The chat was colourful at the 50th birthday celebrations for a very well connected Sydney crime reporter on Saturday night. It was all about “war” stories at Nine, Seven, Fairfax and News Ltd. But the most interesting chat was about Nine’s News and Current Affairs boss, John Westacott. Crikey readers of course are aware of his reported comments at a book launch for Nine reporter and producer, Ally Langdon a couple of months ago. It is claimed Westacott told a group of female reporters and producers about what they need to be on air and in the Nine Newsroom: it was all about being blonde. But the chat on Saturday night was that more was said, much more and all of it can’t be repeated here because spam and language filters would mean you wouldn’t get to read this edition. No wonder then that the whispers tell of more changes to come at News and Current Affairs at Nine. Returned Nine boss, David Gyngell has already criticised Westacott over telling former Los Angeles correspondent, Chris Spiteri, that with a name like hers, “she’d be better off at SBS”. Stay tuned as they say in TV.

I just received an invitation to former Liberal Party State Executive member and shamed Muslim Hate Flyer peddler Jeff Egan’s Flagship Communications Christmas party. Looks like poor Jeff isn’t totally without friends, as former Howard Chief of Staff Arthur Sinodinos is guest speaker. What is very strange is why this invitation was sent to so many Liberal MPs. Surely watching Iemma’s boys self destruct they’d understand the value of keeping one’s nose clean and well away from known rabble rousers.

Your UNFCCC insider does not have much inside knowledge of the Australian system aside from being a good friend of Jan Adams. Ms Adams did not negotiate Australia’s deal at Kyoto – that was former Ambassador for the Environment Meg MacDonald (now lobbyist). The AGO was not in the PM’s portfolio it was in the environment portfolio and will now form the basis of the new Department of Climate Change in the PM’s portfolio.

Clive Hamilton reported that our environment ambassador Jan Adams was seen having lunch with greenhouse mafiosi John Daley. On Sunday she had breakfast at the Laguna cafe in Bali with Ron Knapp, head of he Aluminium Council.

Intervention health checks in the NT. As quoted in a media release on 5 July 2007 by The Hon Tony Abbott MHR: “Health checks will be performed with consent from parents or carers.” Yesterday our grand daughter was taken from the school for a health check without the teacher knowing and without any consent from us, her carers. How many other children have been taken for a check without consent?

Does anyone know what is happening with Telstra in the Bilambil Valley of NSW? Phones which had been working normally started failing in approximately July and August 2007. Telstra suggested varying causes and remedies. It took a while for residents to become aware that the problems were widespread. Telstra continued to deal with each case as if the cause were isolated and unknown. Now in December some phones are completely unusable (land lines) and are at best intermittent and sporadic. In my case I can’t at this time access dial-up internet even to open an email nor have a full conversation on my phone. Now Telstra are saying it is a major breakdown of cabling and a major project is going to start at an unspecified date. They must have known that before. I asked why residents and clients weren’t advised of this and they said they waited until complaints were made. Apparently there are 500 clients and 200 working lines. They offered me a mobile yesterday but no internet access and then withdrew the offer of the mobile because I am a pre-paid customer (suitable for pensioners)  and they couldn’t access my details. Anecdotal evidence is beginning to spread as we in Bilambil realise that each of us is not the only one without basic phone and internet services. One man has no phone service at all and has been told he will have an 18 month wait. In another case, an 81 year old man alone on his property was ringing his son and was forced to let the call go due to the interference on the line. Another case – Soul canceled contracts with clients because they can’t promise service due to Telstra faults. Yesterday they simply told me there was nothing they could do and “putting cables in is not an easy job.” Seems like a major mess only 15km from the big centers of Tweed Heads and the Gold Coast. I can’t believe Telstra must have known for months and just told us all different stories. They let us go on paying for services we don’t have and commit into contracts we can’t use.