Bob Burton is not one to pull punches: early in Inside Spin he describes the public relations (PR) industry as one dominated by a ‘culture of secrecy’ with its practitioners operating ‘on the basis that they are most successful when they are nowhere to be seen’. That the industry is largely unregulated adds to the sense of unease that many Australians feel about its activities.

Perhaps most disturbing is the growing willingness of government to use PR to manage public perceptions of its policies. Why should our elected representatives be entitled to such services? Few readers will have missed the raft of advertisements currently being broadcast (at taxpayer expense) to support the enactment of Commonwealth industrial relations laws. The federal government’s credentials on the issue of global warming are also being promoted heavily in the lead-up to the election.