The dust has settled on the SA Liberal leadership battle, but there were some big losers in the contest. First was the female MP who was considered the most likely to become the Libs first woman at the top, Vickie Chapman. She played her hand so badly she looks close to mortally wounded in any long term leadership context. But one of the State’s political journalists has had a clanger too with his unwavering support for Ms Chapman and his channelling of misinformation regarding her opponents. His long-held plan to work as media man to an ascendant Chapman has blown up big time. Meanwhile one of the MPs who strongly supported the Chapman bid, and found it hard to stomach Wednesday’s ballot result, needs to put his sword away before he too does some self-inflicted damage.

Three-time loser Lawrence Springborg was recently seen with former adviser and good friend Jake Smith at a sushi bar in George St in Brisbane. Smith is said to have told people Springborg could run as leader again because “the first two losses didn’t count — there was no way he could have won.” Springborg is outpacing his current leader John-Paul Langbroek about three-to-one in press releases.

Can anyone explain why the Brisbane-based waste company Transpacific Industries has been allowed to get away with having its shares suspended now for almost five months? The ASX and ASIC seem to be giving the company enormous leeway, especially as claims from executive chairman Terry Peabody about evil short sellers damaging his company were self-serving nonsense, as the interim and now full year figures show. Trading has been suspended since February, while it recapitalises, and yet that isn’t finished, despite announcing plans last month for an $800 million issue that might bring a UK private equity group, Warburg Pincus, in as a major shareholder.

Interesting email this week from The Australian’s editor-in-chief Chris Mitchell to editorial staff, awarding them a 3% pay increase due to their exemplary performance. What the email didn’t mention was that the 3% par rise is actually a mandatory part of the newspaper’s Enterprise Bargaining Agreement.

Melbourne’s much-vaunted independent schools are suffering bigger problems than this week’s Crikey report on the security issues at a Hawthorn school. Harassed by the recession, hard-pressed parents are taking their $20,000 p.a. fees and walking away in droves from some schools, particularly in the already demographically challenged Hawthorn/Canterbury corridor where up to a dozen schools are now struggling. Overall, only mega-sized, multi-campus schools like Caulfield and Haileybury are reportedly holding their ground.

I too enjoyed the frolics of listening to someone else’s voicemail when I went to check mine the other day. But Optus are not the only supplier that provides me personal information from other people. I have also recently been sent someone else’s BT statement.

Cornerstone Hotel Group employees were told yesterday that the company is being liquidated and that they will all be gone in the next three weeks…. heaps of benefits still owing to employees.