Backroom Baz: Why Pauline’s got her eyes on Daniel Andrews
Does Pauline Hanson have Dan in her sights — and could she actually pull off her plan? Backroom Baz has all the week’s political hot gossip.
Victoria
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Is Premier Daniel Andrews in danger of losing his seat with help from Pauline Hanson?
It sounds farcical, but it turns out One Nation has big ideas for the state ahead of a looming redistribution that has some marginal MPs sweating.
In a submission to the Electoral Boundaries Commission, the party has detailed suggestions on how to redraw the Victorian map across hundreds of pages.
Of particular interest was a proposal to abolish Andrews’ seat of Mulgrave to account for population shifts, with nearby regions taking in these suburbs and electorates across Victoria reshaped to align more closely with local councils.
It isn’t a totally ridiculous idea. Mulgrave is about 8000 voters under quota so it is likely to be altered in some way or even renamed.
A decision to abolish the seat is unlikely but not impossible. Baz hears at least one other political party has made a similar proposal in their submission.
PORTAL SAYS NO
MPs and journalists have certainly encountered every trick in the book when it comes to blocking the release of info under Freedom of Information.
Indeed, a recent report pointed to a decline in the number of successful FOIs since 2015.
But even Baz hasn’t seen this trick before. — closing the online FOI portal down indefinitely! The site was down for days last week, stopping easy access for FOI submissions.
Ingenious! Perhaps we should all return to snail mail and cheques, too.
POLLIES GET BACK TO SCHOOL
After a year away from schools, teachers, kids and parents weren’t the only ones itching to get back.
Baz spied several MPs out at local schools this week, including environment minister Lily D’Ambrosio who was on hand to present Viewbank Primary School’s sustainability captains with their 2021 badges.
Baz is told it’s a school that takes sustainability very seriously and in its quest to become a “resource smart school” has a sustainability co-ordinator that has seen the school recently accepted for a Greener Government School Buildings — Solar Power program initiative.
No wonder the minister visited!
Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien also got back to school this week, visiting Malvern Valley Primary School to present house leaders with their badges.
NEVILLE ON ROAD TO RECOVERY
Spies have passed on some good news for a change.
Police and emergency services minister Lisa Neville was this week discharged from hospital where she’d been for two weeks suffering from complications related to Crohn’s disease.
Doctors have ordered Neville not to return to work for three months to recover. And that’s her plan.
But sources say it will be a tough ask keeping the workaholic at bay. Time will tell.
Meanwhile, another health scare rocked parliament this week when Liberal MP Matt Bach suffered a serious health scare in the dining room at Parliament House.
Bach has got to be one of the fittest MPs in the state, so it came as a rude shock when the paramedics were called.
Baz is pleased to hear that Bach is recovering well.
TALIA JUMPS SHIP
Baz will be sorry to farewell one of the nicest guys in the press gallery — 3AW journo James Talia is hanging up the microphone, and stepping away from journalism again.
This time he’ll be taking up a role running the strategic communications for COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria. (That’s one job you couldn’t pay Baz enough to do.)
Talia spent 15 years in TV news before state government stints and Melbourne City Council. He’s been following Daniel Andrews around since 2018, and while Baz will be sorry to see him go, he reckons the Premier might just raise a toast to celebrate the end of Talia’s tough questioning.
HOT POTATO IDEA GETS MASHED
Baz reckons a person who is lucky enough to be elected to parliament, has a responsibility to spend the taxpayers’ hard-earned dosh in a sensible way.
What then of a Liberal Democrat request of the parliamentary drafting office to draft an amendment to get those who want to change the constitution to include policy issues to perform Hot Potato (a Wiggles smash hit) on the steps of Parliament House?
The bizarre plan was in protest to the fracking ban legislation that passed the Upper House this week.
Baz is told the Lib Dems thought the legislation an embarrassment and wanted to embarrass others who wanted to change the constitution to include policy issues in future.
Drafting office said “no!”
OVERHEARD BY BAZ:
“Come and give me a cuddle, come on mate, come and give me a cuddle.”
Member for Warrandyte Ryan Smith goading Daniel Andrews to cross the floor for a bipartisan love-in.
GOT ANY POLITICAL SCUTTLEBUTT FOR BAZ?
Rare 135yo architectural marvel in Hawthorn could crack $10m
A grand Victorian home steeped in history has come on the market in the heart of Hawthorn, which has hosted parties that include pony rides. See inside.
Man hospitalised with serious injuries after CBD attack
A man is in hospital with serious injuries after being attacked near the intersection of Spencer and Lonsdale streets, the incident coming days after Andrew Truman was killed in a violent CBD assault.