Backroom Baz: Liberals fly the flag for Kamala Harris

With US election parties held across Spring St this week, Jacinta Allan made clear she was supporting Kamala Harris, but Opposition Leader John Pesutto refused to reveal his position.

Liberals supporting Kamala Harris.

With US election parties held across Spring St this week, most politicos openly backed a side, with some even seen donning MAGA caps as Americans went to the polls on Wednesday.

At one private members club, Trump supporters and Harris supporters were separated on different floors until the polls closed, while BBQ brisket, American beers, pumpkin pie and candy were the order of the day at an election event hosted by corporate advisory firms The Civic Partnership and CPR Communications & Public Relations.

Jacinta Allan made clear she was supporting Kamala Harris, while Opposition Leader John Pesutto refused to reveal his position, remaining firmly on the fence (a position that drives some colleagues wild). Other Liberals, however, had no problem showing where their loyalties lay, including staffers from two prominent MPs, James Newbury and deputy leader David Southwick. They were among a group who proudly slapped on Harris stickers and posed at a rally for the vice president in Washington this week. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Wham, bam thank you Sam

Holding the record for the fastest serve just wasn’t enough for tennis-pro turned Liberal MP Sam Groth.

Liberal MP Sam Groth on the course.

The shadow sports minister also felt he needed to prove himself on the golf course. And what a way to do it, taking home the win – and a year’s worth of free beer – for the longest drive at the Mick Fanning Charity Day, at the Yarra Yarra Golf Club, in Bentleigh East. Groth smacked the ball an impressive 323m, giving him bragging rights in two sports.

Now, with a hankering for winning, Baz wonders what Groth will turn his talents to next. Something a little closer to Spring St, maybe?

Please explain

What do Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and the Victorian Socialists have in common? Not much, you’d have thought. Except they were both this week re-registered with the Victorian Electoral Commission.

It’s not just the major parties currently getting all their ducks in a row as Victoria edges closer to the 2026 state election.

Liberal MP takes lawn maintenance into his own hands

Drive around Melbourne and you might notice roadside grass growing to silly levels.

Baz certainly has, prompting questions about whether funding cuts might be behind the perceived reduction in vital road maintenance.

Liberal MP Nick McGowan took matters into his own hands, personally mowing a particularly unkempt median strip in Ringwood back to safe levels.

Liberal MP Nick McGowan mowing the unkempt median strip.

“Sometimes you’ve just got to fix problems yourself,” he said.

“This is a main artery for a number of schools. There’s lots of traffic on the roads, if you can’t see oncoming traffic, coming at speed towards you, it’s dangerous.

“It shouldn’t take me to come out here to do this. What we need is regular maintenance of our kerbsides.” Baz is told McGowan had to hire the mower himself. Talk about MPs getting things done.

Spring St could be next for lord mayor candidate

Could a career on Spring St be next for Liberal lord mayor candidate Mariam Riza?

Baz is told the business strategist and former state government public servant has impressed some in the party given her strong result in the recent council elections.

Former public servant and award-winning business strategist Mariam Riza.

Riza finished in third place, beating the high-profile Anthony Koutoufides by 600 first preference votes, and coming only narrowly behind the might of the Greens campaign machine.

A strong effort as the party’s first endorsed candidate for the Melbourne City Council elections. With the party looking to freshen up its parliamentary team, Baz is told a spot could be found pretty quickly for Riza, if she were keen. Watch this space.