Is anyone buying the kindler, gentler Vanstone?

“Amanda
Vanstone reignited the republic debate on National Wattle Day
yesterday, calling for republicans to stop attacking the monarchy if
they want change,”The Age
reports today. And, yup, Vanstone was out there stirring the possum for
the republican cause, as she has done on a few occasions recently.

Her
stance is genuine and contains a fair bit of commonsense – but it’s
also a handy bit of positioning for her, too. It makes her less of a
demon to the latte set. Maybe.

Today’s Agealso
has a yarn headed ‘Immigration staff faces sack over Alvarez case.’
What about the people who run the show? At the moment there seems to be
a more pressing case for getting rid of Minister Mandy than the
monarchy.

Occupational health and safety, Victorian style

We might be being taken for suckers – but
if this example of mindless and time wasting administration (it can’t be called
work) from the Victorian WorkCover Authority is genuine, it sticks in our
throats:

From: Dale Nissen

To: Field_Services/VWA@WorkCover
Date: 31/08/2005 05:30

Subject: OHS Issue – Lollies at
training sessions

In the past 12 months the VWA has received
two injury reports (resulting in claims) relating to staff who have broken a
tooth while eating hard lollies during VWA organised training sessions.

If you are responsible for organising any
training or sessions where lollies are made available to staff please take
consideration of this risks and take appropriate action which may include:

No lollies

Soft lollies
only

Instruct staff
to suck rather than chew

Dale Nissen
Manager Employee Health and Safety

The Consulting Room

Dear Christian: Is there really such a
thing as “the Liberal family”?

Dear John Boy: I hadn’t heard the term
until NSW Liberal State Director Graham Jaeschke used it on the Radio National
breakfast
program on Wednesday. Since then it’s been wheeled out by everybody from the
Prime Minister down, but you’ve got to wonder what sort of family it is. Corleone?
Addams? Manson? Or rather like the Julio-Augustans? That prominent NSW family
of conservative supports, the Morans, also leaps to mind. The Moran Health
Care Group used to use the slogan “We’ll treat you like one of the family.”
Hope not! They aren’t exactly the Brady Bunch. For their own sakes, let’s hope
it’s the Roman lot and rather than Caligula, the NSW Libs have found a Claudius.
A much nicer bloke – and pretty damned good on infrastructure issues, too.