She said, he said

TRADE magazine CommsDay reported on Tuesday that Westpac boss Gail Kelly had criticised the National Broadband Network as "yesterday's technology" and questioned the cost of the rollout.

TRADE magazine CommsDay reported on Tuesday that Westpac boss Gail Kelly had criticised the National Broadband Network as "yesterday's technology" and questioned the cost of the rollout.

Oh no, she didn't. CommsDay followed up with a correction: "In yesterday's story 'Westpac's Gail Kelly and [Julia] Gillard square off over NBN costs, future of fibre', Communications Day incorrectly attributed comments regarding the NBN to Westpac CEO Gail Kelly. The comments in fact came from a member of the audience during Q&A and were directed to the Prime Minister; Gail Kelly herself did not discuss the NBN at the forum in question." Sincere apologies were offered. But it didn't stop the quote from snowballing into folklore. Malcolm Turnbull yesterday repeated the Kelly quotes in Melbourne. Westpac people are rushing around asking for corrections.

Power of yoghurt

ON Wednesday, we ran an item about a newspaper advertisement that mysteriously linked Kevin Rudd's time as prime minister to his consumption of an Australian-brand yoghurt. Sydney ad-man Grant Booker called to say the ad means Rudd would not have lost his job if he had maintained his daily yoghurt diet instead of switching to foreign foods such as Chinese figs. Now Booker is at it again. In The Age yesterday, there was photo of a grumpy looking Peter Costello and words allegedly taken from his diary. "Time and time again, between 1996 and 2007, we find variations on the words 'Tanya trying to get me to eat yoghurt. I've told her no, but she keeps trying'. And as we know, the man who many expected to be prime minister, never was." This is Booker's way of saying if Costello had eaten his yoghurt, he would have got the top job. We hope this makes sense.

At fever pitch

THAT faint crowing sound we detect appears to be coming from Lord's Cricket Ground in London. And yes, we can hear the stentorian croaks of Ian Botham in the distance. There's no doubt about it: the Poms think they have a good chance of beating Australia on our soil for the first time since Mike Gatting eyed up a barmaid, sometime in the 1980s. Here's what Patrick Kidd of The Times says: "The 1980s appeared to be back in fashion yesterday. Margaret Thatcher visited Downing Street on her birthday while the masses were cheering on the miners (Chilean this time), Wall Street is in the cinemas, Phil Collins is riding high in the album charts and, for the first time since 1988, Australia lost a third consecutive Test match." And to rub it in, he notes that when the Ashes series starts next month, England will be above Australia in the world rankings. Is this shabby state of affairs the fault of federal Sports Minister Mark Arbib?

Spiritual forecast

A STREET procession from Mary MacKillop's birthplace in Fitzroy on Sunday will end in the Carlton Gardens surrounding the Royal Exhibition Building where a display of MacKillop artefacts and three stages for musical performances will be set up. A great deal of care and effort has gone into planning the event, including a wet weather contingency: not tarps, marquees or a move into the sprawling exhibition buildings. Organisers say they are praying to MacKillop to keep the rain away.

Less insulting

THE ability to deliver a political insult is a handy weapon, one that can silence an opponent. The champion was Paul Keating, of course. Christopher Pyne tries hard but usually gets into trouble, as he did with his "bitchiness" comment. Tony Abbott's "Machiavellian bastardry" rebounded, too. In the US, political insults are relatively benign. Take Republican Senate candidate and Sarah Palin protege Christine O'Donnell who has been accused of dabbling in witchcraft by rival Chris Coons. "There are more people who support my Catholic faith than his Marxist belief," O'Donnell said. Whoa there: Marxist? That's a bit heavy. Coons said he had never "been anything but a clean-shaven capitalist", an undisguised insult to wearers of facial hair (and presumably not directed at O'Donnell). She has resorted to running a television ad. "I'm not a witch. I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you." Would Pyne ever run an ad saying "I'm not a mincing poodle", as Julia Gillard once said of him?

Well represented

VICTORIAN Deputy Premier Rob Hulls has appointed a handful of ex-AFL players - including Tom Hafey and Robert Walls - former premier John Cain, chef Gabriel Gate, marathon man Steve Moneghetti, entertainer Denise Drysdale and former top cop Christine Nixon as Australia Day ambassadors. They are suited to the job, but why does the state need 149 of them?

A worthy winner

A TRAY of mangoes has been auctioned at Brisbane markets for $50,000. The 12 mangoes - $4166.66 each - were purchased by Brisbane greengrocer Carlo Lorenti. It is the third year in a row Lorenti has outbid his rivals. The money goes to children's cancer charities Redkite and Life Education Queensland.