Ivan Dean the pro-pulp mill mayor of Launceston lost his chains last night in the municipal elections to Albert van Zetten. It’s highly significant—Van Zetten had been an alderman who voted against the pulp mill. He also knows it’s a hot issue. As head of the Launceston City Mission, Van Zetten copped threats from one promiment former Tassie MP, threatening to axe Gunns support for the Launceston City Mission because of his stand.

The political activist formerly known as Albert Langer has begun court proceedings against the Australian Electoral Commission. Known as Arthur Dent in recent years the former Monash student radical was gaoled in 1996 for encouraging voters to place the two major parties equal last on their ballot papers. Dent has not been on the electoral roll in recent years. Having decided to stand as a candidate in the current election he sought to be placed on the electoral roll. This has been refused by the Electoral Commission. Dent claims that he is entitled to change his name, and that the Electoral Commission has no right to prevent him from standing for election, or from voting in that election, because he has changed his name.

Re. The REX passenger in the cockpit. I flew from Sydney to Bathurst the same day on a REX flight that was over an hour delayed, and the cockpit door was open the whole flight. The passengers (there were about 19 of us on a tiny Beech plane) could see the pilots, controls, through the windscreen … not sure if this is a regular occurrence or what, but it did seem rather easy to enter the cockpit and take control as the plane flies over Sydney.

A captain on a Jetstar flight which diverted to Hamilton Island in order to avert a potential security risk to passengers and crew, has been penalised by the airline for doing so.