CEO holidays on the company dime. Which $6 million-a-year CEO has been taking annual holidays with his family on the company tab? Three weeks at a Tuscan villa was one destination, nanny for the kids, first class tickets.  Nearly $100,000 per year spent. No mention in the remuneration reports or statements to the market about this aspect of his package. Probably too busy with the personal appointments that dominate his calendar.

Survey challenges climate ‘myths’ … I live in Peter Dutton’s seat and was surveyed tonight by Roy Morgan Research. I was asked questions about who I would vote for in a federal election, who I voted for previously and also about the carbon tax — all the questions about cutting carbon emissions were pitched as debunking climate change “myths” with a follow up question asked after each clarifying whether that had changed my view on supporting a carbon tax.

It was basically an exercise in trying to spread climate sceptic propoganda. After this they asked a range of questions about my “conservatism or progressiveness” and one of the questions asked of me was whether I thought women shouldn’t be in politics. Great question after the s-xism in parliament displayed this week.

… and Tim Flannery’s credentials. Online survey firm CoreData emailed its database yesterday with questions on a carbon tax. Do you believe in climate change? Do you know what carbon emissions are? Do you think carbon emissions contribute to climate change? Is a carbon tax a good idea? And what did I think of Carbon Cate …

And this rather strange question: who is the most credible voice? Is it push-polling to point out Tim Flannery is a “palaeontologist”? Compared to Tony Abbott’s “economist” and “Rhodes scholar”?

So who’s behind this? I just hope I win the iPad …

Siemens and the NBN contract. Has it occurred to anyone to investigate whether it is right that the joint venture awarded the NBN contract included Siemens? The same Siemens which has been condemned in the US  for breaking the embargo on Iran?

Green groups gear down under Gillard. Isn’t it ironic that with a Labor/Green alliance running the show in Canberra that the majority of Australia’s major environmental groups are struggling financially, with some even facing closure. The reason is not a lack of public support — quite the contrary — it’s the disappearing dollars from the Gillard government that’s sending them to the wall.

The Labor government talked up a storm on the environment when Keven Rudd became PM and so the environment movement geared up, hiring scientists/tree planters, etc. But then the government slowly and rather quietly began pulling the rug out from under these groups, who for the past 12 months have been unloading staff at record levels. You wouldn’t think there was a climate and environmental crisis facing this country, would you?