The Sauce: Nats defector Leslie Williams loses Harbour-view office in Lib shift

A Port Macquarie MP’s decision to quit the Nationals over the koala law crisis has cost her a prime Parliament House Harbour-view office and left government whip Adam Crouch scrambling to find new digs for her.

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As city offices go, the one in Parliament House used by NSW Nationals-turned-Liberal MP Leslie Williams was prime real estate.

Located on Level 12, the suite formerly inhabited by party elder Thomas George is said to have “90 degree views” across Sydney Harbour, while also being rather large.

Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams, who jumped from The Nats to the Liberals this week.

But according to a Macquarie Street mole, the only way to access the office was by walking through the Nationals party room — not exactly ideal when you’ve jumped ship to the Libs. As a result, government whip Adam Crouch was last week scrambling to find new digs for Williams, who allegedly had her moving boxes lined up the day after she quit, all the while dealing with his own office dramas involving a parliamentary staffer and the ICAC.

It’s understood Crouch has offered the Port Macquarie MP the second office allocated to him as the member for Terrigal.

While smaller, sources say it is on the “waterside” row of offices.

A spokesman for Crouch denied claims made to The Sauce that Williams had requested water views.

As for which MP will take William’s old digs, stay tuned. 

ABBOTT’S CLIMATE CLASH WITH SON-IN-LAW

Tony Abbott and his son-in-law appear to have a different views on the link between climate change and bushfires.

Former Olympic rower Sam Loch, who is married to Abbott’s daughter Frances, took to social media to share his views as fires raged near the couple’s home in Portland, Oregon.

Frances Abbott with Sam Loch (left) and Tony Abbott.

“I’m no climate scientist, but my astute observation is that sh*# appears to be catching on fire at a rate exceeding the norm,” he posted alongside a photo of thick smoke.

That view differs from that of his father-in-law, who downplayed the contribution of climate change to the Australian bushfires last summer.

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At the time Abbott senior said he didn’t see the summer bushfires as confirmation of a changing climate.

“I see the current bushfires as the sort of thing that we are always going to be prone to in a country such as ours,” he told reporters at the time.

Should make for an interesting conversation this Christmas.

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