RECENT Australian governments have all had a number of what are known in the trade as practitioners of the dark arts on the payroll. In Paul Keating's time there was the national media liaison service, aptly known by the acronym aNiMaLS. When he came to office, John Howard abolished it. While he turned a blind eye to a couple of ministerial staff members doing some digging, in his day there wasn't a dirt unit.
In Kevin Rudd's prime ministership, beyond the normal checking of matters on the public record, the dark arts were partly outsourced. The opposition also entertained some misgivings about the caucus support and training unit. Under Julia Gillard, the unit morphed into the caucus communications team, which operates behind frosted glass in parliament house.
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