Andrew Hastie, Renaissance man
What should we read into Assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie being cast as God in Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam?
Oscar Wilde famously opined in his 1889 essay The Decay of Lying that, “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life”.
With that in mind, what should we read into Assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie being cast as God in Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam, alongside Heston Russell. A promotion perhaps, if Defence Minister Linda Reynolds does not return to cabinet after her stint in Canberra Hospital?
The Renaissance photoshop can be traced back to a meeting between the old friends, who spent four years together at the Australian Defence Force Academy and Duntroon.
The Liberal MP was an SAS captain before entering politics and Russell is a retired special forces commando who founded Voice Of A Veteran. They reunited in Parliament House on Wednesday to discuss defence issues including veteran suicide, the royal commission and the decision to COVID-cancel some Anzac Day services for a second year.
“I put the photo (of him and Hastie) on my Instagram story and next thing people are creating things,” Russell explained to Strewth. He’s quite the influencer on the line, with over 78k Instagram followers and a fifth season of his hit podcast Life on the Line starting Tuesday.
Over to michelangelo.org for the genesis of the Sistine Ceiling meme. “No longer standing upon earth with closed eyes and mantle, the Lord floats through the heavens, His mantle widespread and bursting with angelic forms, and His calm gaze accompanying and reinforcing the movement of His mighty arm. He extends His forefinger, about to touch that of Adam, who reclines on the barren coast of earth, barely able as yet to lift his hand.
“The divine form is convex, explosive, paternal; the human concave, receptive, and conspicuously impotent. The incipient, fecundating contact about to take place between the two index fingers has often been described as a spark or a current, a modern electrical metaphor doubtless foreign to the sixteenth century, but natural enough considering the river of life which seems about to flow into the waiting body.”
It’s the second most talked about piece of political art in the ACT this week, behind Tasmanian Jacqui Lambie latest office acquisition. A Start Wars-themed Bald Archy work, with the Tasmanian painted as a bikini-clad Princess Lei strangling Clive Jabba the Hutt Palmer with a chain.
“I absolutely love it!” Lambie said. “Makes me look all right hey?”
No coal for you!
Does assistant minister Zed Seselja see himself as the Jerry Seinfeld of the Senate?
Here’s the ACT Liberal comedian during question time on Wednesday talking about Labor’s new spokesman for Queensland resources, Murray Watt.
“You can imagine going back to activist Murray Watt — how he would be shaking his head now — back when he was handing out free joints at university,” Zed said. “He would be shaking his head that he now has to pretend to support the Queensland resources industry. Does he actually support it or does he just have to pretend? It reminds me of George Costanza having to pretend to be an architect — at least his heart was in it, Murray!”
Labor senator Anthony Chisholm was next to the microphone and summarised the answer about nothing thusly: “That’s a very lame act to follow.”
What’s next? Will the Coalition’s new coal mine slogan be, “They’re real and they’re spectacular”?
What do George Costanza and Senator Murray Watt have in common? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/le5NZGy87e
— Zed Seselja (@ZedSeselja) February 24, 2021
A toast to the groom
TGIF! We imagine newlywed Labor frontbencher Mark Butler was toasting the end of a long sitting week as he flew home from the ACT. Finally South Australia’s leading lefty can start his honeymoon with former SBS political editor Daniela Ritorto!
“Thank you Daniela Ritorto for making me feel like the luckiest man alive,” Butler gushed on social media after his big day.
The nuptials last Saturday featured a who’s who of the Adelaide Mafia and Canberra Bubble™. SA Labor’s director of policy, Lucy Hood, conducted the small private ceremony (for close family only) at the couple’s home.
Then Penny Wong MCed the reception for 175 true believers at chic Plant 4 Bowden with SAFM breakfast host Rebecca Morse, before DJ Driller Jet Armstrong hit the decks. DJ Anthony Albanese and his new squeeze Jodie Haydon sent tongues wagging when she said the pair met on dating app Tinder and not at a Melbourne conference as he’s previously claimed. Strewth is still waiting on the screenshots.
The cross factional comrades on the guest list included Right leadership contenders Chris Bowen and Jim Chalmers (there with his Courier Mail wife Laura); the ALP’s Jeremy Corbyn loving national secretary Paul Erickson; Albo’s chief of staff Tim Gartrell; former SA premier Jay Weatherill; SA Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas and his media director, Adam Todd; senator Tim Ayres and MP Pat Conroy.
Bill Shorten wasn’t there but his former chief of staff Ryan Liddell was. Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s press secretary and former Nine News journo Lauren Gianoli also attended. As did Malcolm Turnbull’s former spinner James Murphy.
The face of ABC Adelaide’s nightly news Jessica Harmsen hit the dance floor with her Aunty deputy editor husband Nick.
Add in Advertiser columnist Tory Shepherd; AFR political editor Phil Coorey and his wife, Insiders regular Fleur Anderson; Kitchen Cabinet host Annabel Crabb; Guardian Australia blogger Amy Remeikis and former SBS political-editor- turned-Chalmers media adviser Brett Mason … and you’ve got quite the party.
You lose some
Final word to West Australian Liberal leader Zak Kirkup, who conceded the state election to Australia’s most popular premier Mark McGowan — 16 days before polls close.
“I accept it’s not my time but I’m not going to give up fighting,” he told The West Australian newspaper.
Why did Kirkup waive the white flag? To prevent the Libs’ seats dropping down to single digits and the Nationals becoming the next opposition.
It’s like “Dewey defeats Truman†except the exact opposite. pic.twitter.com/nkWsqgBSGk
— Charles Croucher (@ccroucher9) February 24, 2021
strewth@theaustralian.com.au
Libs should be-Ware what they say about JWH
Could things get any worse for the Liberals in Hughes? Well, strap in. Diary can reveal that Liberal candidate Jenny Ware once called John Winston Howard ‘out of touch’.
Believe in your selfie, Andrew
Kevin Rudd appears to have met his selfie match in Andrew Charlton.