Get drunk, go home - new booze guidelines for pollies
A battle looms as a NSW MP contemplates a federal tilt; a Liberal candidate draws first blood in teal challenge; and new booze guidelines are looming for NSW pollies. See more in The Sauce.
NSW
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After months of work, NSW parliament has released its long-awaited Interim Alcohol and other Drugs Policy for pollies and staff.
The policy can be summarised as such: Become rolling drunk, go home.
The policy also helpfully – in bold – details how to tell when a pollie or someone else has had too much.
A person is “intoxicated” if “the person’s speech, balance co-ordination or behaviour is noticeable affected”, it says.
The policy said it was also “reasonable to believe that the affected speech, balance, co-ordination or behaviour is the result of the consumption of alcohol”.
The Group said the policy was designed to deal with “managing the work health and safety risk’ from “intoxication, recreational and prescription drugs”.
Some of the advice included “providing information about support programs” for people having issues with alcohol and ensuring everyone “behaved responsibly when consuming alcohol while in the workplace, when attending work functions, or when representing the parliament”.
Other measures included ensuring record were kept during events where alcohol might be consumed “in the event of any investigation arising from an incident” and also making sure there is food and soft drinks available.
In the event a pollie or staff still becomes rolling drunk “they should not return to duty, and should seek assistance in leaving the parliament safely”.
FEDERAL TILT
He has long been in the frame as the most likely person to challenge Liberal leader Mark Speakman for the job.
But with that moment having passed (for now), it is no surprise barrister and Liberal frontbencher Alister Henskens might be contemplating a tilt at a soon-to-be-vacated federal seat.
Henskens has been touted as one of the two frontrunners for the seat of Bradfield, which has become vacant with the departure of moderate Paul Fletcher.
As for this connection to the seat, Henskens was the Bradfield Federal Electorate Conference president when Fletcher was preselected.
The other top contender is former international trade lawyer and ex-adviser to Julie Bishop and Steven Ciobo, Gisele Kapterian.
Both Henskens and Kapterian set tongues wagging after being spotted at a “thank you to volunteers” event hosted by Fletcher in Willoughby on Thursday night.
The pair are sure to also be attending another Fletcher event next week.
While Kapterian declared on Tuesday that she would be running, Henskens is so far keeping mum.
When asked by The Sauce about his intentions, the usually forthcoming MP declined to comment.
Nominations will close December 17 with a preselection held in January.
GOLF BUDDY
They bonded over golf, so it was no surprise former Australian ambassador to the US Joe Hockey would send a congratulatory message to US president-elect Donald Trump on his recent victory.
Hockey told The Sauce that he had mailed a handwritten note, noting how “the president reads everything”.
The pair made headlines after it was revealed Trump had called Hockey – then described as an “enthusiastic but unaccomplished” golfer – to join him for a round at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia in 2018.
The pair reunited on the green the following year at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida.
FIRST BLOOD
In the genteel hills of the eastern suburbs Wentworth electorate where MPs are more likely to get clobbered by rolled up yoga mats than baseball bats, first blood has been drawn.
With a federal election to be held sooner rather than later, Liberal challenger Ro Knox has hit the ground running with mass plantings of campaign posters of corflutes.
Knox, who has a law degree and studied International Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is hoping to reclaim the once prized blue-ribbon seat from “teal” independent Allegra Spender, whom one Lib claimed has been “noticeably absent” from the local school prize-giving ceremonies.
“The littlies at Paddington Public, Bondi Public and Glenmore Road Public had to make do this week with the presence of Spender’s EA,” the Lib said.
Spender told The Sauce she had, or was attending, 17 prize-giving ceremonies this year, meaning they sometimes clashed.
“Prize givings are some of the best part of my job and I love presenting my emerging leader award,” she said.
“I have/am going to 17 of them, but sometimes two prize-givings clash so then I send a member of my team to the one I can’t make.”
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