Backroom Baz: Disendorsed Liberal candidate’s 1740-word rant backfires
A Liberal candidate who was disendorsed before the last federal election over attacks on same-sex marriage and a woman who reported a rape claim might have hoped his tell-all interview would offer some redemption. Instead, he may have made things worse, writes Backroom Baz.
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It’s a classic political ploy — absolve your political sins in a tell-all interview.
But Baz reckons little-known Liberal Gurpal Singh might have made things worse for himself in a 1740-word rant in a recent edition of The Indian Weekly.
Singh, you probably don’t remember, was one of several candidates disendorsed before the federal election after it emerged that he had linked same-sex marriage with paedophilia and criticised a woman who said her husband had raped her.
He says now that they were “just opinions” and that he was “a victim of false propaganda and unethical journalism”.
Singh believes “the whole country” shared his view that “same-sex marriage is a big no-no” — perhaps forgetting 61.6 per cent of us voted for it — and maintains a report of the rape claim was “one-sided” and “truly preposterous”.
In an extraordinary non-apology, Singh says he is “very frustrated” because he lost friends during the saga.
He is also aggrieved because Labor shared ads against him on gay dating app Grindr “to show I am a bad man”. And it’s all very unfortunate, according to Singh, because he says the people of the Labor stronghold of Scull in Melbourne’s outer north “were loving me, they wanted a change and I would, in all probability, have won the seat or given a tough fight”.
“My political career has been jeopardised before it even started. I was doing well,” he said.
For the record, Singh finished with 22 per cent of the vote. Better luck next time.
NO ROOM FOR PAULINE
Female politicians from across the country gathered in Adelaide for the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Conference last week.
In a first, Baz hears female independents and women from minor parties — both state and federal — decided to get together for dinner after the official event to swap war stories and talk strategy.
The invites went out weeks in advance and a good group of gals were in attendance on the night, including independent Zali Steggall, Reason Party leader Fiona Patten, independent Shepparton MP Suzanna Sheed and Centre Alliance’s Rebekha Sharkie.
Senator Jacqui Lambie was invited but sadly couldn’t attend.
One obvious political personality missing from the mix was One Nation’s Pauline Hanson who was overlooked when the guest list was drawn up. Baz’s spies say the controversial Queensland character was purposefully not invited as it was a Debbie Downer-free night.
“We didn’t think she’d be much fun,” said one source, which is a tad harsh, given Hanson is usually full of surprises.
DAN AND THE SALARY WHEEL OF MISFORTUNE
How the wheel has turned when it comes to industrial relations in Victoria.
A few years ago you would hardly hear a peep out of most Lefty unions (outside of the fire services of course!) when it came to pay deals. Now, under a second-term Andrews Government that is trying to rein in costs like Baz at a family budget meeting, there’s a rebellion brewing.
Some of the more “out there” state secretaries, like rail union boss Luba Grigorovitch, haven’t been shy about making their feelings known, but others who are usually friendlier to Dan and his mates are starting to find their voice. And they know where to hit Dan where it hurts.
Australian Services Union boss Lisa Darmanin was quick to slam the politicians’ pay rise engineered by the Premier and bearded henchman, Gavin Jennings.
That rise delivered senior ministers and the Premier a 12 per cent boost in one year.
Now the Community and Public Sector Union has joined the fun.
It posted a catchy video with a cartoon Dan showering pollies with pay via his new remuneration tribunal, while limiting public servant pay via a federal tribunal.
Apparently Dan is a tad touchy about his $46,000 pay boost at a time he is telling his own staff to be happy with increases averaging less than 2 per cent a year.
As the video asks, “how is that fair?”
VOTING WITH THEIR FEET
Democracy isn’t a dangerous business in Victoria.
The biggest threat to our voting rights isn’t tear gas, voter suppression tactics or armed militia, but the increasing number of polling places only serving vegan sausages.
But Baz has learned that last year’s state election turned out to be a day to forget for more than just the Liberal Party.
Almost 200 occupational health and safety reports were lodged with the Victorian Electoral Commission about incidents at polling booths across the state.
The victims in about half of those cases were voters and 128 people suffered injuries, with more than a third of all incidents involving slips, trips and falls.
It is unclear how other injuries were caused, but Baz imagines they would include paper cuts from ballot papers, burns from hot coffees and bruises from desperate candidate handshakes.
But it was not only the voters who suffered, with 34 complaints from VEC workers about their conditions. After that drama — and the aforementioned sausage sizzle issue — Baz might send in a postal vote in 2022.
OVERHEARD BY BAZ
“I love Scotty Cam, but history shows the tools he is working with on this project just aren’t capable of building much at all.” — Labor MP Paul Edbrooke responds to Scott Morrison and Michaelia Cash unveiling their tradie-in-chief.
MORE FROM BACKROOM BAZ:
NO PAPERING OVER PLUMBING STINK
GONE FISHING IN WAR OVER WAGES
GUESS WHO?
Which federal Labor MP was spotting at a Bikram yoga studio in Fitzroy (a long way from her electorate) at lunchtime last Monday?
GOT ANY POLITICAL SCUTTLEBUTT FOR BAZ?
Email backroombaz@news.com.au
Twitter: @backroombaz