Backroom Baz: Outcry over premiers’ ‘churlish’ royal snub of King Charles, Queen Camilla

The news that not a single one of our premiers will be making the trek to Canberra on Monday to meet with the King and his wife Queen Camilla has not gone down well in the motherland.

When he touched down in Sydney on Friday, King Charles III became the first King of Australia to actually visit our great land.

His grandfather, George VI, made it here while the Duke of York, but never after ascending the throne. Which is why Baz was shocked to learn that not a single one of our state premiers will be making the trek to Canberra on Monday to meet with the King and his wife, Queen Camilla.

Not a single one of Australia’s state premiers will be making the trek to Canberra on Monday to meet with the King and his wife Queen Camilla. Picture: Chris Jackson

And didn’t news of that, broken by the Sunday Herald Sun, make waves across the country, and in the motherland. From the front page of the Daily Mirror to the BBC and Scotland’s The National, they and dozens of other outlets reported on the snub to the King.

It was perhaps the reaction of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage that Baz reckons summed it up best. “I mean, look, regardless of your political view on the future constitutional status of Australia … not to turn up, for the head of Commonwealth, the head of state, it’s just damned rude,” he told Sky News.

“For Australian politicians to be treating you know, your closest ally in the world, people with whom you know many, many millions of your country are directly related, I can’t think of a bigger, more churlish insult than just for all of them not to turn up. Perhaps you think I’m sounding a bit stuffy and English, but I just think it’s dreadful.”

Baz will be keen to see what Jacinta Allan gets up to on Monday instead. Welcome, yer majesty.

Tale of the tape and what Jeff’s said

Former Liberal MP Matt Bach testified in the Federal Court recently that Ted Bailleu once told him: “In the Liberal Party, many things are taped.”

If that is true, riddle me this: is it at all conceivable that the verbal bashing delivered by Jeff Kennett to a young Liberal at last week’s gala dinner does not exist on a tape?

Former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett at the Liberal Party State Council at Moonee Valley Racecourse. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

In a room full of 250 young Liberals, who record and share online everything from what they had for breakfast to what they’re watching on TV, and who had turned out to hear their political hero give a keynote address, is it possible that the address wasn’t recorded for prosperity? Or for bragging rights?

It would not matter one iota, except that in the aftermath of the “rude little bitch” affair, differing versions of events have emerged.

Kennett denies the claims, saying he only called the woman a “bitch”. Everyone else in the room that Baz has spoken to says he’s rewriting history. The tape, please!

Is Dan about to be in his portrait-era?

We know a Daniel Andrews statue is now in the works. But has the easel been brought out to make a start on his official portrait, too?

Sources say a portrait of Dan Andrews for Victorian parliament’s Queen Hall is in full swing. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Sources close to the former premier say planning for the portrait, which will hang alongside other former premiers inside the Victorian parliament’s Queen’s Hall, is in full swing.

But which Dan will emerge from the canvas when the work is done?

Will it be Covid-era North Face jacket Dan? Victorious, fist-pumping 2022 election night Dan? Or will it simply be more statesman like? Very mindful, very demure.

Bracks’ celebrates magic milestone

It’s enough to make Baz feel old: Steve Bracks has turned 70. The former Victorian premier celebrated the milestone on Tuesday, four days before the 25th anniversary of his 1999 election win.

The former premier had an accidental meeting with the pup named in his honour, Bracks.

There’s been a flurry of festive activity in the lead-up to the event, ranging from the more intimate — with guests including deputy Premier Ben Carroll and Lord Mayor Nick Reece — to the more public, like last week’s fundraising dinner to support the election campaigns of state ministers Melissa Horne and Ros Spence.

Baz even bumped into Bracks at one of his favourite Spring St pubs, where the former premier had an accidental meeting with the pup named in his honour, Bracks.

Happy Birthday, Steve.

Parliament House baby boom continues

It really is time to expand the creche at Parliament House. Labor backbencher Lauren Kathage joins Spring St’s mamma’s class of 2024.

Kathage was sporting a very proud baby bump when parliament returned after a five week break this week.

(Not so obvious that Baz didn’t triple check through official channels that she was indeed pregnant, mind. That’s a mistake you only make once).

She joins lower house colleagues Jess Wilson, Martha Haylett and Annabelle Cleeland who have all had babies this year, and Warrandyte MP Nicole Werner who is also expecting. Congrats, Lauren.

Overheard

“As Attorney-General … I mean, shadow Attorney-General. Don’t want to get ahead of myself.” After the first winning poll in seven years, Michael O’Brien gets excited about the Coalition’s prospects at the next state election.

Guess who?

Which MP was spotted giving some chiropractic advice to colleagues this week?