From the Crikey grapevine, the latest tips and rumours …

Packer v Gyngell: hot pics. The internet is ablaze with talk about the physical fight between James Packer and his old mate (and Nine chief) David Gyngell in Bondi yesterday. There are photos of the blue being shopped around, and there’s a suggestion the Daily Mail is interested. Awkward. Nine’s digital arm Mi9 is in a JV to publish an Aussie version of the Daily Mail. Will the new site feature an interview with Gyngell, who was apparently “bearded, barefoot and wearing black tracksuit pants with a thick white stripe” at the time of the stoush?

Here’s the tweet that launched a thousand stories:

And here’s our eyewitness on Facebook:

Fairfax says the reason for the fight between the boyhood chums was Packer’s recent separation from his second wife, Erica. The Guardian reckons it’s because “Packer wrongly believed a Nine news crew in a live satellite van had waited outside his home, according to sources at Nine”.

So who took the hottest pics in town and who will win the rights to air them today? The Oz reckons there was “one woman believed to have captured the fight on a phone,” plus a paparazzo. There’s talk they might be worth $70,000-plus. Keep your eyes peeled for the photos … and if you see a media baron involved in a tussle, send them to Crikey pronto.

Abbott blowing hot-cold on Indonesia. This from a uni type:

“PM Abbott is launching the Australia-Indonesia Centre again at a Monash [University] lunch in Melbourne on Thursday May 8. When was this planned? cf cancellation of Bali trip …”

Our source is musing over why Abbott has rejected an invitation to attend a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Bali — Abbott’s henchpeople say he’s not able to attend, while some media are reporting the reason is that Australian authorities are turning back a boat of asylum seekers so the timing is awkward. Let’s hope someone asks some pertinent questions at that Monash lunch. Abbott did indeed speak at the Canberra launch of the Australia-Indonesia Centre.

BCA, why so reticent? The Commission of Audit (aka big business-led razor gang) received many interesting submissions, most of which are available for public perusal. But we were disappointed to see the Business Council of Australia’s submission is marked “not for publication”. They needn’t have bothered. We know exactly what the BCA wants from the government — it’s there in the final report, under the beady eye of commission chair (and former BCA president) Tony Shepherd.

Wilson Tuckey has not been so shy. His submission to the commission is publicly available — three pages on the “disabillity” insurance scheme, all in capitals. Is this the former Western Australian MP, dubbed “ironbar”?

Carr gets the thumbs-up from Lowy. With ex-foreign minister Bob Carr’s tell-all memoir getting plenty of media coverage, we recently asked why the Lowy Institute, a leading foreign policy think thank, had made no mention of the book on its website. Was it because of Carr’s extensive criticism of the influence of the pro-Israel lobby on Gillard’s government, we pondered? (Lowy is of course funded by Frank Lowy, who has close links to Israel.)

Well, here’s an update. Lowy has run a long review of Diary of a Foreign Minister, by Lowy staffer Sam Roggeveen. It’s glowing and defends Carr from all comers. And how does Roggeveen handle the delicate matter of Carr’s claims that the Israel lobby has too much power in Australia?

“There are two major policy themes running through Diary of a Foreign Minister: the Israel-Palestinian dispute and the rise of China. The first gets more pages in the diary and it pre-occupied the serious media immediately after the launch. But the latter is infinitely more consequential for Australia and the world …”

And that’s it. Now that’s what we call diplomacy.

Looking for work? This is a job that’s right up the alley of many Crikey readers; “chamber attendant” for the Senate. That’s one of those uniformed people who scurry around the chamber, passing notes and bringing glasses of water to MPs. The pay is $65,000 and the hours can be long, but imagine the gossip you’d hear. Tips’ readers are encouraged to apply.

*Heard anything that might interest Crikey? Send your tips to boss@crikey.com.au or use our guaranteed anonymous form