It's the individuals we write about with the smallest media profile who cause the biggest stir, usually because their unique talents can be surprisingly productive.

Claims overnight that Kevin Rudd agreed to kill off poker machine pre-commitment should he become prime minister threaten to undermine his tilt for the top job.

Rooster one day, feather duster the next. That's the power game. As soon as Independent MP Andrew Wilkie lost the ability to bring down Julia Gillard's minority government—when Peter Slipper slipped into the Speaker's chair last November—it was odds-on that his pokie reforms would struggle to get up.

GetUp! director Simon Sheikh says the clubs movement has run a shoddy campaign against Andrew Wilkie's proposed poker machine reforms.

His opponents call him a 'wrecker', while his supporters say that he is just doing what a good opposition does. Whatever your opinion, Tony Abbott has added poker machine reform to the growing list of policies he has vowed to overturn.

The government's package of bills for the carbon tax cleared the House of Representatives, Tony Crook scuttled the vote on the Malaysian swap deal, and Qantas grounded five of its aircraft: this is The Power Index's roll call of people who mattered this week.

Anthony Ball is the CEO of Clubs NSW and Clubs Australia, and the driving force behind the pro-pokies campaign. He's really only powerful on this one issue, but he's striking fear into the hearts of NSW Labor MPs.

Sydney’s most powerful can change the way the city looks, feels and works, and make it a better (or worse) place to live. So who’s on the list and who’s missed out?