The Sauce: Liberal bigwigs court Scott Yung for Kogarah run in secret meeting at 52
Desperate Liberals pulled out all the stops last week to try to convince education entrepreneur Scott Yung to run against Chris Minns in the marginal Labor seat of Kogarah. It’s in The Sauce.
State Election
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Desperate Liberals pulled out all the stops last week to try to convince education entrepreneur Scott Yung to run against Opposition leader Chris Minns in the marginal Labor seat of Kogarah.
The Sauce was alerted to a meeting to be held at 52 Martin Place early Tuesday afternoon whereby Liberal bigwigs such as Premier Dominic Perrottet’s chief political strategist Yaron Finkelstein were supposedly meeting Yung to try to convince him to run.
We subsequently obtained photographs of Yung walking in to “52” with Treasurer Matt Kean, a moderate powerbroker who knows a thing or two about factional deals.
In one photo, Kean had his arm around Yung.
Also walking in to the building at the time was fellow moderate Mark Coure and Upper House Liberal MP Peter Poulos, who used to work for Kean as an adviser. it is understood Poulos was at the meeting.
The Liberals have been courting Yung given how close he came to unseating Minns in 2019, have reportedly failed to provide him for a satisfactory fallback plan should he fail to win the seat.
One Liberal source said Yung was being offered an Upper House seat – although this would mean dumping an MP. Another source said Yung wanted a Senate spot.
While Labor is quietly confident Minns will retain his seat, a strong Liberal candidate would force the party to spend more time and resources – including visits by Minns himself – in the electorate “just in case”.
TEAL HOPEFUL A SNOW—SHOW
Hundreds of angry locals turned up to a public rally to protest against plans to allow tourists to stay overnight at a lighthouse complex located in the northern beaches seat of Pittwater last Sunday.
With a state election weeks away, the pollies were also out in force with Pittwater MP Rob Stokes, Opposition environment spokeswoman Penny Sharpe and Pittwater Liberal candidate Rory Amon among those present.
However, one key person was missing.
Despite photographs of the rally appearing on the Facebook page of “teal” independent candidate Jacqui Scruby, the Pittwater hopeful sent her apologies.
The Sauce can now reveal the environmental lawyer and Pittwater local was on an overseas holiday with “part” of the trip spent at the ski resort town of Aspen.
However, Scruby’s office rejected accusations from some of her political rivals that posting a photograph of the rally despite not being physically present was misleading.
The rally photographs were posted with Scruby writing: “Wonderful to see so many people – and so many Team Jacqui volunteers – turn up to help save Barrenjoey’s gorgeous heritage-listed buildings from becoming short-term rentals.”
When asked to confirm local gossip that she had actually been “skiing in Aspen” when the rally was underway, The Sauce was told she was overseas before it was later clarified how part of her trip had included Aspen.
“I’ve recently had an overseas family holiday to spend time with my two daughters following a busy year as both campaign manager and then parliamentary advisor to Dr Sophie Scamps MP,” Scruby said in a statement.
“I’ve recently had an overseas family holiday to spend time with my two daughters following a busy year as both campaign manager and then parliamentary advisor to Dr Sophie Scamps MP,” Scruby said in a statement.
Ms Scruby – who worked for federal “teal” Dr Sophie Scamps before announcing her own candidacy – also tackled the question posed by some of her political rivals whether she had offset her flights, declaring she had.
“My family has carbon offset our flights and I hope the NSW Liberal Party are as concerned about the emissions from the 26 coal and gas mines they have approved in the last four years as they are with my family’s flights,” the climate change adviser said.
The NSW government is proposing to commercialise part of the spectacular headland by converting the Assistant Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage for enable overnight tourists to stay.
Locals, including community lobby group Palm Beach and Whale Beach Association, have declared the plans as “tantamount to vandalism”.
The lighthouse is often featured in the TV series ‘Home And Away’.
TRUTH BLURRED
Just as Scruby is under fire for posting photographs of a rally that she had not attended, her political rival and Liberal councillor Rory Amon is being asked why a digitally altered photograph was posted of the rally.
Upon close examination of the protest photograph Amon uploaded to Facebook last weekend, a blurry patch appears to cover what a Scruby’s supporter claims was a local volunteer wearing one of their T-shirts while a handbag strap suddenly disappears.
The blue T-shirts ordinarily feature a white slogan – Jacqui Scruby independent for Pittwater.
“It’s worth asking Rory why (a photo was photoshopped) in his recent Facebook post about Barrenjoey Headland to remove one of our campaign T-shirts,” a Scruby supporter said.
“I’d say that’s pretty misleading.
The Sauce is waiting for Amon’s response.
CHANGING BEHAVIOURS
Labor has enlisted behavioural change specialists The Shannon Company as its advertising agency for the upcoming NSW election.
The communications agency has run ads for the Victorian government along with campaigns such as the prevention of violence against women, LGBTQI people and the elderly.
Interestingly given the current cashless gaming issue, the agency also ran a 100 day harm minimisation campaign for the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation where problem gamblers were encouraged to “take a break”.
Former Labor premier Steve Bracks was last year appointed chair of the pioneering agency, having been among the first Australian politicians to embrace “behaviour change science” to drive many of his reforms when leader.
CASH SPLASH
It is no wonder the volunteers at the Sandon Point Surf Life Saving Club were all smiles this week after local Liberal MP Lee Evans presented them with a cheque for a $307,315,000.
Yep, you read that right.
At least that was the figure that appeared to have been written on the cheque that Evan was pictured holding with volunteers on his Facebook page.
An offending zero in the cents section and a barely visible comma was to blame, with the actual amount handed over being $307,315.
NEW MEMBER
Is former Queensland pollie Wyatt Roy planning a comeback? That was the gossip doing the rounds of North Sydney Liberals last week after the former Queensland LNP MP allegedly lodged an application to join a branch in the federal seat of North Sydney.
The seat had been held by Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman until the May election when it was won by “teal” independent Kylea Tink.
Given Wyatt’s highly successful career in the private sector since leaving politics in 2016, we think it is probably a case of wishful thinking.
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