Backroom Baz: Canadian fire chief joins the firey fun as he may have second chance at local job
Canadian fire chief Ken Block was back in town for the Firefighters Union’s gala ball and he may well be back in the running to head Fire Rescue Victoria, writes Backroom Baz.
VIC News
Don't miss out on the headlines from VIC News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Baz doesn’t mind a night out — and it sounds like he missed quite the party at the United Firefighters Union’s gala ball last weekend.
Singers Vanessa Amorosi and Tim Campbell lit up the Melbourne Showgrounds event, with Campbell saying that “half the crowd” ended up dancing on stage with him.
Labor figures including Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville were spotted in the 1100-strong crowd, along with Peter Marshall’s favourite Canadian fire chief, Ken Block.
Block tried to become the MFB’s chief officer last year but the worldwide recruitment mission preferred Dan Stephens.
With Stephens’ recent departure, Baz hears Block is back for a second crack to head up Fire Rescue Victoria and has spent a bit of time in Melbourne recently.
It also turns out that the UFU comrades were nearly dressed up with nowhere to go, as Marshall had booked the ball at Peninsula in Docklands.
The fancy function space — boasting the longest chandelier in the Southern Hemisphere — was forced to shut its doors last month when Central Pier was deemed to be “rapidly deteriorating”.
The last-minute venue change can’t have come cheap but firefighters always put safety first.
PHONE A FRIEND
There’s not many more embarrassing things in politics than being on the wrong end of a trainwreck interview on live TV.
But that humbling experience is often made even worse in the Canberra press gallery, as was the case for embattled Liberal MP Gladys Liu last Tuesday night.
As her chat with Andrew Bolt went south, journalists and photographers gathered at the Sky News studio, waiting to hurl even more questions at her when she got off the air.
Turns out the Prime Minister’s office had the same idea, sending an adviser up to the gallery to shepherd Liu through the media storm she had just created.
Baz hears the adviser had a tried-and-true heads-up play to help her out, telling Liu to pretend to be on the phone.
It didn’t stop some journalists trying to grill her, but others could only laugh at the hastily managed stage exit as a close look at her phone showed the screen wasn’t on.
One reporter later mused that they should have called Liu’s number to see if there was actually anyone on the line.
BROAD WINGING IT
Former federal Nationals MP Andrew Broad has been on quite the world tour since resigning over the “sugar baby” scandal.
The former Member for Mallee quit after revelations the married MP travelled to Hong Kong and dined with a younger woman he met online, charging taxpayers for the domestic leg of the trip. His current trip — which, of course, will be privately funded — ranged from Quebec City in Canada to Louisiana in the US. In Denver, he was pictured with angel wings and a caption: “I never said I was an angel but pictures don’t lie right?”
Back home Nationals are bemused by reports he could be mulling a return to politics.
Several Nats have told Baz’s spies they think that hell would freeze over before that would be possible.
COME FLY WITH DONNA
Politicians know how to live the high life.
But five years after her time in state parliament ended, Donna Bauer has found a new way to fly high.
The former Carrum MP has turned herself into a flight attendant with Jetstar.
She told friends last week it was a dream job that had been on her bucket list for four decades.
“This year I decided it was time, as it’s been something I’ve wanted to do since I was eight years old,” Bauer posted on Facebook.
The former pollie, who also works in real estate, had a crack at getting back to Spring St last year, but she was beaten again by Labor’s SONYA KILKENNY, who ended Bauer’s time in the bayside seat in 2014.
Bauer said becoming a flight attendant had been “intense and challenging” with months of studying.
“I’m now so excited for another interesting chapter in my professional life … Looking forward to seeing you in my new office, at 35,000 feet,” she said.
Baz just hopes she isn’t stuck serving drinks and snacks to too many of her junketeering ex-colleagues.
OVERHEARD BY BAZ
“Fair dinkum Speaker, I got out of my sick bed for that. I might just retire now, I have had enough.”
— Planning Minister Richard Wynne isn’t thrilled with how his opposite number Tim Smith welcomed him back to parliament after a sick day
MORE FROM BACKROOM BAZ:
GUESS WHO?
Which upper house MP had a run-in with a tradie last week over a parking spot at state parliament?
GOT ANY POLITICAL SCUTTLEBUTT FOR BAZ?
Email backroombaz@news.com.au