The Sauce: Premier Dominic Perrottet goes barefoot to bond with the Blues

Forget reconnecting with voters, Premier Dominic Perrottet reconnected to the earth when he went shoeless with NSW State of Origin players for a traditional barefoot training session.

It was a chilly winter morning when Premier Dominic Perrottet was photographed with NSW State of Origin players for a traditional barefoot pre-match training session on Friday.

Introduced by NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler to allow players to “reconnect to the earth”, the barefoot training sessions have been an Origin ritual for several years.

Despite no one being able to actually feel their feet — let alone the earth — nobody was complaining.

Premier Dominic Perrottet visits NSW State of Origin training early on Friday morning. Picture: NRL Photos/Grant Trouville

“All the players were there,” the Premier told The Sauce fresh off the field.

“We also got into a huddle and did some deep-breathing.

“It was a great morning.”

Fittler introduced “earthing” — walking barefoot on grass, sand, dirt or rock to diminish chronic pain, fatigue and other ailments — in 2018.

As well as walking around without shoes and socks and the deep breathing, players are also encouraged to do a bit of yoga.

Whether Perrottet plans to introduce similar shoes-off rituals with his own team ahead of the March State Election remains to be seen.

As for the Origin match itself, the Premier not surprisingly tipped the Blues for a win, offering up a 20-10 final score in the series opener on Wednesday.

MINNS FLICKS SWITCH TO CAMPAIGN MODE

Just when voters thought election time was over, NSW Labor launched its doorknocking campaign this weekend, with NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns hitting the streets as he prepares to take on the Coalition in the upcoming state election.

One year since the Kogarah MP ousted Jodi McKay to become Labor leader, Minns marked the anniversary by doorknocking 400 households in the suburbs of Bexley in his electorate on Saturday.

Labor needs a minimum of eight seats to win a majority and, unlike its federal counterparts, must lift its primary vote in order to secure a victory because of the NSW optional preferential voting system.

Among the seats Labor will be targeting are Penrith, held by deputy Liberal leader Stuart Ayres, the now-notionally Labor seat of Heathcote, held by Lee Evans, the bellwether seat of East Hills, held by Wendy Lindsay, Riverstone, held by Kevin Connolly, and Winston Hills, held by Mark Taylor.

“Basically we need those seats with margins of under 10 per cent and the only way we can do this is to lift our primary (vote) — there are no ifs, or buts, that’s the only way we can do it,” a party source said. “And no one is taking anything for granted.”

Chris Minns posted this picture of his family on social media on Saturday, to mark his one-year anniversary as NSW Labor Leader.

As for what the key issues are, Minns nominated tolls and the cost of living.

“Tolls, tolls, tolls,” he said.

“Cost of living is top of the pops in Bexley.

“A lot of people were keen to chat.

“As we have seen recently, governments and politicians stop listening at their peril.”

No mention of whether unsuccessful Fowler candidate Kristina Keneally will be drafted as a candidate.

I’M FINE

The mood was surprisingly upbeat when members of the depleted left-wing faction of the NSW Liberal Party gathered at The Establishment in Sydney last Sunday afternoon.

Held to commiserate the federal election result, the Liberal Forum group of moderates also used the occasion to welcome their new “president”, lobbyist and powerbroker Michael Photios.

Photios replaces veteran Liberal Bruce Baird, who had held the position “for years” (nobody could recall exactly how long).

Liberal lobbyist and powerbroker Michael Photios on election night. Picture: Jason Edwards

While ousted Liberals Dave Sharma and Jason Falinski were at other events and sent their apologies — they lost their seats of Wentworth and Mackellar respectively to a “teal” independent — defeated former North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman was among those who turned up for the wine and nibblies.

To avoid having the same conversation with everyone, Zimmerman — who also lost his seat to a teal independent — declared in his speech to the gathering that if anybody was inquiring, he was “fine”.

The post-election gathering is a tradition among the moderates, who meet to “celebrate or commiserate” after each election.

The group also often holds bonding events with guests speakers, who in the past have included Qantas boss Alan Joyce, ex-foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop and former defence minister Christopher Pyne.

“The mood was quite upbeat,” one moderate said. “There was a lot of talk about firing up and working to rebuild.

“It wasn’t like people were moping. Trent spoke and said, before anyone asked, he was fine.”

Other moderates at the gathering included Tim Wilson, who also lost his safe Victorian seat to a “teal”, and Jenny Ware, one of the only left-wingers to actually win a seat.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Senator Matt Thistlethwaite has been facing his fair share of questions since his surprise appointment as Assistant Minister for the Republic in the new Albanese government.

Among them includes whether he plans to keep “The Honourable” title he adopted after Labor lost the 2013 election. Pollies who have held a ministerial portfolio can use the title to reflect the honour and responsibility of their previous role.

New Assistant Minister for the Republic Matt Thistlethwaite. Picture: AAP Image

However, some pollies — such as those from the Greens — choose not use the title.

Constitutional monarchist and NSW Transport Minister David Elliott said if Thistlethwaite was a good republican, he would ditch the title.

“All ministers publicly advocating for a republic should at least follow the Greens’ practice of refusing an honorific,” he said.

Thistlethwaite countered with: “This weekend should be about honouring the Queen and her significant contribution to The Commonwealth, not about which politicians have honourable as a title.”

WOMEN WELCOMED

After The Sauce pointed out the lack of women nominating for the Sydney Cricket Ground advisory committee last week, we were contacted by one of the 17 blokes who had nominated.

Michael Chandler, a Sydney University Business School Alumni Committee volunteer president and married father of two, said he agreed it was a mystery as to why no women had nominated.

And should he be selected, Chandler, 42, vowed to make it one of the advisory committee’s tasks to explore why women felt they could not nominate.

“This should be one of the first tasks that anyone who is selected to sit on the advisory board should look at, he told The Sauce.

“Seventeen blokes nominating is not a fair representation of the membership group. On game days, we have mums, dads, kids … we have a woman as the CEO … it is definitely not a stuffy old boys’ club.

“If I am selected, it will definitely be one of the things that I will ask the committee to look at.”

GROUND CONTROL

Not everyone is happy at the control the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) wants over any letters state ministers might want to write to their new Labor federal counterparts.

A leaked departmental memo obtained by The Sauce reveals the DPC wants “visibility” over any correspondence proposed by ministers to be sent to the Commonwealth so the DPC could seek the approval of Premier Dominic Perrottet “and ensure those letters are aligned with the overall priorities for NSW”.

In the memo, DPC deputy secretary Sally Cruickshank — the former chief-of-staff to ex-premier Gladys Berejiklian — said the visibility was being requested to enable the department to put together a briefing for the Premier ahead of his meeting with the new Labor ministers in the coming weeks.

She wrote that it “will provide an important opportunity for the Premier to reinforce key portfolio issue messages from your Ministers”.

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