The Sauce: Firing off: Shooting outing organised for non-sitting day in May
Pollies are prepping to fire off a few rounds at a shooting range and with free vouchers and licence help from the Sporting Shooters Association it’s a novel - and loud - way to grow membership. READ THE SAUCE.
NSW
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What better way to spend the last non-sitting day of May than fire off a few rounds at the Auburn Shooting Academy.
The May 5 outing has been organised by independent Roy Butler, who despite having quit the NSW Shooters Party is still very much interested in the sport.
Butler is also co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Shooting and Outdoor Recreation, which organised the “firearms licence and safe shooting day”.
The email to pollies declared the day “a great opportunity for people to learn about firearms safety and to obtain a firearms licence”.
Pollies taking part would also be given “two free range hire vouchers” for the Auburn Shooting Centre, and assistance from the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (SSAA) in lodging their firearms licence application.
That’s one way to grow a membership
TRUMP IMPERSONATION
With Donald Trump in the firing line of Australian farmers, Premier Chris Minns had a sympathetic audience when he rolled out his impersonation of the US president last week.
Minns — who had the room in stitches — had been special guest at a NSW Farmers Writers’ Association event held in Sydney last Friday when he was asked what executive orders he would make “for regional NSW and agriculture” if he was to be “Donald Trump for the day?”
Breaking into his best New York “Queens” accent, Minns declared “I’m signing an order today, we’re bringing in an order” before asking the packed room if they remembered Trump talking about how he was going to rescue NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams that were recently “stuck” in space.
“She’s got big hair, big hair,” Minns continued, using Trump’s hand gestures.
“We’re gonna get’em out of the space station, bring’em back down to Sydney. I’m signing an order today.”
As well as fielding an array of questions about US tariffs, biosecurity and plant-based meat burgers “I’ve never had it”, Minns was also asked what sort of a farmer he would have made had he had the chance — to which he replied: “A bad one”.
“I don’t have (the) skills, I’m from the city. I’ve only ever lived in Sydney, so I don’t pretend to be something I’m not, but I’m full of admiration for people that do it.”
The lunch was held before Trump unveiled his tariffs.
The Association has invited longstanding free trade advocate Andrew Robb to speak at its next lunch at the end of this month.
TEAL TRAVEL
Warringah “teal” independent Zali Steggall has defended charging taxpayers almost $500 in travel expenses for a three-day trip through Queensland, which included attending community events with teal activists.
The trip began on September 18 last year when Steggall headlined an event in Mountain Creek hosted by Fairfax Matters and Voices of Fisher.
The following day, Steggall again headlined an event in Eaton Hills hosted by Dickson Decides.
On Friday, Steggall also headlined an event in Miami hosted by McPherson Independent, Voices of Moncrieff, and Voices of Fadden.
During an interview with ABC about the trips, Steggall said it was a chance to “pay it forward” and support other independent candidates.
In her Register of Members’ Interests, Steggall revealed that the McPherson Independents had provided the flights to the Sunshine Coast and flights from Gold Coast worth $629.33 and $768.06 respectively.
She also revealed that “Community Independent Project” paid for the ground transport, while Voices of Fisher and Fairfax Matters paid for the Sunshine Coast accommodation.
As for the accommodation in Brisbane and Gold Coast, Steggall revealed that was covered by Dickson Decides and Voices of Moncrief respectively.
However, Steggall’s Expenditure Report for July-September 2024 — lodged with the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) — revealed she also claimed an official “travel allowance” for the trip at a cost of $376.
Steggall’s Expenditure Report for October-December 2024 also shows she travelled in a COMCAR in Brisbane on September 18 — the first day of her trip — at a cost to taxpayers of $96.12.
Steggall’s office told us she had been “working in her parliamentary capacity as MP during the day”, attending a range of meetings such as a visit to the University of Sunshine Coast to discuss “seaweed research” and the uni’s “sustainability wins”.
Steggall also met with 2032 Olympics and Paralympics Sunshine Coast representatives, visited Griffith University where climate adaptation researchers discussed their work.
“The meetings and issues discussed relate directly to Zali’s parliamentary policy work.”
The explanation did not cut it for Liberal waste-watching senator James Paterson, who said Steggall’s “campaign swing through Queensland” did not pass “the pub test”.
IN DEEP WATER
Pollies are trained to be careful around photographers.
Watch out for Exit signs. Be careful eating that hotdog. No posing with snakes.
But in a sign of absolute trust, NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully and partner, federal MP Alison Byrnes, allowed veteran photographer Sylvia Liber to convince them to plunge into the ocean in their work clothes.
The resulting image — posted on Liber’s Instagram page — quickly did the rounds of Macquarie Street.
“I love that they went for it,” one of Liber’s followers posted.
Commenting on the image, Scully declared: “It was a really fun experience”.
LIB QUITS
He missed out on becoming a Liberal candidate for the state seat of Castle Hill, but it appears Sydney businessman Rajiv Chaudhri has moved on.
Not only has the Spicy Bean Cafe founder who was once engaged to two-time world 400m hurdles champion Jana Pittman quit the party, he has also launched his own digital magazine “Hills Sydney”.
Chaudhri nominated as a candidate for the north-western Sydney seat amid a factional brawl that led to the resignation of then member — former Liberal minister David Elliott — but failed to make it through. Chaudhri claims the party never gave him a reason for not considering his candidature.
In a letter sent to NSW Liberal Party state director Chris Stone this week, Chaudhri wrote that he no longer believed the party’s leadership or direction reflected the core principles it was meant to uphold.
“The persistent lack of integrity, internal divisions, and failure to provide principled leadership have made it impossible for me to continue my association with the party in good conscience,” he wrote.
“Instead of offering a clear and responsible vision for Australia’s future, the party has been plagued by political self-interest, a disregard for transparency, and a failure to stand by the principles it once championed.”
Ouch.
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