The writers of gangland TV drama ‘Underbelly’ have won one of the highest honours from their peers at the Australian Writers’ Guild awards last night. Peter Gawler, Greg Haddrick and Felicity Packard won the award for best television mini series adaptation.

Under the Victorian Government’s plans, TAFE students will be able to take out an income-contingent loan — similar to HECS in universities — to pay for their courses. The move is expected to get the backing of the Rudd Government, and is designed to soften the blow of increased fees.

Federal cabinet, meeting in Adelaide, a centre of the unfolding crisis, signed off on $50 million in additional spending to accelerate the buyback of water rights, which has so far had minimal impact. But the Opposition dismissed the package as “paper money”, while South Australia’s balance-of-power senator Nick Xenophon said it did not go far enough.

If you look at each new federal government over the past 40 years — Whitlam, Fraser, Hawke, Howard and Rudd — their initial victories were largely due to the establishment of beachheads of support in developing suburbs. Having won these voters over, each government has faced the task of trying to hold onto them.

The Victorian Greens will today move a bill to toughen existing conflict of interest and donation disclosure rules, based on the current West Australian model. But last night Local Government Minister Richard Wynne sought to trump the Greens with a sneak preview of his own bill, due in September.

Voters’ concerns about Victoria’s environmental credentials appear to have been justified. If John Brumby were given a report card for environmental achievements in his first year as Premier, it would be littered with red crosses and fail marks.