Is There a Possibility the New Minister for Education, Science and Training  May be Able to Clean Up the Augean Stables? (February 15, 2006)

    For Hercules' fifth labour, Eurystheus ordered him to clean up King Augeas' stables. He knew it would be a dirty, smelly job, but sometimes even a hero has to do these things.

The Australian's Dorothy Illing reports:

Hercules takes a break. The goddess Athena pours him a cup of wine. Photo: Maria Daniels, courtesy of the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum

Then there were ...   How many were there?

    They're dropping off the Australian Research Council board so fast it's hard to keep count. Jim Fox is the latest one to resign. He follows other appointed members, Janet Holmes a Court, Patricia Kailis, Wal King and Rory Hume, who left last year, the ARC's annus horribilus. Then there's the gap where the federal Government's chief scientist used to sit, because for nine months there hasn't been a chief scientist. He was one of five ex-officio members who now number four. Last year Brendan Nelson announced he would abolish the board. One small hitch: that can't be done until new legislation is introduced transferring powers to ARC chief executive Peter Hoj. Spare a thought for chairman Tim Besley (who hasn't left), trying to keep the ARC board numbers together long enough to get some business done with a quorum.

Meanwhile the Senate Committee on Employment, Workplace Relations and Education during Estimates today had DEST's Dr. Evan Arthur bobbing and weaving evading answering questions on the state of the Research Quality Framework, just one of the matters driving increasingly deep divisions between members of the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee.

All things considered, Hercules may have had it easy compared to Ms Bishop having to deal with the flotsam Brendan Nelson has left in his wake.