Tea-ed off Jacqui Lambie sounds off about Malcolm Turnbull in new Kitchen Cabinet spill
TASMANIAN Senator Jacqui Lambie spills on her private tea parties with Malcolm Turnbull in a new episode of ABC’s Kitchen Cabinet.
TURNING the heat on our politicians is what Jacqui Lambie does best — but her latest serve in a new series of ABC’s Kitchen Cabinet sees her take a pot shot at Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull over his leadership performance and, curiously, tea-making talents.
The Tasmanian senator, who hosts presenter Annabel Crabb at her new home in Burnie, reveals she was “a big supporter of [Turnbull] from day one, so I’m disappointed [in his leadership] like everyone else.”
“I quite like him personally. I like having cups of tea with him. I don’t know what he puts in his cups of tea but I always come out of there with a big smirk on my face,” she said.
In a fascinating episode (airing 8pm this Thursday), Lambie also showcases her fondness for ball gowns, taking viewers on a tour of her extensive walk-in wardrobe collection — bought up from a local bridal shop just before it went out of business.
Sitting on plastic outdoor chairs, around a makeshift dining table, under a disco ball-style light shade, the former Palmer United Party representative shares some incredibly personal details about her path to parliament — from her pregnancy during the first weeks of her army training aged 18; losing 40 kilos in 14 months to prepare herself for a run at politics; her messy split from Clive Palmer (“it was his way or the highway”); as well as her youngest son’s ongoing rehab treatment for an ice addiction.
The latter remains a personal sore point for the mother of two, who used a speech in the Senate to highlight the growing social and health crisis surrounding the drug.
Her decision to go public with her family’s experience, last August, initially caused a serious rift with her 21-year-old son Dylan Milverton but ultimately, she says, helped save his life (after agreeing to 12 months of treatment rather then three months in jail).
Facing a battle to win back her seat in this double dissolution election, she says she is proud of her public service record, especially fighting for veterans affairs issues.
“If I don’t win my seat back, because I believe I have done the right thing, well then so be it. At least I will be able to sleep at night.”
Labor Senator Sam Dastyari, Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash and Greens Senator Scott Ludlam will also appear in the show’s sixth season.
Kitchen Cabinet airs 8pm AEST this Thursday.
Email: holly.byrnes@news.com.au
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