From the Crikey grapevine, the latest anonymous tips and rumours …

MPs don’t want your emails any more. In this great democracy of ours you should be able to at least email your local representative. The Parliament House website used to feature email addresses for all members — but the revamped site now directs visitors to a form with no address attached. A Crikey reader asked the web manager why and received this response:

“You can contact a Senator or Member in a number of ways: by phone by fax by post by email (if a Senator or Member has an email address) or by using the contact form which some Senators and Members prefer to use. The Parliament site provides a number of contact lists for both Senators and Members which you can print out, download or quickly browse. For contact information on Senators (link). For contact information on Members (link). If you would like to email messages to either a Senator or Member, click on the Home Pages option where you will find an email address or a feedback form.”

As our correspondent points out, neither of the two options for “contact information” includes a list of email addresses: “I’m guessing emails are just too easy to send and MPs are tired of the deluge. It would also be interesting to ask the departments what effect this has had on the levels of their ministerial correspondence.” Have the emails dried up, staffers/bureaucrats?

(Of course, it’s not hard to figure out the addresses yourself. In the interests of democracy, the formula for members is “firstinitial.surname.mp@aph.gov.au” and for senators is “senator.lastname@aph.gov.au”.)

Behind-the-scenes tour … of FWA! Perhaps George Brandis might take up this offer from the Victorian Law Foundation …

Media company bones key manager? Apparently a big media services company has found a fall guy for its less-than-stellar financial results, terminating a top executive this morning. Rumours are circulating media circles; we’re investigating the claims.

Respect in short supply at ABC show. Is there trouble at one of the ABC’s key news and current affairs programs? Staff now have “little respect” for the executive producer, we’re maliciously told.

Ex-foreign ministers, head-to-head. “Given their different experiences and the different times they were foreign affairs ministers,” goes the spruik, “where do they now see Australia’s role in the world and where should it be?” No doubt Alexander Downer and Gareth Evans will answer that question in very different ways tonight, in a forum at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre moderated by broadcaster and ex-Monthly editor Sally Warhaft. The forum is titled A Foreign Affair — which reminded us of lyrics from Heavens, Mr Evans, the Keating: The Musical show-stopper between Gareth and Democrats defector Cheryl Kernott (“my heart’s in peril, Cheryl …”):

Ever since I was young
Just a little girl
I’ve been waitin’ for someone
To show me the world
Well, he’s done everything
And he’s been everywhere
He’s Gareth Evans, my foreign affair …

*Do you know more? Send your tips to boss@crikey.com.au or use our guaranteed-anonymous form