Moving on

WHILE Julia Gillard relentlessly moves the nation forward (give or take some valiant resistance from Laurie Oakes at the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday), we're worried Wayne Swan is drifting from the script.

WHILE Julia Gillard relentlessly moves the nation forward (give or take some valiant resistance from Laurie Oakes at the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday), we're worried Wayne Swan is drifting from the script.

On the ABC's Lateline on Wednesday night, Swan refused steadfastly to "move forward", preferring instead to go forward like there was no tomorrow. Lest we think this was an aberration, he was at it again yesterday whenever the opportunity arose. At least Greens leader Bob Brown has the right idea. To wit: "I can assure you the Greens aren't idly waiting around. We've got a big vision for this country, and we're ready to get started on an election that holds unprecedented opportunity to move Australia forward." And indeed, the message of the Greens' new ad: "Your vote can move Australia forward."

Her old china

BOB Hawke may be Gillard's role model but his name eluded whoever was charged with typing out this line in the PM's address to the National Press Club yesterday: "My approach to economic management begins with a commitment to macroeconomic stability, within frameworks that have served Australia well through 18 years of economic growth under the governments of prime ministers [Paul] Keating, [John] Howard and [Kevin] Rudd." Gillard made sure to ad lib His Bobness into the speech, dodging what may have looked like an omission as glaring as the one Network Ten was convinced it found at the NPC: Gillard's plate minus the beef but with the garlic mash and winter vegetables in a jus sauce entirely unmolested. While the only unsettling thought in this is that Gillard may be a carnivore on a par with Mel Gibson, one of her flaks says the plate was theirs and the PM dined in her office afterwards. Just don't call it Plategate.

Moodie blues

AS he addressed the media yesterday on the latest bombshells to hit the Melbourne Storm, sacked independent director Peter Maher apologised for the absence of sacked chairman Rob Moodie, saying he was at an international AIDS conference in Vienna. He added ruefully, "And there are three others of us who would also like to be at that conference with him today as well if we possibly could have been, but we are not, unfortunately."

No comment

AMID all the noise about Twitter (morning, Barry O'Farrell!), you'll be happy to know life proceeds on Facebook. Here's Lisa Singh, who's on Labor's Senate ticket for Tasmania in the next federal election, updating her status with commendable enthusiasm: "Looking forward to Festival of Voices Big Bonfire tonight at Salamanca." And here's Kevin Harkins, the bloke whose place she took on the ticket after his candidacy was nobbled by Kevin Rudd, in the comment field: "Lisa, can you tell us what your position is on asylum-seekers please?" While not strictly a status comment, Harkins is at least displaying a refreshing reluctance to be corseted by Facebook traditions. He also displays a reluctance to give up, chipping in again the following day with: "Come on now Lisa, don't be shy." Another day without reply and someone else sees fit to break the news: "Don't reckon you are going to get an answer Kev."

Flogging Aunty

IS ABC News 24 political editor Chris Uhlmann trapped in an abusive relationship? Here he is, writing in the latest The Spectator Australia: "I am an unabashed admirer of the Oz and believe that it is home to some of the best journalists in the land. So it has been a matter of personal pain to me that paper has recently taken to relentlessly flogging my employer as we approach the launch of ABC News 24 . . . I trust that this is just the friendly correction of a disappointed headmaster on a wayward pupil and the beating will stop soon."

Obfuscation station

WHEN Kevin Rudd was consigned to the worm farm of history, we feared the end of an art form: tackling journalists' questions with elaborate, sometimes beautiful non-answers. So when Health Minister Nicola Roxon gave us a non-answer to a query about a dodgy claim in the ALP's new ad about Tony Abbott and the health system (Strewth, Wednesday), we were buoyed. But we couldn't shake off the fear this was simply Roxon's way of telling us her fingerprints weren't on the ad. Salvation was at hand following this question from The Oz to the PM's office: "Is it the case that Gillard government ministerial staff have been seconded to Labor campaign HQ in Pitt Street? If it is, how many? When did they shift? What are they doing?" And here is what we shall for the sake of convenience refer to as an answer: "Personal staff of ministers, shadow ministers and other office holders work at the direction of their employing office holder. As at any time, in an election, this may include travel with the office holder, liaison with party officials, policy development and communication, media advice and handling administrative tasks and answering calls from the general public." It's by no means perfect, but the new regime is showing plenty of promise.