From the Crikey grapevine, the latest tips and rumours …

ABC’s right wing discovered. Western Australians often complain that they are forgotten by those “over east”, and they might be onto something when it comes to searching for a conservative at the ABC. While conservative commentators rally against the perceived leftist bias of the ABC, a former Liberal MP is dominating the breakfast radio ratings in Perth. Eoin Cameron was the federal member for Stirling from 1993 to 1998, including the first term of the Howard government. With 15.5% of audience share, he’s well ahead of any competitors on the airwaves — so why is he never mentioned in debates of balance at the national broadcaster?

The best of times, the worst of times. The federal Health Department’s job board looks a little confused. The rhetoric reads “there’s no better time to join our team,” except that it seems there is a better time — one when jobs are available. The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s careers website is also looking a little lonely; the only ads are for temp work. Our tipster tells us this is highly unusual, but then 16,500 federal public servants are being shown the door due to budget cuts. If you know the inside story on hirings, firings and grim redundos in the public service, let us know.

Electric cars are back. The local electric car market seemed a bit feeble after the collapse of Better Place last year. But following up on a tip, we confirmed that US electric car manufacturer Tesla last week began taking pre-orders for its Model S all-electric sedan. The company is also planning to set up supercharger network throughout the country. Our Tesla tipster told us this:

“The federal government is making it difficult (recharge stations placement etc) since it is a threat to the fossil fuel industry.”

But Tesla denied such rumours and told us the Australian government has been “very supportive”.

As conspiracy theories go, this would have to be a big one. Nevertheless, the fact that Australia currently has just 89 charge stations and 728 registered electric cars (compared with 5034 cars in the UK and 28,560 in France) suggests that if the government wanted to delay electric cars on Australian roads, it’s doing a pretty good job at it.

Gallipoli grog no-go. Following last week’s news from Turkey’s The Hurriyet Daily News that grog could be banned at Gallipoli, a tipster tells us that alcohol is already banned at the commemoration site and strictly enforced on Anzac Day. Turkish parliamentarians are debating whether to re-classify it. We’ll keep an eye on what this debate means for the whole Gallipoli Peninsula, currently a national park.

Abbott’s foreign relations. American talk show host John Oliver must have a soft spot for Australia, as he’s turned our way again — this time to profile Prime Minister Tony Abbott. The This Week Tonight team go way back in the Abbott archives to find some highlights of the PM. Tips noticed that most of the footage is from Abbott’s days in opposition; does this mean that his gaffe-prone days are a thing of the past?

*Heard anything that might interest Crikey? Send your tips to boss@crikey.com.au or use our guaranteed anonymous form