A few years ago I became a punching bag in the agri-political stoush over the National Livestock Identification Scheme.
What seemed obvious to me about the power of perception was apparently indigestible to many in the livestock industry.
I should have learned my lesson, but I am once again going to venture into the firing line and try to explain what should be the first lesson of politic science.
Perception can be more powerful than the facts.
There I've said it.
My point at the time was that while industry was creating the perception that NLIS was delivering traceback, enough questions were being asked by producers about the performance of the system at the time that such claims were threatened. It was vital for industry to create a good public perception, but even more important to back it up with a system of integrity.
But the lessons of perception and integrity apparently haven't learned by Australian Wool Innovation and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh going on the events of the past week.
Now before you start loading your guns ready to fire off verbal bullets about why mulesing is right or wrong, or why it's good that dodgy development deals are being exposed, I am not going to try and justify their behaviour or their political stances.
What I am going to explain is why it is important for our industry and political leaders to grasp how their actions are going to be perceived before they act.
Let's start with the AWI. Their statement to the media last week announcing why the industry would not be able to meet the 2010 deadline to cease mulesing was detailed and well supported in fact.
The problem was how the message was delivered, which has resulted in yet another firestorm of internal bickering in the industry, a backlash from retailers, and has antagonised the very people that started the anti-mulesing campaign.
What these people heard, whether right or wrong, was that the wool industry was digging in its heals in support of mulesing, when in fact the AWI stated repeatedly that it was determined to phase out the practice and was still committed to its research into mulesing alternatives.
In order to avoid the backlash, the message should have been crafted to create the public perception that AWI is still committed to phasing out mulesing, but that it needs more time to research alternatives.
Now the AWI leadership has more fires to put out than Elvis the water bomber - the public's perception has become the new reality.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh's problems are of a different making.
Unlike AWI, which had a good solid basis for its case but delivered its message poorly, has let an obviously questionable practice, that of encouraging property developers pay political parties for access to senior politicians, to continue for so long that the stench is now unbearable.
So insidious are the dark arts of political spin doctoring that the practice of such payments was so open for all to see, that it was hoped this apparent transparency would lead to the practice becoming socially acceptable.
However, when a man of such integrity, both real and perceived, of Tony Fitzgerald publicly called the payments for what they were - dodgy - that now the Queensland Government has a massive problem on its hands.
To deal with the perception that it is dodgy - and let's remember there's as yet no evidence of actual corruption beyond the one case involving former Minister Gordon Nuttal - the Labor Party must now bite the hand that feeds it.
Let's also not forget that this practice of cash-for-access is not unique to Queensland - it is happening in other states and at Commonwealth level by both sides of politics.
The good thing is that the public perception has delivered Bligh a message that the Government must put integrity back into its policy development, particularly where property developers are concerned.
Whether we like it or not, the world does judge books by their covers, no matter how good or bad the contents.
But it is much easier to create a good public perception if the contents of the book are also good - a reality that our leaders would do well to remember.
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