It’s back to business as usual in the Crikey/Media Monitors Top 20 for the week of 31 July – 6 August.

The PM remains Number One. Kevin Rudd is in second place. Tony Abbott has leapt into third with his promise of a trauma ward on every kitchen table (or something like that, anyway).

Joe Hockey has moved up 15 points one the back of the latest WorkChoices woes. And a private citizen named Steve Bracks appears as Number 10, making one wonder just how well Peter Beattie has been doing his media tart act.

TW

Politician

Press

Radio

Television

Internet

Total

1
(0)

John Howard

1,089

3,972

3,065

5,343

13,469

2
(1)

Kevin Rudd

683

2,376

1,682

3,141

7,882

3
(1)

Kevin Andrews

456

2,927

2,006

1,872

7,261

4
(9)

Tony Abbott

197

2,223

1,385

744

4,549

5
(2)

Peter Costello

324

318

630

2,407

3,679

6
(-1)

Peter Beattie

348

846

463

1,690

3,347

7
(-1)

John Brumby

407

1,335

374

984

3,100

8
(4)

Morris Iemma

135

1,132

380

867

2,514

9
(15)

Joe Hockey

122

1,271

494

440

2,327

10
(-10)

Steve Bracks

312

250

164

1,523

2,249

11
(-1)

Alexander Downer

191

428

141

1,456

2,216

12
(-2)

Philip Ruddock

89

316

366

1,357

2,128

13
(-2)

Mal Brough

96

265

292

728

1,381

14
(11)

Julia Gillard

66

517

477

287

1,347

15
(5)

Mark Vaile

60

414

384

437

1,295

16
(-7)

Malcolm Turnbull

99

376

54

715

1,244

17
(-2)

Wayne Swan

59

376

37

523

995

18
(6)

Julie Bishop

116

478

121

240

955

19
(-2)

Brendan Nelson

75

417

73

365

930

20
(24)

Nick Minchin

30

344

279

273

926

Rank

Politician

Talkback

1

John Howard

835

2

Kevin Andrews

431

3

Kevin Rudd

271

4

Peter Beattie

242

5

Julia Gillard

93

Also climbing the charts has been Julia Gillard, not with an IR policy, but refuting claims she is the weakest link in the Rudd team. And Finance Minister Nick Minchin has also been more vocal, telling the public why the decision the Reserve Bank board has probably made this morning is wrong. He’s a good one on macroeconomic expertise, is Nick.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough has vanished from the list of most mentioned pollies on talkback – along with any prospect that his legislation on the NT intervention would be ready before scheduled parliamentary sittings resumed. His place has been taken Cabinet’s own Alfred E Neuman, Kevin Andrews.