'Politics not policies' re-visited

The Australian government's Convergence Review: Final Report, released in April 2012, is analysed as a case study of public policy process about media and telecommunications. Several key perspectives are addressed- the accuracy of the mass media coverage of the report before and after its release, the effectiveness of public participation in the creation of the findings by the committee, how the government framed the enquiry in advance, and how it responded when the report was released. This paper cites examples of grossly inaccurate press reporting. The contrast of this government's approach to making policy in 2012 is contrasted with what has come to be regarded as a seminal public policy report for telecommunications in the mid 1980s. At this stage it is too early to judge whether the government might implement the long term key recommendations, or opt for short term pragmatic decisions. The Convergence Review presents a fascinating story of the complex interactions between government, policy makers, media, industry stakeholders and the public at large.