Journalism 101: "You get the best stories at the pub, when people let their guard down a bit"

Glenn Milne's column in The Australian was full of good advice about work-life balance, and how it is not being respected in Kevin Rudd's office:

It also leads to another inevitable conclusion: that the Government is being run at the level of officials by a bunch of 20-somethings who don't have families and can sustain the energy needed to keep up with Rudd. But, with all due respect, what good are childless 20-somethings when it comes to real-world political judgments about what are for them the otherworldly lives of ordinary Australians? Not to mention the work-family balance Rudd promised to deliver when he was campaigning against John Howard.

In the interests of pursuing this discussion of work-life balance, I wanted to record the anonymous diary of a weekly newspaper columnist based in Canberra.

The Daily Diary of a Weekly Canberra Newspaper Columnist

10am - arrive at work; have coffee and pastry at Parliament House with Ministerial staffers

10.45m - sit at desk; check emails; start thinking about column

11.15am - leave for National Press Club lunch

11.30am - pre-lunch drink at National Press Club (good networking opportunity);

12-2pm - lunch at National Press Club; ask question about climate change modelling (whatever the speaker's topic);

2.30pm - return to desk; check emails; read Media Releases; download PDFs of Media Releases; cut and paste relevant sections; start writing column;

5.30pm - leave for dinner with Christopher Pyne/George Brandis/other disgruntled former Peter Costello supporter (delete) other ascendant member of the pantheon of the Federal Shadow Cabinet - split the bill (one bottle of wine each)

9.30pm - have a beer or three at The Holy Grail with Ministerial staffers (Journalism 101: "You get the best stories at the pub, when people let their guard down a bit")

11.30pm - take taxi home.

Next day:

10am - arrive at work; have coffee and pastry at Parliament House with Ministerial staffers

etc.