Tips and rumours

From the Crikey grapevine, the latest tips and rumours …

AFP officers fall victim to social media scams. A user on the open information website Right To Know filed an FOI request for the AFP’s social media policy, and the results, published over the weekend, make for interesting reading. The AFP warns officers that if they use social media they “could become a target for humiliation or fall victim to electronic scams, hacking attempts, identity theft and other fraud, physical attacks and other predatory offences such as stalking, harassment and intimidation. Some AFP appointees have already been victim to the above.”

The agency advises AFP officers to be careful with what they put online, warning that it could be put to them while they give evidence or could make the front page of a newspaper.

AFP officers are allowed reasonable use of social media at work, but the policy warns that if social media is used on AFP systems “it comes at a cost to the AFP and can be more costly should a successful security cyber attack eventuate”, and they’re warned against identifying themselves as AFP officers online or risk being compromised.

The AFP also has a policy for “assumed identities” and social media. Officers who are undercover can create accounts for their assumed identities if they get prior authorisation from the AFP’s undercover program.

Bishop’s dog days. A tipster tells us they’ve spotted Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop in Subiaco:

“A sign of election longueur. Steely-eyed Julie Bishop plus enthusiastic posses’ underwhelming walk though Subiaco’s shopping was characterised by a photographer desperate to enlist a dog ‘with the waggliest tail’ to pair her as a propaganda tool to show her no doubt softer side.

“Accompanying our Foreign Minister on Subi’s footpaths were large men, who looked like they could go a round or two with greying hair cut a shade too close to the temples, fake smiles and sporting the odd soft peaked cap. They added to the relaxed ambiance.

“A jovial, soft peaked cap sporting, relaxed cleaner avoided eye contact behind the door at the entrance to the Crossways men’s shitter before checking inside for anything untoward.  He rejoiced in black, multi-pocketed strides — the type you can order from American tactical fashion outlets. Am I too paranoid? Did someone mention D Notice? He knows who he is.”

Sniping and undermining. Just two weeks out from the federal election, former Labor candidate for the northern Perth electorate of Cowan, Tristan Cockman, has released a video on Facebook stating that he wasn’t preselected by the party at this election because he doesn’t belong to a faction.

Quite publicly showing his disappointment in Labor selecting Anne Aly over him as the candidate for this year, Cockman is now actively trying to spoil Labor’s election campaign.

He promises to release further details about how he was “prohibited from standing” by Labor’s factions. He continued: “All we have heard is the same old promises in a different election. Nothing has really impressed me to date.”

Cockman claims he door knocked 15,000 homes in the lead-up to the last election, bringing Labor to a closer win. This doesn’t seem to add up, as the Liberals’ margin rose from 6.3% in the 2010 election to 7.5% in the 2013 election. After redistribution last year, this figure was cut by 3%, making Cowan a marginal seat at 4.5%.

Fiery rhetoric. A tipster has sent us this flyer, handed out in Melbourne’s train stations, of the Liberal Party’s new attack on Labor, using the CFA saga:

Reality bites. Just when we thought Australia’s reality dating shows couldn’t get any weirder or more intrusive, we hear that Channel Seven is looking for couples “in diverse, multicultural or socially progressive relationships that believe that against all odds they are destined for one another”.

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