Rainfall is a happening!

Big event in Melbourne, it's actually pouring with rain as I talk, something we haven't seen for quite a few months, let it keep going, get those catchments a top up.

Secondly, Andrew Bolt has been getting a bit precious about some of the criticism he has been receiving of late, today on 774m, he had a real go at Stephen Mayne, as detailed by crikey.com.au here.

Stephen Mayne ended his stint as a fill-in presenter on ABC radio in Victoria this morning with a heated on-air debate with Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt. Bolt turned up at the studio to have a crack at the Crikey founder for allegedly using the ABC as a platform to pursue a vendetta against him. Mayne said on air that Bolt was appearing because ABC management wanted him to.

A seething Bolt accused Mayne of using his week in the presenter's chair to "pursue personal animus," including "three highly personal attacks in three days." (Perhaps Bolt wasn't listening when Mayne defended him to a talkback caller...) Bolt also said the ABC had made a "gross error in judgment" in allowing Mayne on air, but he'd expect no less because "the left stick together."

But "I voted for Robert Doyle in the last election," said Mayne, pointing out that he was also a former Kennett staffer. "You're saying that I shouldn't be allowed to criticise you," he told Bolt, but "you're the most critical commentator in the News Limited stable."

"The ABC is disgraced by your presence," concluded Bolt.

CRIKEY: We rang Mayne who didn't want to comment before a meeting with ABC management but he said he and his producers were overruled. After giving Bolt five minutes on air earlier in the week, Mayne and his producers thought it was unnecessary to give him a second crack when he called to ask for another right of reply this morning. But Bolt then complained to ABC management and Mayne's producers were only given seven minutes notice before the irate columnist turned up at the studio. After the interview Bolt stormed out of the studio and the way the issue was handled is now being debated at an ABC staff meeting.

On listening to Mayne this morning, he was justifiably upset that management allowed Bolt another hearing, Bolt basically just kept talking over the top on Mayne, then proceeded to walk out at the end of the conversation.