VISITING dignitary James Slutz must have expected quite a turnout after being invited all the way from Washington to Australia to give a series of talks. Not that his job title would have attracted too many admirers. Slutz is — deep breath — acting principal deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Fossil Energy.
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Sadly for Slutz, not many in Australia had the chance to hear about his committee's findings. At a press conference in Perth, a grand total of one journalist turned up to hear him speak.
The reason? The conference was scheduled for 10am — the very time one Ben Cousins was appearing in a Perth courtroom.
In other words, Slutz and his host for the day, oil and gas industry lobby group the Australian Pipeline Industry Association, had their own little lesson in journalistic supply and demand. Let's hope APIA chose to carbon offset his plane flight.
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http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/slutz-getting-around-but-few-are-interested/2007/10/18/1192300954228.html