Glenn Milne got his gay smears documents from the Prime Minister’s press secretary Tony O’Leary, who was hawking it about as an example of “Labor dirt”. Doesn’t he know about the behaviour of the religious right in his boss’ own division of the Liberals?

Sighted campaigning in Bennelong at Coxs’ Rd North Ryde Saturday 22 September was none other than Michael “The Love Rat” Photios. Not sighted since his inglorious defeat in the NSW State Election of 1999, Photios was handing out pamphlets for the current member and retiring PM John Howard. Those old rumours just won’t go away that Photios hankers for a return to the political stage and has long coverted a leap to the Federal arena via the seat of Bennelong.

Another round of redundancies coming at the Sydney Morning Herald? This time it’s the high-fliers. Big payouts coming to senior hacks, but big savings on the payroll bill after that.

Bureaucratic high performance should be rewarded. As DFAT’s senior executives jockey furiously for the Secretary’s job that is likely to become vacant if Labor wins the election, staff recall the instruction that one of their leaders issued to the Department’s Tampa Task Force in 2001 to write all file notes on yellow “Post-It” notes, thereby enabling them to be destroyed rather than archived. Surely this wasn’t the same person that was hanging around opposition offices on the hill in the run-up to the 2004 election reminding anyone that would listen that he had always been on their side? Flexibility has always been an important selection criterion for DFAT high office.

Interesting things happening already in the aftermath of the Myer fire in Hobart. Don’t be surprised to see a David Jones join Myer in a redeveloped centre that fills in the space that Myer occupied. The space is ripe for redevelopment and big enough to fit a spanking new centre with plenty of flash shops and two anchor department stores, assuming the council allows the development to go up a few levels in height. DJs has been looking at Hobart for some time, and discussions appear to have started already. Like most councils (and developers) across Australia, they would do anything to get a DJs, the only department store that’s actually performing and drawing new customers at present.