In relation to the rumour Friday’s “Tips and Rumours”, I am the spouse of an SMH journo and am aware of an unflattering story about Kevin Rudd that is soon to be printed, but have not heard that it is deliberately going to be held over to the announcement of election day. I understand that it is due to run in the next week or so. As to how damaging the story is, whilst it does not portray Mr Rudd in a favourable light I’d say it is no more damaging than stories that have already come to light such as the not-so-stolen “stolen” notes on productivity, the gaffe on productivity itself, associating with Brian Burke (massive hype – no damage), embellishing the childhood “eviction” story or the Dawn Service in Vietnam incident. None of these incidents has had any impact on Mr Rudd. The story I am aware of is no more controversial than any of these.

Was that Julia Gillard that I just walked past? Sitting in a Commonwealth car outside News Limited? Did I hear someone say she was here to see the editor-in-chief? Chris Mitchell?

The PM is opening a campaign office at Eastwood Mall – just a few doors from the campaign office of Labor candidate Maxine McKew. Imitation is I suppose the greatest form of flattery. This is the first time in living memory that the PM has had a campaign office – outside of the few weeks of the official campaign. What are the polls telling him about his own chances in Bennelong, for him to take this step and his need to locally campaign? It’s belated recognition too that his seat has moved – far away from his electorate office at Gladesville, on the very south eastern boundary of Bennelong. Eastwood, now is literally in the very centre of Bennelong.

See Sunday Age about Vic Govt overspend and under-deliver on Public Hospital IT. More interesting is the association between the failing contractor and iSOFT, the UK company that utterly failed to provide the NHS IT upgrade despite vast overspending. A delicious UK report described their work as utterly unfit and found that iSOFT would be unable to deliver even if given unlimited time and money. The Age story is but the tip of the iceberg…

The state of mental health services in the ACT is going down the gurgla fast. The inpatient unit called PSU has lost two senior nurses as they walked out recently. The question needs to be asked WHY? Has it got anything to do with not being able to admit patients into the unit even when empty beds are available. Is this the reason why patients must wait hours to sometimes days in the emergency department as they sit on a mattress in a locked room even when they are not aggressive?