George Street Beat: Shannon Fentiman pardons Koumala Hotel cat Precious
Premier Steven Miles used the final week of Parliament to cultivate as many friends as he could in case Queenslanders deliver a hung parliament. THIS IS GEORGE STREET BEAT
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Premier Steven Miles used the week to cultivate as many friends as he could find should Queenslanders deliver a hung parliament on October 26.
It started on Monday when the Premier praised the work of a party he might have to negotiate with should nobody reach 47 seats.
“The Katters do a good job of representing regional Queensland,” he announced.
“They’ve really moved into that gap left by the National Party when it merged with the Liberal Party.
“The LNP doesn’t represent much of regional Queensland, that’s the Katters and the Labor Party that do it.”
PRECIOUS PUSSY
Stand aside Molly the Magpie, there’s a new cult animal hero with political connections in town. It’s a tale of an elderly cat, a regional pub, Ministerial powers, a local MP backing his community and plain common sense.
Health Minister Shannon Fentiman, in the dying days of government, has used her powers to pardon Precious the feline publican from being evicted from her home at the Koumala Hotel near Mackay.
Precious was at risk of being kicked out of the place she had called home for 14 years after Mackay Regional Council found the cat was in breach of food safety regulations.
In a quirk of responsibility, food safety regulations is state law but administered by council.
Mirani MP Stephen Andrew, the Katter’s Australian Party latest recruit, had lobbied Ms Fentiman to spare Precious the cat on behalf of his constituents.
This included a petition signed by thousands of supporters.
“When Stephen raised this with me, I called the Mayor (Greg Williamson) and we all agreed that as long as she stays out of the kitchen, she can live her last remaining years at the pub,” Ms Fentiman said.
“I’m so pleased to see that common sense can prevail, and Precious can stay.”.
The Health Minister even found time to film a celebratory video with an ecstatic Mr Andrew.
While it won’t win her any votes, it will certainly win over the hearts of Koumala locals and we’re told the pub’s owners Ray and Rowena are overjoyed by the decision.
MARK WHO? COMMUNITY PULLS THROUGH FOR MYSTERY EX-MINISTER
Community Facebook groups are the mecca for figuring out why the helicopter is swirling overhead, whose cat got out last night, and getting your lost property returned to you as former Transport Minister Mark Bailey discovered this week.
The post on the Tarragindi Community page read “does anyone know who this belongs to?”, accompanied by a photo of a Commonwealth Bank card belonging to one Mark C. Bailey, complete with the former minister’s signature on the back.
Mr Bailey confirmed the card had fallen out of his pants pocket after he had errantly chosen not to put it in his top pocket as he usually did.
‘KIDS WILL LOVE IT’: NEW GIFT RANGE IS COMEDY GOLD
Christmas will be easier this year thanks to the new gift range released by the Queensland Parliament – and it was enough to send Speaker Curtis Pitt into a fit of laughter.
He started spruiking the “range of new gifts” including versatile duffel bags, pens and parliamentary stationary sets.
“The kids will love that one,” Katter’s Australian Party MP Nick Dametto chimed in.
Pausing to contain his bursting laughter, Mr Pitt paused before pressing through the rest of the stocking fillers.
“We also have scarfs, silk ties and tea towels,” he finished.
The most popular gift shop purchase, Mr Pitt noted, remained the Speaker’s Gin.
GUTTER POLITICS: BLEIJIE GOES TO TOWN
Insults regularly fly around parliament, but every so often there’s one so piercing your jaw falls to the floor.
This week it came courtesy of Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie directed at Treasurer Cameron Dick.
“I did laugh when I read in the paper on the weekend that the Deputy Premier had said ‘when I am on the roof cleaning my gutters I can see my electorate’ … The only gutter the Deputy Premier knows is the political gutter,” Mr Bleijie started.
“He has not worked a hard day in his life.
“I have shaken hands with the Deputy Premier and his are not the hands of a gutter cleaner; his are the hands of an arrogant upstart who thinks he is better than anybody else.”
Brutal.
LOST IN THE SUBURBS, A SERIES
It turns out political hopefuls get lost in the suburbs more often than you think. Last week it was revealed the LNP’s Lisa Baillie, candidate for Mt Ommaney, walked too far and ended up doorknocking deep into the neighbouring electorate of Miller in a geographical whoopsy.
Social media sleuths have now uncovered another lost candidate. This time it’s Labor’s hopeful in the Gold Coast seat of Theodore.
Labor’s Rita Anwari, in a since deleted Facebook post, claimed to be “out in the community doorknocking” in late August when she ran into a “dear friend and passionate Labour (sic) supporter”.
Main problem? The photo was taken inside the Nerang Neighbourhood Centre (as evidenced by the information on the wall behind the two women), which is squarely in the seat of Gaven held by Labor frontbencher Meaghan Scanlon.
The photo of Ms Anwari and the community centre’s co-ordinator Vicky Rose remains up on social media but the caption has been changed to remove any inference to a random meet up while out doorknocking.
Since it might help some candidates, you can easily look up what electorate you’re in based on an address on the ECQ “Where’s my electorate” page.
STATE OF UNDRESS
It took an unexpected vote at 2.30am nearly a decade ago for MPs to run into Queensland’s Parliament chamber in all manners of undress – including the famous scene of Member for Hervey Bay Ted Sorensen stumbling in bleary eyed wearing a jacket but no shirt.
But it seems family friendly hours have turned our politicians soft. As MPs bundled into the chamber about 5.12pm on Tuesday for a stock standard vote it became starkly obvious a couple of politicians were caught on the hop.
Speaker Curtis Pitt reserved his best sledge for LNP’s Tim Mander – a former leading NRL referee – after the latter came dressed for the vote in footy shorts and a jersey.
“Member for Everton, I am not sure what is worse – that shirt or the fact that you did not know what the tackle count was,” Mr Pitt said.
Across the chamber Corrective Services Minister Nikki Boyd was doing her best to blend in, but the Labor MP didn’t escape eagle eyed spies who noticed she too was in active wear – although far more discreet than Mr Mander’s efforts.
Both MPs separately confirmed they had been at the gym and pointed out to this column there were no dress rules when it comes to voting in the chamber. We accept no parliamentary rules were broken, just those of the fashion variety.
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