It would make me more optimistic, Alison, if the US had an arts minister, or something of the sort, at all.

Hi Alison - I don't have a contact number for you but wondered if you could please call me at 3RRR ASAP as I have something I'd like to chat to you about for my show today. 9388 1027 - cheers, richard

McMullan has been dropped from the front bench altogether.

Peter Garrett has been made Minister for Environment and Heritage and the Arts.

IDEA FOR A MUSICAL inspired by the Liberal leadership settlement

An 80s retro musical, hmm let's see, casey benetto to write it, titled um how about:

A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS FIGHTING OVER A CHIP

Synopsis: a political thriller set in an imaginary political party riven by personal animosities and ambitions for thirteen years, lurching from crisis to thigh-slappingly hilarious crisis...

Dramatis Personae & Casting Suggestions:

Sunlamp Kid Andrew Peacock 83-85, played by Brendan Nelson

Honest John Howard 85-89 played by Tony 'People Skills' Abbott (thanks for that line, Annabel Crabb)

Then the return of the king, Andrew 'a souffle never rises twice' Peacock 89-90, Brendan Nelson reprises the role that made him fatuous...

And coup mastermind Wilson Tuckey played by.... Wilson Tuckey!

Ferrari-driving merchant banker Dr John Hewson 90-94 played by... hmmmmm, is Malcolm Turnbull too obvious a choice?

Alexander Downer 94-95, well who else has the rounded Adelaide vowels but Christopher Pyne?

And before we come to Howard Redux 95-96 let's think about supporting cast:

Who to play Joh for Canberra 87? Barnaby's nutty enough but not nearly as nasty. Maybe Dr Flegg the Qld Lib leader who won't call a party room vote? Or the WA opposition leader Omodei who said anyone who tapped him on the shoulder would cop a right hook? or maybe Pauline Hanson?

And how about Bronwyn Bishop and her pitch for leader in 93, anyone remember that? Who plays Bronny? Julie Bishop has the name, but is disqualified by actually having some talent, so for some inspired casting how about Janet Albrechtsen, we'd save on the wig budget cos she has the hair for it, and she could be a Lib senator in ten years time, yes?

Finally we come to Act 3: Howard Redux, eyebrows plucked, teeth capped, 95-96... The prodigal son returns from the wilderness to claim what is rightfully his... has to be a forgotten man written off by everyone in act one... yes of course.... Peter Costello! (like in that Luis Bunuel film, That Obscure Object Of Desire, with the same character played by two different actors... tricky huh...)

Remember what our mate Karl Marx said, history is always repeated twice, first time as tragedy, second as farce...

but in our production we save money but making it tragedy and farce all at once...

Harley, what a masterpiece! And where's Casey?

Well, I've dealt with Other (non-theatre) Work. Still tired, but speculating...

Good: arts is a Cabinet position.

Possibly ok but possibly not: we're part of a mega-portfolio with Environment and Heritage. I don't know if this is better than being part of Information Technology and Communications or not.

But thinking that it's very controversial in France that the Ministry for Culture is about to be absorbed into other ministries. How long since the arts have been a ministry by itself? (Has it ever? And what's the chance of it getting a cabinet position if it was? Just wondering...)

What I'd like to see: some smart, informed, intelligent arts policy, rather than wibbly wobbly touchy feely rhetoric that throws money around with it being useful...

If there's any money tied to policy, let's hope it goes into artists and not into another hundred 400-seat amalgamated council multi-purpose auditoriums that not even high school musicals find useful and eventually get turned into swimming pools...