Julie Bishop’s old-school ties

Julie Bishop during her time as education minister.

A helpful reader points out this interesting titbit for students following Julie Bishop’s appointment as ANU chancellor. Before becoming education minister, she repeatedly voted in favour of voluntary student union fees — as part of a push to scrap compulsory amenity fees that funded sport, welfare, counselling, childcare and other services on campus. After nearly a decade of attempts by the Howard government, it passed in December 2005. Bishop then repeatedly voted against the Gillard government’s counter legislation, passed in October 2011, which allowed universities to charge students a compulsory fee of up to $250 a year. The Howard government’s VSU plans were nearly stifled by then Queensland Nationals backbench senator Barnaby Joyce, who crossed the floor to vote against the bill, only to be saved by a deal struck between then education minister Brendan Nelson and former Family First senator Steve Fielding.

Hogwarts and all

During her short stint as education minister — January 2006 to December 2007 — Bishop was lambasted as a Harry Potter villain by the National Union of Students. Then NUS president Michael Nguyen said Bishop bore a striking resemblance to Professor Dolores Umbridge, a witch sent in by the Ministry of Magic to take over Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Described as looking like a toad who wore a lot of pink, had a girly voice and coughed for attention, Umbridge’s first action was to ban student groups and control what was taught in the syllabus. She made students write lines with a blood quill and gets sent to Azkaban prison for her crimes against muggle-borns (human wizards). NUS dubbed itself “Dumbledore’s Army”, after the group that took on Umbridge. But the longtime Liberal deputy wasn’t daunted by the campaign, saying: “The National Union of Students can find nothing positive to say about the benefits they get from the billions of dollars of taxpayer support for their university education. I think they should be called the National Union of Slytherins!”

Bowen under pressure

Despite his calls for a federal ICAC, Labor leader Anthony Albanese admitted yesterday: “I have not seen any evidence of direct corruption … that has been proven in my time when I’ve been in parliament.” To improve political discourse, the new honest Albo asked his frontbench team to stop branding their opponents “liars” during a shadow caucus meeting last month. Which may explain this creative alternative explored by Chris Bowen. Forget the boring “misleading” or “not telling the truth”, a press release by Labor’s health spokesman yesterday exclaimed: “Hunt Caught Fibbing On Flash.”

Poster boy

Has it only been 26 years since former Queensland Nationals senator Bill O’Chee fought back at the recession we had to have by stripping off for a poster that carried the slogan “How many senators will sweat it out for Queensland?” The 1993 poster quotes former Nationals leader Tim Fischer: “Australia’s lost its shirt in this recession. Only new policies and sheer hard work will turn it around. At 27, Bill O’Chee is Australia’s youngest senator. An Oxford law graduate and world-class debater, he stands up for Queensland in Canberra … for jobs, your family and your future”. O’Chee joined the Senate in 1990 at the age of 24, becoming the first ethnic Chinese member of parliament. He was the youngest senator until the Greens Jordan Steele-John replaced Kiwi Scott Ludlam in 2017 at the age of 23. LNP senator James McGrath found the poster while rummaging through a shed yesterday and joked: “Like former senator Bill O’Chee, I will sweat it out for Queensland but in the interests of public decency and due to overwhelming public demand I will keep my shirt on.” No word on whether McGrath will follow in the former senator’s other Lycra-clad footsteps. During his time in parliament, O’Chee also represented Australia in the winter sport of skeleton bobsled in World Cup and Work Championship races. Skeleton competitors lie face down on a small sled and ride it head first down a frozen track. Any politician should be used to that sensation.

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