darinsullivan.blogspot.com: Barry O'Farrell to curtail Clover Moore's power #NSWpol

End the political 'double dipping'. Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore's job-juggling days could soon be over.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell plans to introduce a law banning state MPs from also serving as local councillors, The Daily Telegraph reports today.

Moore, who also represents the inner-city electorate of Sydney in state parliament, would have to step down from one of her two jobs by September – as would the 28 other state MPs who currently serve as councillors.

The Liberal Party scored a 14.6% swing in Moore's seat at the March 2011 election and would be hopeful of claiming it at a by-election. The NSW Business Chamber today welcomed an end to "double dipping", saying it will eradicate concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

James Packer clears up Bob Katter support. Fresh from donating a cool $250,000 to Bob Katter's Australia Party, James Packer might be starting to show the early signs of buyer's remorse.

In a statement circulated online this morning, the casino king has hit back at the party's controversial anti-gay marriage ads.

"I admire his passion for this great country and that's why I donated to him," the statement said. "But I don't agree with all his policies and views and I certainly don't support this advertisement or his attack on Campbell Newman."

We're glad Packer cleared that up.

Sensis' times are a changing. Few people could blame Bruce Akhurst, the long-serving and long-suffering CEO of Telstra subsidy, Sensis, for calling it quits.

In a statement issued this morning, Akhurst declared that "it is time for a change" and announced that he'll step down in May.

Sensis has struggled with the declining relevance of its printed products, and has recently seen its earnings plummet. Although driving the business' digital transformation and cutting hundreds of jobs in the process, Akhurst has been unable to curb the drag of its printed products on the business, and was recently demoted out of Telstra's senior executive team.

It'll now be up to Telstra's digital media boss Rick Ellis to help with Sensis' woes, having been appointed interim CEO and the man in charge of finding a replacement for Akhurst