George Street Beat: The cash splashes turning Labor into the party Party
Questions have been asked about whether the fractious Labor Party is resorting to paying people so they can have a good time together after a $1100 bill turned up on the party’s declarations from a group calling itself “A-list entertainment” who spruik themselves as “Australia’s largest touring comedy agency”.
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HAS the fractious Labor Party resorted to paying people so they can have a good time together?
A $1100 bill has turned up on the party’s declarations from a group calling itself “A-list entertainment” who spruik themselves as “Australia’s largest touring comedy agency”.
We can’t seem to find any corresponding event around the time this bill was paid in June but that was in the weeks after Deputy Premier Jackie Trad resigned her commission and Left faction types needed a bit of cheering up.
Probably just a coincidence.
MORE MONEY WELL SPENT
MEANWHILE, the bill for Labor’s love-in at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in February came in at a whopping $30,000.
Obviously, sharing rooms mustn’t have been an option.
However, they were heady times with speculation swirling about Trad future and a photograph leaking out of Tourism Minister Kate Jones in deep conversations with union boss Gary Bullock and state secretary Jules Campbell.
No doubt, the mountain air cleared the minds and was worth the money.
DEB IN THE POO
PIGEON poo is the big issue in the marginal LNP seat of Burdekin and Deb Frecklington nearly stepped in it during a recent visit.
She’d planned to announce $50,000 for a street sweeper to work the footpaths of Home Hill but was told don’t bother by outspoken local mayor Lyn McLaughlin who didn’t want to fund the operating costs.
SILLY SOLUTION
A SLOW clap for the “media solutions” specialists from STT Advertising for their efforts recently.
The outfit sent out emails to Liberal National Party MPs about how they’d aided the party at all levels of government, with some helpful examples of their handiwork.
They also sent out an email to Government MPs, but swapped in their efforts with Labor and the unions.
All of it was accurate, of course, but came off looking a little opportunistic when the wrong emails landed in the wrong inboxes.
ABOUT FACEBOOK
ANOTHER best-on-field medal must go to Labor backbencher Don Brown Jnr who has adopted a real “post first, ponder later” mentality in his social media efforts.
Brown got stuck into his old nemesis the LNP’s Andrew Laming on Facebook for not attending this week’s sitting of federal parliament.
“He’ll stay up here and campaign next to LNP candidates, which is not what we pay him for,” he complained.
It didn’t seem to dawn on poor Don that Federal MPs had been told to stay away if not required and among those who had stayed home was Labor’s Graham Perrett.
Worse, Don actually gets paid an extra $84,000 by taxpayers to ensure Labor MPs get to parliament even though he’s part of a Government that has cut sittings days during the pandemic. Oh dear.
FREEZE THAWS
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has a returned foot soldier on her advance team.
Staff freeze? What staff freeze?
GOOD WEEK
CFMEU’s Michael Ravbar, who freed himself from Labor’s factional shackles that few knew he had.
BAD WEEK
Boxer Jeff Horn who didn’t even earn a tweet from his “friend” Annastacia Palaszczuk after his loss to Tim Tszyu.
PIC OF THE WEEK
Robert Schwarten showing at least he’s still welcome in the front bar of the Pine Beach pub after George Street’s expose on local MP Britt Lauga.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I think I’ve had better photos.”
– State Development Minister Kate Jones unimpressed by the picture of her being used by the CFMEU.