Duck, duck, goose
Bill Shorten’s spidery senses were tingling on Wednesday night as his taxpayer-funded Comcar drove the eight minutes from Parliament House to the Wild Duck.
Bill Shorten’s spidery senses were tingling on Wednesday night as his taxpayer-funded Comcar drove the eight minutes from Parliament House to the Wild Duck at Kingston Foreshore.
The former Labor leader had a suspicion that his second meeting with the notorious Otis Group would be leaked to the media. Keen to avoid getting papped, the seasoned political player snuck in through the kitchen. Now that is familiarity with Canberra Bubble™ restaurants.
Right warlords Don “The Godfather” Farrell and Joel “The Coal” Fitzgibbon were war gaming with Shorten and more than a dozen unhappy comrades in the dining room — Clare O’Neil, Daniel Mulino, Meryl Swanson, Deborah O’Neill, Anthony Chisholm, Shayne Neumann, Kimberley Kitching and co.
Newspoll, schnooze poll.
This week’s 50-50 two-party-preferred result wasn’t enough to stop the Otis-ians planning for the future. And Strewth hears they have adopted a new slogan, aptly taken from The Godfather Part III.
“Real power can’t be given. It must be taken.” Ominous.
The group has evolved since it first made waves in February last year as a policy-focused forum hoping to move the party to the sensible centre on coal.
Original members have dropped off and its new recruits are recalcitrants from different factions open to a leadership change — such as the Left’s Anne Aly, who planned to attend but was locked down in WA.
The only question that remains is … who? Scott Morrison has been telling people he’d be happy if Tanya Plibersek took over. Maybe less so after her press gallery showdown with Craig Kelly — a future Nationals candidate for Hughes if Matt Canavan has his way.
On the Otisians’ menu was an airing of grievances, along with crispy duck and fried rice (but none of Clive Palmer’s favourite caramelised banana and coconut ice cream).
There were grumblings about the reshuffle (someone wasn’t told their portfolio was changing, others wanted a promotion); the NSW and Queensland Senate ticket order; and Anthony Albanese’s speech at the War Memorial on Monday.
It seems the Labor leader inadvertently skipped over this crucial sentence about First Australians: “A continent for which their ancestors had fought so desperately during the frontier wars — wars we have not yet learned to speak of so loudly.”
You're right Jack. I did skip over it – unintentionally. I don't always stick to the written script. But I do believe that, just as we remember the other wars that shaped who we are as a nation, we must remember the frontier wars. I'll have more to say about this in coming weeks.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) February 4, 2021
Labouring on
Where was Albanese on Wednesday eve?
A hop, skip and a jump down the road, hosting Labor’s First Nation Caucus at the Kingston Hotel.
We’re told it was a rowdy affair with a large turnout, including deputy Richard Marles, Linda Burney, Pat Dodson, Mark Dreyfus, Warren Snowdon, Ged Kearney, Nita Green, Susan Templeman, Alicia Payne, David Smith, Mike Freelander, Andrew Leigh and Jess Walsh.
Great to join @AlboMP @RichardMarlesMP @LindaBurneyMP @SenatorDodson & around 20 other members of Labor’s First Nations Caucus at the Kingo last night to discuss the year ahead for our campaign to get the #UluruStatement implemented in full. pic.twitter.com/xqed72nrAR
— Alicia Payne MP (@AliciaPayneMP) February 3, 2021
Meanwhile, on the other side of the lake, Strewth spotted a key clique of NSW Right members celebrating Ed Husic’s 51st birthday at Chifley’s Bar and Grill.
How apt for the member for Chifley! National Right convener Matt Thistlewaite, Kristina Keneally, Jason Clare and Kristy McBain all scored an invite.
Where was Chris Bowen?
One to watch
Ask and you shall receive! After Strewth highlighted the six-month vacancy in Labor HQ for a Right faction assistant secretary, the faceless men got their act together and produced an AA pick.
Sources say it’s Jennifer Light, a Sydney-based senior account manager at PR agency OPR.
Sources say Light may be the first woman the Right has put up for a senior national position.
Described as a relative “cleanskin” in the national campaign space, Light has previously worked as a campaign organiser for NSW Labor, an adviser to federal backbencher Mike Freelander and a researcher for the McKell Institute.
Strewth has a longer memory. We recalls Light’s student Unity days when she campaigned to put textbooks on HECS and all lectures online.
She was elected as Sydney University SRC president in 2014 — the first Labor Right president since Belinda “Don’t You Know Who I Am” Neal in 1984.
That victory won her student newspaper Honi Soit’s “Augusto Pinochet Award for Biggest Right-Wing Coup”.
With this promotion, Light and partner Todd Pinkerton — a senior adviser to senator Tony Sheldon — are becoming quite the power couple in Labor circles.
Well, this is hawkward
Victorian Liberal senator James Paterson has been anointed chair of the “powerful” parliamentary intelligence and security committee, as flagged by our well-informed colleague Ben Packham.
The 33-year-old succeeds his good friend (and fellow Wolverine) Andrew Hastie, who has moved on to greener assistant ministerial pastures.
After this august organ predicted the promotion late last year, there was some nervousness among Paterson’s supporters that we may have cruelled his chances.
Not so!
We look forward to seeing Patto pop up in discrete locations around foggy Lake Burley Griffin with his trenchcoat-wearing deputy chair, Labor MP Anthony “The Undertaker” Byrne.
That’s the spirit
If there’s one rule in Parliament House, it’s this — don’t get between a politician and free booze. The Parliamentary Friends of Australian Spirits taste test was the hot social ticket in the powers of corridor on Wednesday night.
Within minutes of doors opening, it became a one-in-one-out affair, with a queue of politicians and staffers stretching for more than 100m from the Queens Terrace, thanks to a zealous COVID-19 bouncer making sure outdoor attendees didn’t pass 150.
The sip that had everyone talking was Section 44 gin, created by former Senate president Stephen Parry asa tongue in cheek reference to the constitutional fuse that detonated his political career in 2017.
The former detective and funeral director created the Hobart-based Pattex Distillery with two friends and we’re told Malcolm Turnbull was among the first to purchased an $88 bottle of the lemon-myrtle-inspired spirit. It received rave reviews from his former colleagues across the board.
Tassie Labor frontbencher Julie Collins had a tipple and told Strewth: “Section 44 was dry with a good bit of character, just like its distiller.”
Parry’s whisky-in-waiting is maturing in barrels and will hopefully hit shelves next year.
Great to meet local distillers in Parliament House tonight, including former President of the Senate Stephen Parry, with his new Tasmanian gin Section 44. If you know you know! #auspol #politas pic.twitter.com/hDrrhwYr2r
— Julie Collins (@JulieCollinsMP) February 3, 2021
Liberal tonic
Spotted on the back, back, backbench in question time on Thursday — Joel Fitzgibbon reading John Howard’s best-selling book Lazarus Rising.
Why? Well, all the great generals study their opponent don’t they?
Mark Butler didn’t look too impressed when he came over to inspect the member for Hunter’s book of the month.
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.