From the Crikey grapevine, the latest tips and rumours …
Tuesday is D-day for Optus staff. Remember the 750 job cuts that were announced at Optus? “Well after over two-and-a-half months of internal speculation and waiting, affected staff will finally be told this Tuesday,” according to an insider.
Qantas censors Borgetti from papers. We’re told someone “very high up” in Qantas management recently instructed ground staff to remove the weekend magazine section from all copies of The Australian at terminals and distributed on planes. The pull-out section featured an article on ex-Qantas CFO and Virgin Australia CEO Jonh Borgetti. The feature on Qantas CEO Alan Joyce this past weekend was, not surprisingly, not removed.
LNP nabs ABC manager as Langbroek COS. Former ABC News Queensland editor Fiona Crawford has changed her Twitter bio to confirm she’s joined government ranks as chief-of-staff to Education, Training and Employment Minister (and former LNP leader) John-Paul Langbroek. It’s being hailed a major coup for the fledgling administration, which according to one George Street insider is “fast filling with political hacks with little experience”. Who said ABC presenters side with Labor?
Finn fumes in Facebook flames. We’ve featured some of the creative Facebook work of Victorian upper house MP Bernie Finn before. His regular status updates (preserved for posterity here) are always worth a read, with colourful commentary on politics and life. Here’s a few recent examples:
“JuLIAR says Tony Abbott, husband and father of 3, is out of touch with families. Where exactly does that leave her???”
“Very sad to see the Victorian ALP throw its lot in with the Rainbow Fascists. Martin Paluka [sic] will be staggered to learn free speech is still allowed in Australia.”
“With apologies to those who may be offended by this status, no Prime Minister in the history of this nation has been as full of shite as the current one. She is an affront to us all!”
Offended? On the contrary. Certainly not one commenter on his page: Hamish Jones, an ex-Liberal candidate forced to quit after calling then minister Lynne Kosky a “bitch” and a “f-ckwit”, says in reply on one post Gillard is a “disgrace to the office”. Raising the level of public debate, both.
Howes in step with ACTU tweet. Union heavy Paul Howes picked up on The Australian‘s reds-under-the-bed post-budget front page last week, writing in yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph:
“I wasn’t aware the Marx and Lenin had written, ‘Workers of the world unite and go forth and allow businesses to carry back losses from the previous year’s tax returns.'”
Which reminded us of a tweet last week from ACTU pointy head Matt Cowgill:
Great minds think alike, perhaps.
*Do you know more? Send your tips to boss@crikey.com.au or use our guaranteed-anonymous form.
It was Stalin who said: “How many (long) divisions does the Pope have?” – so he evidently was thinking of bookkeeping and accounting, even then.
Crikey when you published “The feature on Qantas CEO Alan Joyce this past weekend was, not surprisingly, not removed.”
What was it Crikey was telling me and other readers? Edward James
NSW ALP general secretary Sam Dastyari, Let your supporters tell you. I think your have lost the plot! Labor nationally not just NSW has lost members and support because of what it is. A nasty self interested political party, which with this new attempt to attract members back with a few dollars, nothing more then a desperate cheap stunt. Labor is a cancer on our political process. Thank god thinking voters are making sure it is a shrinking cancer in remission we all hope! We the peoples know. Labor self interest will insure it will continue to do as it dam well pleases until we destroy its grass roots. Voters understand that. The Labor Party telling readers senior Labor figures believe Labor should cut ties with the GREENS. Will have some influence but not enough on the fact, thinking voters are intent on putting Labor last and any others close to Labor such as Greens at the bottom of the ballot papers along with them! Thinking taxpayers are ditching how to vote cards and numbering their own boxes below the line more often with each election, bringing to a close the two parties not much preferred monopoly of seats in our Parliaments and Local Councils to a deserved end. As for the $5 party membership forget about it 14.000 members in NSW and failing. Taxpayers have had enough of dead wood politicians taking our votes in trust and then betraying us! Members of the two parties not much preferred are political grubs! Edward James.