.”

“Her intonations are very repetitive and have a tendency to go up at the end, which sounds a bit like a question.”

The Note wonders why she’d want to change that? We thought the secret to political success was constant repetition and answering questions with questions.

Northern exposure

Has the state government let the cat out of the bag on its preferred option for a major city in the Pilbara?

There has been much debate about whether Karratha was favoured over Port Hedland when it comes to development, although the state has avoided the controversy by hiding its preference underneath the plural policy label Pilbara Cities.

But an announcement this week referred to a West Pilbara water source being sought for the City of the North.

The very singular Karratha was the subject.