Ouch!:
Malcolm Farr deliciously disses a
certain renegade as “an obscure provincial Victorian senator” in The Daily
Telegraph today.

Tassie timing: It’s not available free
online, but today’s Launceston Examiner reports that Premier Paul Lennon has
ruled out calling an election this week. The latest date for a March 4 election
would be to call on the Governor before this Friday, February 3. March 11 is a long
weekend and the last two Saturdays in March coincide with the Commonwealth
Games. Most commentators have ruled these dates out, but why? Conventional
logic states that summer, when people are distracted by warm weather and
cricket, is a good time to hold an election. The same applies here. If Lennon
holds out, it strongly suggests that there is no smoking gun over Betfair – and
that he is content to let the Liberals fire of all their shots now, so they’re
only left with blanks when the poll finally comes.

Sticking point: Melbourne Ports MP Michael Danby is usually considered
to be quite conscientious, so how does one explain the fridge magnets he has
sent out to local electors? They list NSW school holidays and – horror – contain no mention of the Melbourne Cup.

Recycling policy: The South Australian
election on March 18 will be make or break for the Australian Democrats, yet
they are finding it hard to win any coverage. At least we know that they are
big on recycling, or so this CV for their candidate in the marginal seat of Norwood suggests.