There’s nothing juicier for the media and opposition in an election year than leaked emails and secret documents. Brumby government minister Justin Madden is finding out this morning, with his political future hanging by a thread over redevelopments to the Windsor Hotel.

But the story of how incriminating documents make it into the media is sometimes just as interesting. Oppositions brief journalists, journalists hide behind their sources and those sources deny everything until their hand is forced. For two days in a row, The Age has been running hard on the scandal of an apparent Brumby government masterplan to disseminate political messages through innocent schoolchildren.

First up on Thursday was this Paul Austin story (‘Children bring home pro-Brumby ‘propaganda‘), quoting an email from Moorabbin Primary School parent Felicity Wilkeson. Wilkeson (nee Caton) was complaining about a flyer promoting a local sporting ground that included pictures of John Brumby and local Labor MP Janice Munt, who is sitting on a tenuous 3.62% margin.

The brochure, sent home with her prep-aged child, had been included alongside a number of take-home leaflets spruiking involvement in local clubs and featured five children from the school. Wilkeson hit the keyboard: “Could you please refrain from using our children as political messengers.”

”I am absolutely appalled that school-aged children are given political propaganda under the thin disguise of sporting information to take home.

”I know it is a government school, but this is just taking things too far. Obviously we are already in campaign mode for this year’s state election. Please use my taxpayers’ dollars on something more worthwhile than this political advertising.”

The problem is, Wilkeson is no stranger to political propaganda. As a former Kennett government spin doctor she helped bend public opinion over the privatisation of the state’s gas industry through her role as a “communications consultant” for Troughton Swier.

Rebecca Cooper, former Kennett adviser and daughter of his numbers man Robin Cooper, was a 25% shareholder in Troughton, which was awarded a $24 million contract to break up state utilities without a public tender (as this auditor general’s report makes clear). The firm was at the heart of the blow-up between Jon Faine and Jeff Kennett three days before the 1999 state election, when Kennett famously refused to answer questions (“I’m just going to sit here and drink my tea,” he scoffed).

In the article, Austin said Wilkeson’s email was sent to local member Janice Munt and Premier John Brumby. What he doesn’t reveal is the email was also CCed, by Wilkeson, to Ted Baillieu’s office. Neither of these facts are disclosed. For his part, Austin and his partner, Stateline host Josephine Cafagna, are known to maintain close links with the Baillieu wing of the Liberal Party.

Wilkeson also retains strong ties to the conservative side of politics. After leaving Troughton Swier she put in two years as a senior associate for Gavin Anderson & Company in the UK (Anderson was headed by former Kennett press secretary Ian Smith) and another two years for KPPR. She also  emerged under the Bracks government, spinning for Yarra Valley Water.

Wilkeson told Crikey her political past was irrelevant. “I would do the same thing if it was the other side of politics,” she said.

After denying membership of the Liberal Party — “or any political party” — Wilkeson said she had not been a member of the Liberals “in recent times”.

“It’s about the kids,” she said. “My past ties to politics shouldn’t have anything to do with it.”

Yesterday, Liberal leader Ted Baillieu stood up in State Parliament brandishing another piece of government advertising to back-up Austin’s story. This time, Brumby was guilty of inserting a “flyer” plugging a community cabinet event into students’ bags at Mordialloc College.

Austin (who did not respond to questions) rushed into print again today, making hay of Brumby’s denials and mea-culpa following the question time ambush.

But Mordialloc College principal Lorraine Harris told Crikey this morning the “flyer” was only a registration form for the cabinet meeting. “We’re a government school,” she said. “It’s hard to know whether you’re meant to distribute official material.”

Crikey understands the forms have also been distributed to other schools that have hosted community cabinet events in the past.