Hats for power eating havens. Sydney’s celebrity chefs just got another injection of power, with five of their restaurants being awarded the coveted prize of three hats for 2012 at an awards ceremony last night.

That means there’s now five different three-hat restaurants for Sydney-siders to long lunch at — one for each day of the working week — and five chefs with the credibility to bolster their celebrity status and swamp the market with television shows, reality TV appearances, books, magazines and cooking appliances. — The Power Index (read the full article here)

Adams ramps up the pressure on Gillard. The right-wing shock jocks always hated her and now the sh-t-stirrers on the left are turning up the heat on Julia Gillard as well. Phillip Adams has used his weekly column in The Australian today to beg for the embattled Labor prime minister to resign and return power to his old mate Kevin Rudd.

The left-wing ABC Late Night Live host, who recently came in at number ten on The Power Index‘s list of most powerful media megaphones, says Gillard has failed in her time as prime minister and should hand the keys to the Lodge back to the man she booted out of office. — Tom Cowie (read the full story here)

Argus sledges government over reform. It’s been a bad week for Julia Gillard with speculation about her grasp on the prime ministership reaching fever pitch. And just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, legendary business powerbroker Don Argus has come along to give her kick when she’s down.

Speaking at a Minerals Council of Australia conference in Perth, Argus said productivity growth has been “woeful” under Labor, while industrial relations had gone backwards. — The Power Index (read the full article here)

Megaphones to watch: Michael Smith. The 2UE afternoon host Michael Smith just missed out on The Power Index‘s Top 10, but he’s our No. 1 megaphone to watch. Smith has led the charge against Labor MP Craig Thomson, dredged up allegations about Julia Gillard’s past and outraged Muslims by calling the prophet Mohammed a p-edophile.

Such examples of influence would be considered success stories for the most experienced of megaphones, but they are even more remarkable given that Smith — an army man turned police officer turned Queensland Orchestra managing director — is a relative newcomer to journalism. The journeyman only took up shock jockery in 2007 at 4BC in Brisbane, before being poached by the struggling 2UE at the end of last year. — Matthew Knott (read the full article here)