TV shock! Benaud goes to water and utters the D-word in front of an open microphone

Putting water behind walls may have been acceptable in your day, Richie, but this is 2011

Richie Benaud in the Nine Network commentary box on Thursday:

ALL that water in Queensland and NSW. There must be some way of harnessing all of that. Dams, perhaps, so you could use the water in times of drought.

Greens press release September 6, 2008:

GREENS leader Bob Brown has called on environment minister Peter Garrett to stop the proposed Traveston Dam across the Mary River near Gympie in Queensland. Speaking to hundreds of farmers and local residents gathered at the proposed dam site this morning, Senator Brown said the dam should be opposed because it would flood thousands of hectares of prime food-producing land close to Brisbane, Aboriginal heritage sites and the main nursery for the world famous Australian lungfish. "I've told the minister there is no way he should allow the major breeding ground for the Australian lungfish or the Mary River turtle or Mary River cod to be obliterated."

Wash your mouth out. Tony Abbott on Radio 4BC on Friday:

FOR too long in this country we have had this dam phobia. I think this is one of the regrettable impacts of the green movement, this assumption that you can never build another dam. Well, I fail to see that there is not any single site left anywhere in Australia where a dam's economic and social benefits are outweighed by the environmental costs.

You had to be there. Bob Brown in The Australian, October 9, 2007:

WHEN Bob Hawke stood in front of 15,000 people in Melbourne, and Hazel put triangular "No dam" earrings on, it was electrifying.

Back in Benaud's day . . . News agency report, December 2, 2007:

REMAINS of an ancient dam dating back some 4000 years have been discovered in Upper Egypt . . . The Egyptian archeology supremo stressed the importance of the finding, saying it proved that the ancient Egyptians were good at building dams.

The history of perks. Ian Cameron, member for Maranoa, September 12, 1984:

I NOTE that Telecom is to make it much easier for mobile telephones to be used. I believe that every member of parliament ought to have a mobile telephone. I think it would be of tremendous assistance. I am the only person in parliament who has a high frequency radio in my car. . . . I can ring anybody in Australia or, if need be, around the world, although I like to confine myself to Australia and preferably to the electorate of Maranoa. The mobile telephone is a very useful tool. As the minister knows, we are very busy people. We waste a lot of time sitting in motor cars when I believe we could be using a telephone and getting on with our business.

Nine Network online chat with Gerry Harvey, February 15, 2000:

INTO the future mobile phones will connect to the internet, you will be able to chat on them, with a little screen so that you can see the person you are chatting to, you will be able to email and it will be used as a remote control to take care of your house for all your appliances and your security. It will be able to do an awful lot of the functions computers do now.

Addressing the halal KFC bacon brouhaha turned viral video, Josh Grech gives The Daily Telegraph a surprise bleeding heart on Saturday:

THE question is: why film the outburst and what were you hoping to achieve by sharing it with the world? Sure, make an official complaint. Get the guy fired for his ridiculous behaviour, if you will. But posting a video of half a fracas only feeds the fire that this young man and others like him use to justify their actions -- regardless of who they are or what tenet or menu they subscribe to.

The Sydney Morning Herald sub-editors thoughtfully warn off readers with this headline on Elizabeth Farrelly's column on January 6:

OH no, random thoughts pop into my holiday head.

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