The standard procedure has now been set, that in any week that’s going reasonably well for the Opposition, and more particularly its leader, Peter Costello will pop up with one or several of his profound insights into … into … well the media seem to think they are profound insights, so they must be. Meanwhile Turnbull over 60% of Rudd’s volume, which has not been the case very often.

The daredevil duo or the gruesome twosome, depending on where you sit, the men without party hats (ok, Family First is technically a party of one, we know) stay high in the list as they gave a couple of quick jabs to the Government on Budget measures. They must love this time of year. Independent, concerned and powerful … or just confused?

The other key Senate players also up the list, Bob Brown making his own Budget moves and also beating the others to the deeply predictable call for an “indefinite” freeze on politicians’ pay. (of course Bob gets a fair bit extra already as a Party Leader).

The more historically normal levels of coverage for an Opposition Leader continue in talkback, we have started up the “honeymoon is over” meter, but we’re sure the media has grown out of that cliché and moved on to others.

Rank Politician Talkback
1 Kevin Rudd 409
2 Malcolm Turnbull 205
3 Wayne Swan 90
4 Nathan Rees 61
5 Nicola Roxon 55

Over a thousand ghoulish items on TV and less than 50 on either press or radio — the separation of television from any real news content continues apace.

Press Radio TV Internet Total INDEX
Farrah Fawcett 45 2 187 105 1,229 63

There’s more on the Media Monitors website.