A big loss. Commonwealth Bank is without a former star trader who has left the bank’s employment after losses of more than $100m came to light.

Painkiller Prexige. Novartis may have pushed for the 200mg reduction to 100mg with Prexige because they feared a rise in the number of liver-related adverse events would harm their attempt to gain registration in the US .The FDA was awaiting further info on liver-related toxicity. This was why the drug was being refused registration there.

A bandaid solution. Canberra’s Nursing shortage and the growing critism of the Labor Government’s apparent failures in health management, clearly has the local Government and senior health bureaucrats rattled. Health Minister Gallagher rushed out another “Health Initiative” last week that is seen by Hospital staff as just another bandaid solution to a severely festering wound. Now there are media reports of “bullying” by hosital administrators of those nurses brave enough to speak out. Nurses say poor wages and conditions are the real reason the profession is failing to attract sufficient numers. Hospital workers say they are tired of the “bull” being peddled by both the Government and Hospital management over “bed shortages” when the real problem is a lack of nursing staff.

SBS staff and APEC. Sydney SBS employees (at Artarmon) as federal employees are not getting the Sydney public holiday for APEC but are being pressured to take an annual leave day. Why should thy cop the expense?

APEC bureaucratic madness. I checked the official website www.APEC2007.org. Following the FAQ link to find out who the public holiday applies to, I was referred to www.industrialrelations.nsw.gov.au, which advises “Employees and business who operate under the federal Work Choices legislation should contact the federal government’s Workplace Infoline on 1300 363 264 for information about their rights and responsibilities in relation to the APEC public holiday”. So I rang the 1300 363 264, only to be told that they could not give me any information as I am a Commonwealth public servant and they are “not allowed to give any advice to another agency”, however I could find all the information I needed at … you guessed it … www.apec2007.org or www.industrialrelations.nsw.gov.au. Love it.