Christian Kerr writes:

Understaffed. Human Services Minister Joe
Hockey has told Crikey that he has a very small department. Is that an excuse
for misspelling his own name in a media release?

In case Peter Beattie’s got an itchy
trigger finger. Antony Green’s Queensland state election guide is now up on the ABC website.

Problems in the WorkChoices fine print. “In
an incredible irony, government members on a Senate committee have discovered
that the Howard Government is inadvertently looking to pass legislation that
locks in investigatory powers for the Transport Workers Union which are similar
to those of the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission,” a breathless Robert Gottliebsen writes in The Australian today.
As reported by Crikey – three months ago.

The new public service pecking order. The
Prime Minister is considering a reshuffle of public service chiefs that may
include shifting the head of his own department, Peter Shergold, to Defence,
The Australianreports today.
Prime Minister & Cabinet to Defence? Isn’t that a demotion? The role “is at
the same level as the position he holds now,” the story says. Defence is
certainly getting big bucks at the moment, but is it up there with, say,
Treasury and DFAT? Is there a new public service pecking order? Your thoughts,
please, to christian@crikey.com.au.