News & Views: Jenny Macklin and her weekly budget

Jenny Macklin and her weekly budget. So Australian Families Minister Jenny Macklin declares she can live on $35 a day when asked by a reporter if she could live on the level of welfare payments the Government will be paying single parents. Frankly it's hard to think of a more insulting aside to the many Australians struggling on this amount of money. And that's why her comments have caused such uproar. All I can say - as are many others - is that it is time for Jenny to stand up for what she says and actually try and live on that amount for a couple of weeks. Then she will be qualified to make a judgement call. It's interesting when you think about $35 and then think about what sort of costs as a family you incur on a typical day. Petrol, school lunches, dinner, bills, etc etc. And that doesn't even begin to account for all the little incidentals. Greens Deputy Leader Adam Bandt has cleverly put his hand up and declared he will give it a go and report back. Looking forward to hearing about his experiences.

Style notes: Nail polish heaven

I first discovered Butter London nail lacquer at a pharmacy in Byron Bay. In true northern NSW style, they were stocked because they are one of the rare nail products on the market which don't contain many of the usual harmful ingredients. For me, that was a huge appeal. But what drew me then and keeps drawing me back is the almost candy like nature of the colours. So beautiful I could try them all. I now find them stocked at lots of little boutiques all over Melbourne. Take a look at the website for some serious colour temptation. www.butterlondon.com