Well-sourced rumour is that David Jones are mightily displeased that their advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi dumped them in it by making pre-teen girls in its ads look sexy — and being careless enough to put it in writing. DJ’s marketing head, Damien Eales (brother of ex rugby captain John) swore blind his company would never do such a thing, and is embarrassed by the Saatchi document uncovered through FoI that proves the opposite. DJs are now looking for a new advertiser, one that will respect the ‘family friendly’ brand. DJs was one of Saatchi’s biggest accounts, and heads are expected to roll.

Four leading rugby union players are in hot water for committing offences normally associated with rugby league. One of the rugger offenders is on the brink of announcing his retirement from the game and the careers of the other three are under a cloud. The Australian Rugby Union establishment is attempting to keep a lid on the whole affair.

Word of redundancies at Malcolm Turnbull’s hedge fund and investment management business Pengana Capital run by Russel Pillimer following the downgrading of several products recently by ratings agencies. Not sure how poor performance can be the fault of marketing staff but they’re certainly taking the fall.

Your story in yesterday’s “Tips and rumours” about the Lobbyist Register cock-up omitted one important detail. The offending email — sent to all 269 lobbyists, with email contacts for all displayed — was sent on 17 June, promptly recalled… then sent again 15 minutes later, complete with addresses still on display! Then came the grovelling apology two days later. At least I’ve got a good list of people to forward my CV too.

Surely more offensive than babies in the Chamber was the MP yesterday in the Reps, who featured in today’s ABC live coverage chewing gum, and with her mouth open.

Queensland nightclub using the image of underage Eastern European sex slaves to promote its club.

Noel Crichton-Browne writes “Senator Hanson-Young receives a generous $160,000 annual salary package, vastly more than she earned in her former occupation as a bank clerk, which provides more than adequate financial opportunity for her to employ a baby sitter. Courtesy of the tax-payers, Parliament House provides an “on the job” crèche and child care centre.”

Senator Hanson-Young’s daughter has a full-time nanny, so the inference that the Senator is too stingy to “employ a baby-sitter” is simply untrue. Secondly, although there is a child care centre in Parliament House, it is only available to children aged 18 months and younger; the child in question is two.

It seems that RMIT University may have set a new standard of academic appointment. Which acting Dean has no degree? This comment indicates that RMIT is just following the excellent precedent set by Cambridge in appointing A E Housman to a chair of classics in 1911. Although having no degree, Housman was considered to be one of the leading classical scholars of his day.