In the wake of Labor leader Kevin Rudd’s speech at the May Day March in Brisbane on Monday, a headline appeared yesterday on the Courier Mail’s website and in the earliest edition reading “I’m taking the Lodge, says Rudd”.

But only early birds would have spotted it. Crikey understands that after a series of phone calls from the opposition leader to Holt Street it was taken down and replaced with the more civilised “I will win, says Rudd”.

Habits learned in NSW politics, it seems, die hard – and that’s where Rudd’s chief press sec, Walt Secord, hails from.

The opposition leader seems to let his minders get away with it, despite the dressing down delivered by Laurie Oakes at Rudd’s National Press Club speech last month.

Queenslanders learned of the change of headline thanks to the breakfast show on Brisbane talk station 4BC.

They have some interesting stories of Labor media management, too.

They’ve been trying to get Rudd on since September, but haven’t even had their calls returned – even though Rudd’s office is only a stone’s throw from their studios, and he lives nearby.

And Peter Garrett, it appears, has added insult to injury.

For several months, 4BC has been running “shower songs” – tracks under four minutes we can time our showers to to save on water.

Garrett seemed to suddenly jump on the idea after a visit for Bris Vegas.

There’s now a selection of shower songs up on his homepage and, no, he won’t appear on the station, either.