The current round of carving up of Labor Federal seats in NSW is about to go very pear-shaped. The candidate selection process in the seats of Werriwa and Macarthur are about to go all wrong with Chris Hayes not willing to play ball with factional heavies but the seat of Macquarie is about to light up like a Roman candle and cause the RuddBot a ship-load of angst.

Outgoing MP Bob Debus has anointed long-time mate, PR and spin doctor and complete political unknown, Susan Templeman as his replacement. Templeman, acting rather like a PR novice than pro, spent the weekend telling local ALP folks that it was a done deal and let’s all work towards a Labor win. Locals are very unhappy that they have  again been dudded (by Debus and the hard Left) on a preselection vote.

Adam Searle, long-time local and activist and current mayor, has been pushed aside for the unknown. This has happened before when Debus conned Phil Koperberg into running for his state seat when Bob decided Canberra needed him (and he wanted to stop Searle from being an MP). This time will be different with supporters of Searle saying the kid gloves are off and that enough is enough. This time around, playtime will get down and dirty.

Templeman’s PR past has been dug up and the past shows her lending her spin to Trinity Grammar school back in 2001 at the height of its sex abuse scandal. Not only does she say that private schools need a helping hand to fend off sexual abuse allegations but they are businesses. A point of view probably not shared by the high number of teachers living in Macquarie.

Templeman has also been exposed as not lifting a finger in any local campaigns despite being a local resident and ALP member for several years. The anti-Debus group has even gone so far as to issue a first and final warning to Debus: drop the imposition or risk destroying your legacy.

Could Melbourne University Law Dean James Hathaway have resigned because he criticised the government over refugees in addition to the stoush over “responsible division management”, as reported by Crikey. Vice-chancellor Glyn Davis remains very close to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, with the duo working together as senior public servants in Queensland under Wayne Goss. Straw that broke the camel’s back?

Alastair Walton, the chairman of BKK Partners, who yesterday announced the appointment of Peter Costello as its managing director was once Michael Yabsley’s sidekick in the young Liberals at the ANU in the late ’70s.

Together with their Young Liberal mates at ANU and other universities (Gary Humphries, Eric Abetz, Peter Costello, Michael Kroger and Tony Abbott), this group set about destroying the heart and soul of the AUS (Australian Union of Students). Interesting to see parts of the old team (Walton and Costello) getting back together.

I wonder if the others are going to get involved?

Teachers in Catholic schools in SA are planning a protest outside Saint Francis Xavier cathedral on Sunday morning. Teachers are fed up with the lack of progress in negotiations for a pay rise, with no response from employers since September 2008.

The Catholic education office wants to tie the cash component of teachers’ salary to what is paid to DECS (SA government schools) teachers, and with no progress in sight in negotiations between DECS and the Australian Education Union, and the likelihood that pay rises will be negotiated away in those negotiations for conditions such as class sizes, teachers in Catholic schools have had enough.

Is this a record for newspaper discounting? Word from Canberra is that ailing broadsheet The Canberra Times has been letterboxing for new readers with a flyer offering five weeks of the paper, seven days a week, for a flat $10. That’s equal to 29 cents a copy, or a worrying 80% discount on the normal cover price of $1.40.

What next? Perhaps a free giveaway for the summer holidays, just to get eyes on the display ads. Maybe.