The vanquished

JOHN Howard, it seems, is no longer sore at Maxine McKew for ousting him from his seat of Bennelong, if he ever was.

JOHN Howard, it seems, is no longer sore at Maxine McKew for ousting him from his seat of Bennelong, if he ever was.

Labor's McKew, who was defeated herself in last month's federal election by Liberal John Alexander, writes of her life and politics since then in a diary page in the latest issue of Spectator Australia magazine, out yesterday. Choosing a "familiar remedy: lunch", the former ABC broadcaster continues: "Where else but Machiavelli in Sydney's midtown? And who understands the swings and roundabouts of politics better than the former member for Bennelong? Proving once again that Sydney is a small pond, John Howard is seated two tables away. Courteous as ever, he shakes hands with me on the way out and offers his commiserations. Modern politics is wonderful."

Don't stop the boats

McKEW also tries her hand at humour. Tony Abbott, she writes, has "been snippy since the election and seems set to continue in that vein. At least he has taken a breather on the ridiculous sloganeering of the campaign: stop the waste, stop the boats, etc. Mind you, it cost me votes. So here's my post-election confession. As my opponent in Bennelong claimed for months, that I did absolutely nothing to stop the boats. Just as well . . . commuters who rely on the 7.10 Meadowbank ferry would certainly notice its absence."

See you out of court

ONCE lawyers used to doing the heavy lifting in a court case. These days the PR industry is getting involved in high-profile cases. Take the filing of the amended statement of claim in the Federal Court yesterday by David Jones publicity co-ordinator Kristy Fraser-Kirk. Fraser-Kirk is suing the board of the venerable DJs and former chief executive Mark McInnes, alleging he made unwelcome sexual advances. The allegations are denied and the case is in its very early stages. Reporters had barely enough time yesterday to read the amended claim before various PR statements started hitting the inbox. A statement from McInnes had a dig at how Fraser-Kirk had not backed up allegations made in open court by her lawyer last month. McInnes, meanwhile, rejected the new accusations, saying they were an "abuse of the legal process" and he looked forward to his day in court. The case is then back before the judge next month. He'll only be listening to what the lawyers say.

Fast on his feet

YOU can't fault David Epstein's timing. He quit Kevin Rudd's office, where he had been chief of staff, to join Qantas in late 2008 before the former prime minister started to lose his way. Now he has left Qantas, just days after fronting the media to explain a blown-engine emergency in the US, to join BHP Billiton. Epstein will run BHP's public affairs division at an important time as the company negotiates with the government and its former chairman, Don Argus, over the shape of the mineral resources rent tax. His Labor contacts should come in handy, although he is replacing another ALP old hand, former national secretary Geoff Walsh.

Risky if not risque

ADELAIDE lord mayoral candidate Francis Wong is passionate about his city and leading the council after the coming elections. But perhaps his passion got the better of him when he sent a message to supporters and the media. "They told me today it is right to vote Wong! Nothing Wong with that! Ha ha!" Yes, Strewth found such self-deprecation mildly amusing, too, but we are not sure if it will help him get the 4000 votes he needs to become city boss.

Giving up

ALSO in the Athens of the South, one of Mike Rann's ministers, Tom Koutsantonis, had been among the last MPs still to be found on balconies and in courtyards around South Australia's Parliament House getting a tobacco fix. No more it seems, judging by some recent Facebook postings, such as this one yesterday: "At a fashion parade for charity. Life can be hard hard work sometimes. Not thinking about cigarettes now." But then subsequent postings showed things rapidly going downhill.

"Okay, I need help, now terrified of horror stories regarding freedom from cigarettes and weight gain." Let's hope morale picks up before parliament resumes next week.

The great diverger

AND a mention of the 43rd parliament's independent Labor allies, if that is not an oxymoron. Back in his electorate in NSW, Rob Oakeshott emerged from his Port Macquarie office yesterday to announce his long awaited decision to the media on whether he would accept Julia Gillard's offer of a ministerial portfolio, he promised he would get straight to the point. Clearly the man had learned his lesson after putting the nation through his 17-minute oration earlier in the week. Oakeshott steadied himself, took a deep breath, and began: "I have just got off the phone from Julia Gillard to talk about the very kind offer of . . . hey Robbo! It's my old footy coach everyone." Everyone turned, nodded politely to Robbo, who nodded politely back. Improving.