Making plans in Victoria. Overheard on a Melbourne train late afternoon of December 1: two friends discussing the state election result, one a public servant who appears to be working on the new government’s legislative project. Said public servant seemed to be a Liberal supporter and seemed to be boasting that the majority of the big Coalition proposals won’t need legislative change including cuts to stamp duty, changes to the Department of Transport and a raft of other measures. Said administrative orders might be all that’s needed. He better be right — wouldn’t it be a huge embarrassment if the new government was badly advised? By public servants who seem cock a’ hoop that their mates are in town.

Fringe website backed by government? Why is the website Australian Conservative full of paid advertising from the Australian government, for example on the Water for the Future program, when it serves up a fringe-right platform of climate-skeptic, anti-gay, anti-multicultural conspiracy theories? Imagine the outcry if the Australian government advertising was propping up fringe publications like Socialist Worker or anarchist journals?

Laptops on hold… Synergy Plus is struggling to deliver a large Melbourne-based private school’s laptop order due to a credit shortage with HP.