Christian Democrat MP Reverend Fred Nile confirmed the meeting with Mr Packer and said he would back the project - with strict terms.

"We need a firm guarantee there will be no poker machines, not one, now or in the future," Mr Nile said.

"We also want legislation protecting staff from passive smoking. Mr Packer has guaranteed he will do this but we want it to be part of the legislation."

After weeks of anticipation, Pope Benedict solemnly put his finger to a tablet device and tried to send his first tweet - but something went wrong.

In perhaps the most drawn-out Twitter launch ever, the 85-year-old Benedict tapped the screen of a tablet brought to him at the end of his general audience after the equivalent of a papal drum roll by an announcer, who intoned: ‘‘And now the Pope will tweet!’’.

Senior Coalition figures are standing by former Howard government minister Mal Brough despite calls for him to be disendorsed because of links to a failed sexual harassment case against Peter Slipper.

I picked James, age three-and-a-half, up after his first day at preschool in Massachusetts, where we had lately gone to live for a few years.

The Sydneysiders on the North Shore are depressed... Business is slack, shops are deserted and going broke, street malls are empty, the summer weather so far has been crap... On top of this, most of the North Shore is the electorate of Tony Abbott. This by itself would be depressing... and more depressing still — for many of the North Shore Siders Tony is Jesus of Nazareth, walking on water and coming to save Australia from its Labor sins...

"Nuclear, ecological, chemical, economic - our arsenal of Death by Stupidity is impressive for a species as smart as Homo sapiens" 1

from politicoz ….

by my friend, Vacy Vlazna

The sharply divided US Congress has been able to agree on one thing at least - that the word "lunatic" should be banned.

Barnaby Joyce is building on his claim the carbon tax will push the price of a Sunday roast to $100 by saying a single cow or lamb could cost as much as a house.

The government derided his new claim of extravagantly expensive meals as deranged.

Dear Brittany...