Plagiarism. Given my suspicious nature and my interest in forensics, it’s unsurprising that plagiarism fascinates me. A little about why people do it; more about how it’s discovered. I guess that pre-computer it mainly came to light by chance. However now it’s merely a matter of putting a phrase into a Google search box. And so to Tony Burke (pictured). Never heard of him? Well he’s the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Last 24 June he issued a Ministerial statement on preparing our forest industries for the future. I’d expect a ‘Ministerial statement’ – even from the Forestry Minister – to be impartial and independent. Others are less trusting and more sceptical than I. I don’t know, but they discovered this:
Ministerial statement 2009: ‘Construction of the mill and flow-on investment would create some 8,000 direct and indirect jobs spread across the trades and other areas.’
Gunns statement 2008: ‘Construction of the Pulp Mill and flow-on investment will create some 8,000 direct and indirect jobs spread across the trades and other areas.’
So Minister Burke’s been caught copying and pasting Gunns’ promotional material for his Ministerial statement. And Getup says many ‘facts’ he borrowed from Gunns are outdated, discredited or unsubstantiated. There are calls for him to explain [1, 2, 3] and resign [4, 5]. The plagiarist should do both. If not, the Prime Minister should sack him.
1 comment:
Seeing as though our government favours thieves and eco-terrorists, he'll probably get a pay rise.
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