Tips and rumours

From the Crikey grapevine, the latest tips and rumours …

Not lovin’ it. Following this piece in The Age on internet trolling, a tipster tells us that protesters at the Tecoma McDonald’s site in Victoria (which has now opened) faced bullying and harassment after their photos — photoshopped to include pornographic material — appeared on Facebook pages of groups that supported the golden arches opening. The activists theorise their photos were being taken and shared on social media by security staff who were managing the protest site. We asked Southern Cross Group Services, the company that employed the security guards, about it and were told: “Southern Cross Group Services does not condone or endorse this type of alleged activity on social media.”

There in black and white — but not. Yesterday’s tip that Fairfax papers were nowhere to be found at Woolies has caused a bit of a stir, with many readers telling us that their local supermarkets and newsagents often sell out of Fairfax papers (if they are there at all), which are not as prominently placed as their News counterparts. Woolworths assures us that there is no conspiracy and that nothing has changed, and Woollies does stock Fairfax papers at all supermarkets, “occasionally of course we run short of stock, but if this is happening regularly in your favourite Woolies then customers can always ask the store manager to get more in”. It’s opened a can of worms, though, with another tipster telling us that Fairfax papers are either limited or non-existent in many hotels:

“When staying in hotels or motels in Victoria or NSW we make a point of asking if The Age or SMH is available. Often we are told, ‘no’. When I complained at a Melbourne hotel, I was told the chain had an exclusive agreement with News Ltd. Gently, I told them we would never stay there again, and they were quite taken aback. Later I was reliably informed that they now left three copies of The Age in the breakfast room.”

Just 13 days to go for Aboriginal health jobs. Earlier this month we reported that many Aboriginal health organisations across the country had no confirmation of whether their government funding would continue after June 30, and we hear that there is still no certainty for many organisations, less than two weeks away from the end of the financial year:

“There are currently people in positions previously funded and supported who do not know if they will be employed next week. These people and the organisations that they are employed with have pleaded with the government for months to provide information on program status. In my organisation alone 8-10 employees are feeling upset and frustrated, they will not get 2 weeks notice, they will not get [time off in lieu] paid out, they will not know their employment status until June 30 arrives and the government flip a coin on peoples lives.”

An alternate budget universe. It can take a lot to get excited about a state government handing down its budget, but Tips found this little tidbit from InDaily very interesting indeed. The South Australian budget is due to be handed down on Thursday, and it seems the Labor state government is taking its umbrage at the federal government’s budget cuts to a new level. According to InDaily:

“the Budget will include two sets of numbers — one showing reality as it is; the other showing an alternative fiscal world which doesn’t factor in the Federal Budget’s numbers”.

Maybe we’ll try that next time our bank balances don’t look as healthy as we’d like …

Now, listen to me … Here at Tips we’ve always admired the work of Fairfax’s Alex Ellinghausen, and these four question time conversations are crying out for captions. What is Peta Credlin saying to Julie Bishop? Let us know in the comments or drop us a line …

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