Has Fairfax made a monumental ballsup with its takeover of the Southern Cross Radio Network ? There’s a massive dispute underway over just who owns the $35 million 2UE building in North Sydney. Macquarie Radio, which owned Southern Cross for just two days before on-selling to Fairfax, says it gets to keep the 2UE headquarters. Fairfax says it’s theirs. A bloody legal battle looms.

As Wind Hydrogen shares plumb 13 cents (down from their 20 cent issue price), intriguing rumours are circulating about what might happen at tomorrow’s AGM. The company is already losing chairman Neville Wran and two other directors at the AGM – could there be more blood to flow?

Did Alexander Downer really make some disparaging comments about Labor Senator Penny Wong into an open microphone when he was waiting for his Insiders interview with Barrie Cassidy last Sunday? It was heard by at least three people, but without anything on tape, the ABC is reluctant to make an issue of it.

Spotted having beers with Wayne Swan last night – Sky’s Kieran Gilbert. Or was it a job interview?

I’ve heard from two reliable sources that Peter Shergold will be leaving his position at PM and C which I presume will lead to his retirement.

Chris Barrett from Vic Department of Premier and Cabinet to be Wayne Swan’s chief of staff.

I heard today that Therese Rein was in Canberra hunting out a school for her Marcus. The Alfred Deakin High School looks good, it has The Lodge in its zone… here’s an easy test on hypocrisy. Bet they fail! If the school isn’t good enough it must have been John Howard’s fault too.

How unhappy are NSW detectives at Bankstown that they’ve had to abort a six week investigation, wasting the time of at least three officers plus scene of crime forensic staff, thanks to the unilateral actions of DIAC? Police were investigating a stabbing incident at Villawood on Oct 2 and were just about to lay charges, when the Dept flicked the supposed stabber back to Vietnam, without prior warning. He’d been in Villawood most of the year awaiting deportation on bad character grounds.

Heard in the corridors of a major government department in Canberra: Staff referring to the date as 28 November Two-thousand-and-KEVIN.

Immigration is not the only department suffering from low moral among the troops. I work at DEST and fellow underlings are p-ssed off by the failure of the DEST Secretary to discipline one arrogant Dep Sec for his blatant breach of the APS code of conduct in personally inviting his wife – as an “industry stakeholder” – to participate in a fully taxpayer funded overseas junket lead by him. Respect for the DEST upper ranks has evaporated.

I see that you have a number of references to Andrew Metcalfe being bought in to save the Immigration Department. Did you know that: He was head of Legal Branch and a significant issue around the detention issue was an understanding of “reasonably believes” (a person not to have a visa). He was head of the border and compliance division during the time of unauthorised arrivals. He was a hawk in Ruddock’s office. He took a very strong line on unauthorised arrivals and was regarded as being on the hard side. He was the Deputy Secrety when Alvarez was removed.

At the Putney booth in Bennelong , there were at least two American Republican interns handing out for John Howard! And one of the Lib booth workers asked me where Ryde-Eastwood Leagues Club is (so he could go to the Libs party there afterwards) – clearly not a local. Oh, and by the way, a friend of mine was waiting for me in the bar at the Ryde-Eastwood Leagues Club while I was scrutineering, so that we could go on to another party together. She was wearing her Your Rights At Work shirt, having been on Eastwood booth all day. Two rather large and intimidating gentlemen on their way to the Liberal “do” upstairs came up and stood on either side of her and asked in an accusatory way what she was doing there! She replied that as a private citizen waiting for a friend she had every right to be there. Appalling behaviour.

Yesterday Wagga’s Daily Advertiser newspaper ran a full page story outlining the positive experiences of two women who’d tried online dating using RSVP.com.au and of course it made no mention that this website was also owned by Fairfax like the Advertiser. Nor did it mention other dating sites.