The Sydney Morning Herald’s Alexandra Smith reported on Monday that the story circulating in NewsCorp outlets that NSW didn’t ask for Defence Department intervention in the Northern NSW floods was untrue.
“NSW made three formal requests for the Australian Defence Force to help in flood-ravaged Lismore but was offered fewer than 300 on the same day the federal government said it had 2000 ready to go if requested,” Smith wrote.
The government then bumped the number of available personnel up to 5000, as announced by Employment Minister Stuart Robert on Sky News early last week. Robert’s announcement was then spread out over News.com.au and The Australian that same morning.
The news of the 5000 promised troops also spread to the UK’s Daily Mail.
In a game of drops, it appears as though NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has found Nine’s SMH to be a good counter to Morrison’s use of the Murdoch press.
Callum Foote was a reporter for Michael West Media for four years.