A couple doing a reno of their [er, our] "home"

Just a couple doing a bit of renovating? Not quite, as Mike Carleton points out in his piece in the SMH on how the PM Howard and "the little woman" have had their hands deep - very deep - in the taxpayer's pockets spending on their living quarters.

"As anyone who has ever done it knows only too well, working to a tight budget can be a renovator's nightmare. But one Sydney-based professional couple has shown just what magical results can be achieved with a bold sense of style while, at the same time, keeping a tight rein on costs.

John, a prime minister, and his wife Janette, a former schoolteacher turned political guru, make their home in a splendid sandstone colonial mansion on Kirribilli Point overlooking a sparkling panorama of sails and sunshine on Sydney Harbour. They also share a graceful country residence in leafy Canberra, not much more than a stone's throw from Parliament House where busy John has his office."

Howard may be a good politician, but Carleton's piece is an interesting background on a boring, colourless and pedestrian couple - except that it is your and my money being spent. As Carleton points out, his figures are taken from those publicly available.

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