I laughed out loud at your report about the Courier Mail journos at the Queens Arms Hotel, but hear that the hotel manager was very unprofessional. A number of the journalists in question are hoping to get something about it in paper.

Following SP Telemedia’s recent poor result and the sale of its television company, I’ve heard other telecommunications companies and private equity groups are circling. It would make one less competitor eating into Optus’ and Telstra’s revenues.

The TWU is in melt-down after the Sunday program revelations. All of the state TWU leaders are meeting today to decide what to do. In the meantime, the heavies have gone shredder mad. Officials have been locked out of their computers as a search proceeds for the moles. Who is panicking the most? Well, a number of ALP candidates have received generous donations from the “education fund”.

A friend of mine was at Canberra airport last Friday (21 September) and was caught at the back of an unusually long line waiting to clear security. He noticed Peter Garrett join a couple of people back, and shortly afterwards, was offered by a member of the staff he would like to be ushered through ahead of the line, to which he accepted. Shortly afterwards, Malcolm Turnbull joined the back of the line. When airport staff asked if he would like to be taken ahead of the queue, he politely declined and opted to wait with everyone else. So much for the opposition claiming the current Government is out of touch with the people.

It was reported to me by someone in the electronic media that Peter Lindsay made the point to him that now that he is a parliamentary secretary he is now entitled to a state funeral and he is quite chuffed about it.