How many people does it take to run the Ten TV network? Or rather, how many chiefs? That's the question with the hiring of ad man -- and rival network star -- Russel Howcroft.

James Button’s account of his time working in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is set to further strain the public service’s rigid insistence on complete confidentiality.

Paul Barry felt ever so important after receiving an invitation to lunch at Melbourne's iconic palace of power, the Australian Club. But once inside, he had to question where all the members had gone, and just what he was supposed to do there given talking business is banned.

Fine eateries are popping up all over Perth to cater for the newly rich locals, and the blow-ins from the East visiting the city to talk business. But few can match the legendary status of Perugino.

There's nary a power player in Australia who hasn't passed through Aussies – the legendary cafe that lies deep inside Parliament House in Canberra.

For politician spotting this weekend look no further than Sydney's Golden Century on Sussex St. With Labor's National Conference happening down the road, the Chinese restaurant's bound to serve up a spread of Labor powerbrokers.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, so the saying goes. And two of Australia's most influential lobbyists have done just that in determining their office locations.

The Italian enjoys its power by proximity. The elegant CBD long-lunch spot sits smack bang in the rear of one of Melbourne's centres of corporate influence, 101 Collins Street.

A typical hall of power was once dominated by suits, harbour views, boardrooms and a hierarchical system of who gets what office. But then Larry Page had to invent Google and change all of that.

It's not just the verbal wrath of the opposition an MP needs to be weary of during question time: as Stephen Bromhead showed in Parliament yesterday, working the chamber can result in physical injury too.