Watch this space. EasyCruise.com plans to expand in Australia and NZ Star Cruises also plan to expand operations during 2008/09 to give Australian travellers a choice of cruise lines.

Copping the bill. Well a certain foreign Navy training vessel skipped town (Cairns to be precise) with a load of fuel it hadn’t paid for. Their next stunt was to run aground on a pretty Queensland beach – book the troops into the local hotel – and again not pay for their stay. Don’t mention the fact they left it in a mess. Royal Australian Navy is not happy. The foreign sailors involved have been spirited down to the Bulimbah Army barracks in Brisbane where the accommodation is free. More to the point the cost of dragging their vessel of the beach is likely to be $400k . Ouch, and the prospects of very short pockets has raised it ugly head. Watch as our government does something magnanimous like getting our Navy to cop the whole bill.

Only one jet? I heard from a reliable source that even though everything has been prepared in terms of flight arrangements, pre-recorded TripleM radio bits and media stuff, there will only be one F1-11 doing the traditional dump and burn at Brisbane’s Riverfire this weekend! Apparently two jets will be in the air. One will do the initial flyover and then the other one will do the second flyover… This is crazy and something should be done, this is one of the greatest highlights of living in Brisbane and instead of the usual two jets we only get one this year! Perhaps at least can it be confirmed from official sources that there will only be one? Then we can officially complain?

There never a parking officer around when you need one. It seems Clover Moore’s notorious parking police were having the evening off on Sunday night. Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull were seen driving their illegally parked, unticketed Prius (pug-818) away from the no parking zone on the corner of Liverpool St and Darlinghurst Rd at 9pm. For some reason they remained parked there for at least half an hour. Were they familiarising themselves with the lay of the new electoral boundaries or some of the local parking practices? BTW does anyone know why none of Malcolm’s letter box guff in Wentworth fail to mention the Liberal Party at all?

What has happened to Janice Petersen the SBS Sport Presenter? On Saturday night she presented the Sport live from Osaka yet last night she only did the Athletics segment with Michael Tomalaris hosting in Sydney. Given that there was no interaction with Michael, was this pre-recorded? Why have they spent all the money when Emma Simkin, already on-site could have done the same?

Backpackers need not apply! The Workplace Authority are advertising – just about everywhere – for staff to administer the new “fairness test”. Lots of staff – APS appointments, up to the executive level. Which means Australian citizens. Backpackers need not apply!