The Source: Sweet surprise for heckler-dodging Premier Jacinta Allan

The Premier was yelled at during her press conference on Thursday, so when another stranger interrupted, she was on guard. No one expected what happened next.

A man who interrupted Jacinta Allan’s press conference called her a ‘lioness’ and said ‘I could kiss you’.

Putting the squeeze on Victoria’s movers, shakers and headline makers

Politicians are used to hecklers, especially if they risk holding a press conference in a public place. But how about a megafan going in for a kiss?

Jacinta Allan braved the very public square outside Victoria Police headquarters on Thursday to promote her government’s new machete bins ahead of the weapons being banned statewide.

As the press conference neared its end, a heckler reared her head.

“What are you doing about the children, Jacinta?” she yelled.

But the heckler was no match for trams and car horns on Spencer St which were drowning out even the questions from the media pack.

With the hater out of the way, JA thought she was in the clear.

Until a man dressed in high vis and a North Melbourne scarf, who had been watching on, approached her and startled her bodyguards.

Another hater? Oh no, this was a fan.

“You just made my day,” he told the Premier.

“I could kiss you … I’ll kiss you,” he said, before leaning in for a kiss on the cheek.

The Premier, with an awkward laugh and a smile, leaned in for a brief hug and a handshake.

“Oh, well lovely to meet you,” she laughed. “You keep doing your good work.”

But the praise for the Premier didn’t end there.

“It’s not easy doing what you do,” he told her.

“It’s like my mum. She raised us tough but it’s good to be led by a lioness and I’m proud of you.”

Climate emergency doesn’t stop council CEO’s Cairo trip

Who says money is tight at Town Hall?

Late last year, City of Melbourne chief executive Alison Leighton spent $5,589.22 of ratepayers’ money to fly to Cairo to attend both the 2024 Global Observance of World Cities Day and the twelfth session of the World Urban Forum, according to council documents.

The trip went from 28 October to 7 November, and The Source is sure there are many valuable insights that were brought back to Melbourne from the two global conferences.

The Source is sure Ms Leightson gained valuable insights from the two global conferences. Picture: Supplied

Some of the highlights of the jam-packed agenda included sessions on “a trans shelter in India hoping to foster community and prevent homelessness”; “slum activism”; and “gender-responsive urban mobility planning”.

Back in 2019, the City of Melbourne declared a climate emergency and its website still tells Melburnians: “Where possible, take public transport, a bike or walk instead of using a car.”

What about using Zoom or Teams instead of flying overseas to two UN conferences? The Source couldn’t find any mention of that helpful hint on the council’s website.

Got a tip? Let us know [e-mail].

Originally published as The Source: Sweet surprise for heckler-dodging Premier Jacinta Allan