For those of you who may be following Australian politics today, the six-months old national Labor Government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is being admonished by the Opposition and by journalists for being enamored by 'spin' - a charge that tarnished seriously the credibility and community standing of British Prime Minister Tony Blair (who seemed to be always more popular overseas than at home.)

For six months, the Rudd Government has been criticised for allegedly doing what many governments have done for many year at the State level in Australia (all Labor in flavour at present.)

And that is, to try poke their parochial messages through national and international television and radio content on the nightly news, and to grab the newspaper headlines the following day.  They do this by packaging decisions or timing them daily so they have a better chance of being reported - a 'new' news story daily.

Observations have been made that the governance of the nation often commands media attention at any rate. And attempting to set the media agenda daily using an approach to the media tried and tested at the State Government level, can look like the Federal Government is harnessing overripe media relations tools to capture the news agenda.

Perceptions that any Federal Government packages and seeks to establish a new media focus daily is not new, and has been common practice for decades. However, the perception, among the media at least that this packaging is mostly 'spin' is also feeding also a view that the new Rudd Government is working too hard (not frequently a criticism of governments) and too fast. 

The truth may be, in fact, that the Government is working apace like any new government. But a perception that the Rudd Government's use of State Government-style media relations (that attempts daily to focus media attention daily on the Government working and succeeding) could also be feeding perceptions that the government is travelling too fast, too soon, and that it is 'spinning' its operations.

A risk for any government seeking to make its mark and reform is to balance its work delivering on election promises, and avoiding perceptions that it is 'spinning' its operations and achievements. This may be as much about the style and approach to relations with the media, as it is about a new Government and the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery getting used to the Rudd Opposition settling in as the Rudd Government.

There is considerable cynicism about 'spin' in politics in the community and among journalists (who by the way, are continually complaining about 'spin' as governments, corporations and even well-known individuals seek influence the messages about them and their activities).

An observation from the fringes of the political process in Australia where I sit is that the Rudd Government is no different from other governments in Australia (and many internationally) in wanting to ensure its messages get out to the community and key groups of voters.

One of the Rudd Government's important challenges, however, is to escape the label that it a master of spin.  That is a label that no government wants.