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Rudd says ocker sound bites fair dinkum

Posted June 11, 2009 12:06:00
Updated June 11, 2009 12:35:00

Academics say Mr Rudd is using colloquial lanuage in an attempt to reach a broader audience.

Academics say Mr Rudd is using colloquial lanuage in an attempt to reach a broader audience. (AFP: Jim Watson, file photo)

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has laughed off criticism about his use of ocker language.

Media commentators have accused him of trying too hard to appear like an ordinary bloke after he used the expression "fair shake of the sauce bottle" three times in an interview with Sky News.

During a speech in Sydney this morning, Mr Rudd poked fun at himself.

"Well, I was having a Dad and Dave this morning, that's a shave, and picked up my copy of the Oz," he said.

"I saw - is it George Megalogenis having a go at me? I thought, fair crack of the whip, don't come the raw prawn with me George.

"Or coming from Queensland I'd say you'd get the rough end of the pineapple."

Several months ago Mr Rudd used "shit storm" on Channel 7 while speaking about the Government's decision to spend billions stimulating the economy.

Academics have described Mr Rudd as a sophisticated communicator and that his range in language - from intellectual to colloquial - is an attempt to adapt to various audiences, like a chameleon changes colour to suit its surroundings.

University of Queensland professor of applied language studies Roly Sussex says Mr Rudd is deliberately trying to communicate in a less "egg-headed" way.

"If it's part of his natural way of speaking, I think it's very likely that he will succeed," he said.

Tags: government-and-politics, federal-government, information-and-communication, rudd-kevin, australia, qld

Australia Votes 2010

76 needed to form government

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State of the Parties

76 seats required for victory

90.2% counted.
Updated Fri Sep 3 02:41AM
Party % Vote Swing Won Predict
Labor 38.1 -5.3 72
Coalition 43.7 +1.6 73
Greens 11.6 +3.8 1
Others 6.6 -0.1 4

Changing Seats

90.2% counted.
Last updated Fri Sep 3 02:41AM
Time Count % Electorate Held By Margin 2PP % Swing Predict
14:37 93.5 La Trobe L/NP 0.5 50.9 1.4% to ALP ALP GAIN
10:06 86.5 McEwen L/NP 0.0 55.4 5.4% to ALP ALP GAIN
16:37 88.5 Solomon ALP 0.2 51.9 2.0% to CLP CLP GAIN
14:37 81.2 Melbourne ALP 4.7 55.6 10.3% to GRN GRN GAIN
16:38 93.8 Denison ALP 15.3 51.2 16.5% from ALP IND GAIN
17:07 90.3 Bennelong ALP 1.4 53.6 5.0% to LIB LIB GAIN
19:08 91.5 Gilmore * ALP 0.4 55.2 5.6% to LIB LIB WIN
11:23 92.7 Hasluck ALP 0.8 50.6 1.4% to LIB LIB GAIN
16:37 92.0 Macarthur * ALP 0.5 53.0 3.5% to LIB LIB WIN
11:23 92.5 Macquarie ALP 0.3 51.2 1.5% to LIB LIB GAIN
18:54 90.3 Swan * ALP 0.3 52.6 2.8% to LIB LIB WIN
16:53 91.5 Bonner ALP 4.5 52.6 7.1% to LNP LNP GAIN
19:24 88.4 Brisbane ALP 4.6 51.1 5.7% to LNP LNP GAIN
16:52 92.1 Dawson ALP 2.6 52.4 5.0% to LNP LNP GAIN
12:51 93.7 Dickson * ALP 0.8 55.2 5.9% to LNP LNP WIN
15:37 89.6 Flynn ALP 2.2 53.2 5.4% to LNP LNP GAIN
11:21 90.6 Forde ALP 3.4 51.6 4.9% to LNP LNP GAIN
15:22 92.2 Herbert * ALP 0.0 52.1 2.1% to LNP LNP WIN
17:23 90.2 Leichhardt ALP 4.1 54.5 8.6% to LNP LNP GAIN
16:37 92.0 Longman ALP 1.9 51.9 3.8% to LNP LNP GAIN

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76 needed to form government

90.2% counted.
Updated Fri Sep 3 02:41AM
Party % Vote Swing Won Predict
Labor 38.1 -5.3 72
Coalition 43.7 +1.6 73
Greens 11.6 +3.8 1
Others 6.6 -0.1 4

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