From the Crikey grapevine, the latest tips and rumours …

Bureau in climate change censorship storm? This is one for the many fans of the Bureau of Meteorology among the Crikey readership. From a mole …

“The Bureau Of Meteorology decided late last year that the theme for their 2015 weather calendar (a much-loved annual publication in which the public are invited to contribute photographs depicting a particular weather theme) would be ‘climate change’. The bureau have been directed in the last few weeks to change that theme. The direction came from the federal government.”

We’ve looked into this, and we’re not sure it’s true. There was a bit of PR about the 2015 calendar late last year, urging people to send in pics, but there were no references to a theme of climate change. The BOM now has a generic calendar theme for 2015; “Capture the weather … We welcome all photographs depicting the drama and beauty of Australian weather.” There are no references on the BOM’s Facebook page to a calendar theme of climate change. We put the tip to the BOM, and this is where it got weird:

“The theme of the calendar is chosen to showcase the work of the Bureau and photos do not relate directly to the theme of the calendar. The Bureau routinely considers a number of calendar themes each year. For the 2015 calendar, one of the themes the Bureau considered was ‘how the Bureau’s climate products and services help our diverse range of stakeholders to make informed decisions’. The Bureau did not consider a theme of climate change for the 2015 Weather Calendar.”

We think BOM has rather missed the point of having a theme there, but quibbles aside, they’re saying the tip is wrong. We spoke with one photographer who said “it was my understanding that the theme [climate change] was discussed, I had a sense of that. There was discussion around the effects of climate change and how that’s represented, but I can’t say it was planned for the 2015 calendar.”

If you work for a government, federal or state, and have been told not to refer to or consider the impacts of “climate change”, let us know (you can use this anonymous link).

What’s on the agenda? Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt will meet with his state counterparts today, and a mole wonders what might be under discussion. According to News Corp the meeting will talk about ways to cut green tape and potential projects for the Abbott government’s new Emissions Reduction Fund, but is that all there is? According to our tipster, the following could be slated for discussion:

  • Giving teeth to various state-based environmental legislation co-ordinated federally;
  • Removal of federal funding from said legislation; and
  • Dealing with constitutional issues related to the Direct Action policy.

Which is it? Will Hunt give or take away? Stay tuned …

More trouble at the flying kangaroo? Is there any truth to the rumour the Australian & International Pilots Association is negotiating voluntary redundancies for up to 100 Qantas captains, and that we should “expect an announcement soon”? We put the question to a Qantas spokesperson, who rubbished the rumours and emphasised the company’s open communication with media. Other staff will know by June 30 whether compulsory redundancies will be pursued, as part of a $2 billion cost-cutting program ahead of an underlying loss of $800 million this year. If you’re in the know, contact us. And you can stay anonymous.

And speaking of Qantas … Were passengers on the flying kangaroo a bit lonely over the holidays? One high-flying mole suggested that east coast trips over the Christmas period were flown with only a few people — sometimes even just one — to avoid cancelling or delaying flights and keep Qantas’ stats up. The tip raised the possibility of cancelling flights and consolidating passengers.

But a Qantas spokesperson says it’s not so and points to discounted flights that are often offered during the period in question to fill seats, and that school holidays generally provide a balance against others who may postpone trips. Given that Qantas’ annual report outlines the highest level of on-time departures for December 2013 and January 2014 (against all other major domestic airlines), we’re thinking Qantas doesn’t need to worry.

We love coal — or do we?. Last week we told you the Minerals Council reckons “more than 35,000 emails” had been sent via its new pro-coal website to support the industry. When you go to the site’s email function, it says it will forward your email to all MPs in your state (the site used to say the emails also went to “anti-coal activists”, but that seems to have been scrapped). We’ve heard that Greens Senator Richard Di Natale has received about 50 emails, although some have notes attached saying “disregard the above, I think the opposite”. Greens Senator Larissa Waters has received 72 emails. And Greens leader Christine Milne hasn’t got any. So we’re not sure where all those 35,000 emails went …?

Green light for the Murdochs? Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull seemed to practise policy on the run during his appearance on the ABC’s Q&A last night — never the best strategy. Turnbull announced there was nothing to prevent News Corporation from acquiring the Ten television network now under the two-out-of-three media ownership laws, because News Corp owns only newspapers, not radio. Last time we looked, Lachlan Murdoch was both co-chairman of News and executive chairman of the radio network Nova. Is the Communications Minister really suggesting the chairman of newspaper and radio companies does not influence or apply control over both?

Who wrote that headline? Newspapers are outsourcing their subeditors, but does that mean there’s no one left to write the headlines? That seems to be what some PR flacks have assumed, if a recent release by BIS Shrapnel is any guide. As well as the figures on Brisbane’s office property market contained in a new report, the release sent to journalists included “suggested headlines”, such as “Office withdrawals to the rescue?” and “Market will stay oversupplied for the rest of the decade”. It’s the first time we’ve seen this kind of spoon-feeding to journalists. Readers beware …

*Heard anything that might interest Crikey? Send your tips to boss@crikey.com.au or use our guaranteed anonymous form