All 20 candidates in this Saturday’s Bradfield preselection must be pondering one major question: exactly what do local Liberal Party preselectors in a safe seat look for in a candidate?
September, 2009
The Australian’s civil war over Telstra’s amigos
Good to see some diversity in News Ltd’s national rag The Australian on the issue of telecommunications.
New Zealand rams its way out of recession
The combination of China and strong government spending has arrived to help the Kiwi economy escape its worst slump in 30 years and is now officially out of recession.
Media briefs: Will Conroy kill free TV? … Warnings to go on airbrushed photos?
Free to air television may be under threat thanks to the national broadband network. Oh la la, the French may be passing a bill to put warnings on airbrushed photos.
Constituents not happy about Dutton dumping Dickson
Last week a disgruntled LNP member from Peter Dutton’s seat of Dickson wrote to Crikey venting their spleen at Dutton’s decision to abandon the seat for Margaret May’s seat of McPherson.
ABC’s 24-hour news dream drives penny-pinching
The ABC has been quietly conducting a year-long secret review of the way it staffs and positions its network of more than a dozen foreign correspondents, with at least two bureaus expected to close.
Wong kicks Turnbull when he’s down
Environment minister Penny Wong’s letter to Malcolm Turnbull on the CPRS timetable is a particularly low-rent effort to further damage the Liberals.
Tips and rumours: Weird and wacky world of TV news execs
What difficulties do TV execs face when they dump their wives for work experience students? Plus, The Oz slogan seems very familiar…
Morning Market Report: A morning market surprise
The market is up 61, which is a bit of a surprise considering the SFE Futures were up 19 overnight. Wall St also closed up 51 overnight.
Dust storm 2: a health hazard beyond comparison
Particulate pollution has soared to levels never seen in Australia in recent hours as the red dust storm intensifies over much of the top three quarters of NSW.
Freedom (or freebies) of the press takes another meaning
There was once a time when photographers were sent to cover major events, like today’s Sydney dust storms. These days, free pictures are harvested from the internet.
Dust storm 1: chaos, mud, lightning. Oh my!
It no longer looks as blood red as at dawn. No Dorothy, no Tin Man, no wicked Witch, so far. But the dust storms sweeping NSW have brought red snow!
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: The wage gap
Crikey readers get worked up over the wage gap between men and women, new diplomat Brendan Nelson and double dissolution. Plus, Pfizer’s official response.
New blood jostles for Fairfax control
Was there ever a company more clearly in need of fresh talent than Fairfax Media? Sadly, the Fairfax board is better at perpetuating itself than reinventing and reinvigorating.
Why we’re standing up for Dennis Ferguson
By whipping up hatred about child sex offenders, it’s easier to cross the line to hating other offenders who have served their time and are trying to move on, says Justice Action’s Brett Collins.
Macquarie Airports’ mid-air collision
Looking at the gruesome scene evolving at Macquarie Airports Group is not altogether different from driving past a multi-car pile up, with the unit holders playing the crash victim roles.
Garnaut: The ETS cannot be further distorted
A year since he released his final Climate Change Review, Ross Garnaut reflects on developments and disasters in the ongoing climate change challenge.
Jamaican me crazy: gays pray in the closet
Jamaica has an unfortunate reputation as one of the least gay friendly countries, with wide reports of homophobic violence and killings. But a secret church aims to break down the closet door.
media death watch 
Far Eastern Economic Review to close
Publisher Dow Jones is canning its excellent Far Eastern Economic Review journal after 63 years. Although now a skeleton of its former self, the publication will leave a large hole in the pan-Asian press industry, which can hopefully be filled by the WSJ Asia.
Can bloggers pull a sickie?
An amusing Gawker post recently exposed the large number of sick days taken by Deadline Hollywood Daily’s Nikki Finke. But as blogging become a “real” job, it raises a genuine puzzler for the media industry: can you pull a sickie for a job you already do on the couch in your PJs?
leaked 
Microsoft’s top-secret tablet
Images and details of a new tablet computer by Microsoft have been leaked online. We won’t lie: it’s mostly interesting because Apple is also releasing one, but both could be potential “Kindle killers” in the e-reader market.
Bartholomeusz: Will Conroy kill free TV?
The National Broadband Network could see a range of competitors to free-to-air TV emerge, as internet TV and video become more accessible and profitable. But whose interests will the Broadband Minister be protecting? asks Stephen Bartholomeusz.
Click the vote: politics 2.0
Can an open source government work? An electorate in NSW has $300,000 and an online public vote system for choosing which local programs get funded. Want a new oval? Get voting.
The most controversial magazine covers of all time
They’re the cover stories that made cover stories: some of history’s most shocking and scandalous magazine covers, from Hitler as TIME’s Man of the Year to Ellen’s “coming out” to Michelle Geller’s “zombie arm” in Seventeen.
