Bill Shorten has sided with one of the nation's most militant unions, urging its help in fighting Tony Abbott.
Comrades: WORKPLACE Relations Minister Bill Shorten has publicly aligned himself with the militant Maritime Union of Australia, declaring he wished he could inject its "spirit" into some Labor MPs to convince them the election was winnable.
Write-off: The AFR reports NSW Liberal Party president Senator Arthur Sinodinos has abandoned a claim to a 5 per cent shareholding, worth up to $3.75 million, in infrastructure company Australian Water Holdings after revelations that linked the company to Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid.
Pitch: JULIA Gillard has switched from "days of governing" to an election campaign blitz to defend Labor heartland seats, amid growing fears in government ranks that Labor is headed for a worse defeat than the rout Paul Keating suffered in 1996.
Intervention: THE Reserve Bank will consider taking up arms in the global "currency war" if the Australian dollar rises much further.
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Conclave: Canberra's political and lobbying communities are awaiting a puff of white smoke from the Minerals Council of Australia's Forrest headquarters following the announcement of CEO Mitch Hooke's exit from the organisation after more than 10 years. As the MCA announced yesterday: "The Minerals Council of Australia Board has commenced succession planning to replace chief executive officer Mitch Hooke following his decision not to renew his contract at the end of this year." Hooke will stay on until the end of 2014 as a consultant.
You don't say: At the time it was urgent advice, but Julia Gillard's department has taken a ponderously long time to decide whether the public should see it. After lengthy consideration of an FoI request for access to the 2010 red book, PM&C has finally released Section A of its advice to a re-elected Labor government. Unfortunately, not much escaped the black Texta. One of the few paragraphs overlooked by the official censors was this one on "budget discipline": "During the election campaign you reaffirmed the government's commitment to a fiscal strategy designed to achieve budget surpluses from 2012-13 and reduce public debt." Glad that's settled.
What polls?: As Labor caucus members rocked back and forth in the foetal position following yesterday's Newspoll, it was business as usual for Happy Little Vegemite Kevin Rudd. The former PM spent the day in his electorate presenting school leaders' badges to year seven students at Seven Hills Primary. Sportsbet yesterday had Rudd as the $2 favourite to lead Labor to the election, compared to Julia Gillard at $2.30.
Time Lord: Member for Dawson George Christiansen spent his weekend at a Sydney Dr Who convention as part of his bid to lure the makers of the cult show to film an episode in the Whitsundays. Christiansen, dressed as the fourth doctor, Tom Baker, explains the bid to a local television audience here . Christiansen also used the trip to catch up with anti-Islamic Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who'd make a pretty authentic looking Dr Who villain.
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Today: Julia Gillard is in Brisbane with Wayne Swan for a G20-related announcement.
Tony Abbott is in Sydney and Melbourne for meetings. He has no public events scheduled.
Tertiary Education Minister Chris Bowen will addresses a Universities Australia higher education conference, in Canberra.
The Senate sits from 9.30am to consider bills on biosecurity and agricultural and veterinary chemicals. Question time commences 2pm.
Former Universities Australia chair Professor Glyn Davis will address the National Press Club.
Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings and federal member for Braddon Sid Sidebottom will open a renovated rail bridge in Devonport.
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People's paper: The Daily Telegraph reports Julia Gillard's week-long prime ministerial sleepover in Sydney's west has been labelled a stunt and a desperate bid to regain the Labor party's heartland.
Battle plan: The ALP and unions have been conducting focus groups and polling in western Sydney, according to informed sources, given that the Gillard government has been chronically on the nose in the area.
Rift: The AFR reports Julia Gillard's plan to spend all next week campaigning in western Sydney has divided opinion within Labor, with some believing it will be seen as an act of desperation while others say it presents an opportunity to combat the government's deep unpopularity.
Accused: The Daily Telegraph reports a young Sri Lankan man charged over the sex assault of a student at Macquarie Uni is an asylum-seeker, immigration officials confirm.
Delay: IRON ore exports worth at least $500m have been halted as one of the most ferocious cyclones in years bears down on Port Hedland.
Gonski: The Age reports Victoria is expected to receive a quarter of the additional $6.5 billion a year to be spent on schools under the Gillard government's funding reforms - four times what the Baillieu government is offering in its alternative plan.
Burden: The West Australian reports the Federal Government could be shackled to the $150 billion debt racked up fighting the global financial crisis for an extra decade unless the economy starts accelerating.
Chaos: THE presidents of 16 housing associations responsible for overseeing town camps will tell an emergency summit in Alice Springs today that they and their families are living in fear, feeling under constant siege.
Rethink: THE Coalition's indigenous affairs spokesman Nigel Scullion has confessed that he was opposed to the apology to the Stolen Generations but has since changed his mind, conceding he was wrong and that the symbolism of that apology was a powerful tool in changing Aboriginal lives.
Reality: TWO remote school hostels promised five years ago as part of an attempt to close the disadvantage gap for indigenous children have not been built, and two more are operating well below capacity.
Land of the free: America's top diplomat John Kerry says, "In American you have a right to be stupid - if you want to be."
Knock-back: FORMER NSW premier Morris Iemma has told senior Labor figures that he will not be nominating for preselection to contest the federal seat of Barton at the next election.
Food bowl: The SMH reports the head of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority will write to state ministers this week warning them that potential budget cuts will mean environment programs for the river will be axed and maintenance of dams and weirs threatened.
Curbs considered: LABOR risks breaching its own advice on new laws to thwart media investors as it comes under pressure from the Greens to impose two new ownership tests, despite being told last year that one of them should be scrapped.
Strategy: CHILDREN in NSW on the brink of a life of crime will be targeted with intensive multi-agency support in the nation's first formal early intervention program for juveniles.
Doesn't add up: The SMH reports Reserve Bank board member Heather Ridout has warned the falling rates of students, especially girls, studying maths in senior high school is "very worrying" and a risk to Australia's future economic prosperity.
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Janet Albrechtsen writes: Julia Gillard's political misjudgments are rivalled only by her policy mistakes.
Chris Kenny writes: OVER a beer earlier this month, Julia Gillard's communications director John McTernan revealed he was spending the next day on a familiarisation tour of western Sydney.
Paul Kelly writes: THE rewriting of Kevin Rudd's resources levy has resulted in a revenue toothless tiger.
Peter Van Onselen writes: The question for Labor now is whether it is prepared to consider another game-changing strategy, one that involves once again removing a prime minister.
Dennis Atkins writes: Polling in western Sydney by the ALP and unions is reputed to show swings in the mid to high teens. Liberals who have been campaigning in these suburbs say voters have made up their minds.
Cassandra Wilkinson writes: THE NSW Right faction needs a powerful representative of pro-market views.
Tony Wright writes: Julia Gillard will have no paucity of distractions during her sleepout at the marvellously named Rooty Hill, a suburb in Sydney's western sprawl which was once Labor's heartland but is currently feared as The Badlands.
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