The Sauce: Space Invaders, UNO and books keep inmates busy while they wait for court

Which retro video game keeps some of the state’s most dangerous criminals amused while they wait to appear in court? And how else do they pass the time? Read The Sauce to find out.

Some of the state’s most dangerous criminals are passing the time playing Space Invaders as they await to appear in court via video link.

With male inmates in the “holding area” of the maximum security Hunter Correctional Centre for up to eight hours as they await their turn before the judge, prison officers have supplied a range of activities to keep the prisoners occupied.

Along with the retro 1970s game, The Sauce can reveal inmates also have access to UNO and chess, as well as books.

As one prison source said: “A busy inmate is a trouble-free inmate”.

PRESSING QUESTION

Peter Dutton has described the Voice as “the biggest change to our democracy in Australia’s history”, but according to a Canberra-based Labor source, the Liberal leader hasn’t taken questions from the Canberra Press Gallery since the referendum date was announced.

According to Dutton’s website, it’s been two months since the last press conference in Canberra on July 31.

Is Peter Dutton avoiding the Canberra press gallery? Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

And while there was a “presser” on June 15, there were no questions.

That’s not to say Dutton is avoiding media entirely — his website is filled with radio and TV appearances.

But is he avoiding the arguably more aggressive environment of a Canberra “press pack” in favour of a more curated interview?

According to a senior government source, absolutely.

“Peter Dutton leads a noisy Noalition of negativity, that’s why he’s fobbing off the press gallery, not fronting up to it,” the source said.

A Liberal source said Dutton had not been asked to do a presser lately, and that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also only appeared to have fronted two in the same period.

“We have attended numerous functions at Parliament House through the last sitting periods where members of the press gallery have been present,” the source said.

“And no one has asked us for a presser.”

CRITICAL INCIDENT

Ministerial travel logs have revealed Police Minister Yasmin Catley was in Byron Bay when a critical incident involving a police officer tasering 95-year-old nursing home resident Clare Nowland unfolded.

The logs — uploaded to the Premier’s Department website on September 19 — show Catley had been staying at the Lord Byron Hotel for two nights from May 15.

Her office told The Sauce that the visit to the coastal town was strictly a work trip, with the minister — who was accompanied by Police Commissioner Karen Webb and a staffer — visiting local police stations and attending awards presentations.

Police Minister Yasmin Catley. Picture: Richard Dobson

To save money, it’s understood Catley and a staffer stayed in a multi-room suite rather than booking separate accommodation, resulting in the total hotel cost coming in at $1298.

“The minister was in the Tweed and Byron regions to visit Murwillumbah, Tweed Heads, Byron Bay, Mullumbimby and Kingscliff Police Stations,” a spokesman said.

“She attended the Tweed/Byron Police District awards presentation to recognise the service and dedication of local officers.

“She also presented a Byron Bay sergeant with an award for 50 years of service.”

The logs show Catley, who had flown to Byron via Ballina on a $365 flight on May 15, departed for Sydney from Coolangatta Airport on a $296 flight on May 17, the day of the incident, which had occurred in the early hours of the morning.

It’s fair to assume both she and the commissioner were receiving high-level briefings as they headed back to Sydney, flying into what would quickly become a political firestorm.

COUNTRY CAPERS

The civil war in deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley’s seat of Farrer continues, with disgruntled members again complaining about inappropriate branch meeting times.

Several weeks ago, the party office was fielding complaints about moves by right-wing powerbroker Christian Ellis to host a meeting at his house in Deniliquin at 8pm.

Leys backers — more than two dozen of whom fired off complaint letters to NSW Liberal Party state director Chris Stone — claimed the meeting was being held so that Ellis and his supporters could expel a bunch of unaligned members in order to install their own candidate Jean Haynes in the next federal election.

Deputy Leader of the Opposition Sussan Ley likes an early start. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Head office later expelled Ellis from the party, claiming the media coverage of his actions had damaged the reputation of the party, thereby reducing its chances at a victory at the next federal election.

The party also declared it “totally unacceptable” for Ellis to attempt to hold a meeting “late at night, at an isolated property, located on a long dirt road, in an unfamiliar area”.

Jump to this week, and furore has again engulfed the branch after Ellis supporters learned the Leys-controlled branch recently held a meeting at Albury at 5.30am.

A letter sent to head office by Haynes questioned how a meeting at that hour could be ruled valid.

“Albury is located about 3 hours drive from most branch members and would require us to travel through the middle of the night on country roads in order to attend at 5.30am,” she wrote.

Stone, clearly a morning person, ruled the meeting as “valid”, with Haynes receiving a letter of his decision by a party official.

The ruling prompted one unhappy Ellis supporter to accused Stone of being “illogical”, saying: “It’s typical from this head office.”

WORMIN’ WAYS

A former staffer in the office of Liberal MP Tim James did not hold back when addressing a WeChat group about the Yes vote this week.

The ex-staffer — a junior solicitor whose LinkedIn profile states he worked for the Willoughby MP as an electorate officer up until September this year — had declared how “all Liberals” who supported the Yes vote should be “kicked out of the Liberal Party”.

“They are a bunch of worms who have abandoned Menzies principles of freedom and equality in favor (sic) of patriarchy,” he said.

Clearly not all on the WeChat shared the same view with the message quickly doing the rounds of political staffers.

James, who was in Armenia when The Sauce contacted him, was quick to dissociate himself from the views of his rogue former employee, while noting that the comments had been made in a “private capacity” within a “private group” and “without my knowledge”.

The comments “do not reflect my views”, James said.

“I have consistently called for a respectful referendum debate that accepts all views and perspectives.”

Attempts were made to contact the ex-staffer, whom we believe did occasional relief work in James’ office.

MILLION-DOLLAR MAKEOVER

The Sydney CBD offices occupied by the Premier’s Department mandarins at 52 Martin Place have clearly become a bit shabby.

After all, it has been almost 10 years since the NSW government public servants and ministry moved out of the fabled Governor Macquarie Tower to the then-new digs.

An old memo circulated to bureaucrats in the lead-up to the relocation noted how everybody would be able to keep their old email addresses, but offices would be issued with “new telephone and e-fax numbers”.

A decade on and The Sauce has learned the department has completed a competitive procurement process for a major renovation and refit, with the contract for the $1.1 million project awarded to Schiavello Construction.

Among the buildings the firm has refurbished or “refreshed” are Quay West, Crowne Plaza Coogee, Sofitel Melbourne and even NSW Parliament House.

It’s understood the Martin Place reno — which will impact levels 6 and 12 — is being undertaken to create more space for additional workspaces for security, digital and IT facilities management, and administration functions.

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