Strewth: I Shih tzu not

Annastacia Palaszczuk rolled up her sleeve for Pfizer on Monday, with a confession that sparked many questions.

Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Annastacia Palaszczuk rolled up her sleeve for Pfizer on Monday, saying she got the shot only “in the event I need to travel to Tokyo for the Olympics” as part of Brisbane’s 2032 bid.

The 51-year-old’s confession sparked many questions, including why the Premier opted for Pfizer and not the recommended AstraZeneca antibodies? And, couldn’t it be done over Zoom?

Palaszczuk is the last state or territory leader aged over a half century to get the jab, despite being eligible since late March. She was offered a vaccine on day dot but turned it down because she didn’t want to jump the 1B queue.

Palaszczuk was testy when needled about her decision.

“For goodness sake! Well, I had an accidental dog bite so I had to go and have my tetanus, and if you have your tetanus you need two weeks from when you have your tetanus, to have a Covid, and I had my flu vaccine.”

Sports Minister Richard Colbeck, 63, is booked in for a jab this week. His attendance as the federal government’s representative in Tokyo is “yet to be confirmed”.

 Scott Morrison won’t be travelling to the games and plans to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the upcoming G7 in Cornwall.

For the record, Strewth is also willing to get the Pfizer jab in case we need to travel to Tokyo … to sub in on the Olympic skateboarding team.

Happy Monday everyone! I just received my first COVID jab thanks to Dawn Pedder 👏🙌 pic.twitter.com/TaJT9do9eu

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) June 6, 2021

Free the nipple

South Australian senator Rex Patrick has a sartorial piece of advice after receiving his first AstraZeneca shot.

“Tip: If you’re planning to have a photo taken of yourself getting the jab, I recommend wearing a T-shirt,” he said. Patrick placed a censorship bar over the exposed torso in his “shot selfie”, steering clear of a Liberal MP Andrew Wallace nipple outing.

“As an openness and transparency fanatic, even I accept that the public interest demands some things should never be made public,” Patrick told Strewth.

If it encourages the naysayer to take a shot, we guess we’re all for it?

First of two AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccinations done ✅. Tip: If you’re planning to have a photo taken of yourself getting the jab, I recommend wearing a t-shirt #auspolpic.twitter.com/3CWCXQ9cpQ

— Rex Patrick (@Senator_Patrick) June 7, 2021

Seen but not herd

Here’s a meat cute invitation, coincidentally timed with the beefy UK free-trade negotiations.

The Parliamentary Friends of Australian Red Meat, co-chaired by Nationals senator Susan McDonald and Labor MP Milton Dick, is planning a CovidSafe BBQ next Tuesday in the Canberra Bubble™.

The RSVP promises an “evening presented by the Red Meat Advisory Council showcasing Australia’s renowned red meat and livestock category brands”.

McDonald has never been one to shy away from her love of paddock to plate. She condemned Coles for “wokeness overriding facts” earlier this year when it advised shoppers that eating less meat was good for the environment.

“Any dietary advice must be made on the basis of benefits to human health, not the anti-farming propaganda that vegans, eco warriors and animal activists flood social media with every day,” she said. “I cannot stand by silent while I see such terrible mistruths peddled against an industry that is the world’s best, world-leading in the product that we grow and in the way that we grow it.”

English farmers are up in arms over rumours Australia’s tariff free access could make imports cheaper than their UK counterparts, yet a London Telegraph poll found 52 per cent of locals would pick Aussie steak over British beef post-Brexit.

A majority would also buy more Aussie wine and one-fifth hope to try Tim Tams, Vegemite, lamingtons and kangaroo meat.

“It’s very difficult for UK farms to compete with the size and scale of Australian farms and the fact that, thanks to the Australian climate, their meat has been deliciously slow cooked for its entire life,” comedian Andy Zaltzman joked. A steak pun is a rare medium well done.

What’s the beef?

Matt Canavan made a killing at Beef Week 2021.

The Nationals senator has disclosed that he scored free tickets to 12 events. Can someone please check his iron levels?

On Monday, Canavan was fed by TV’s own “Fast Ed” Halmagyi at the NH Foods celebrity chef lunch, had “Beef, Beer and Bubbles” with Telstra, a BBQ with Central Queensland University, and attended the Rabobank Beef Industry Awards presented by Queensland Country Life.

He lunched at James Cook University’s Australian Rural Leadership Forum on Tuesday, attended the official Beef Week welcome reception and had a nightcap at the ANZ National Beef Carcase Competition Awards dinner.

Wednesday started with the McCullough Robertson breakfast, before the Shanahan Swaffield Partners networking function, and finished with the Queensland Beef Corridors Campaign launch and formal dinner hosted by the Central Highlands Development Corp.

Then there was the Beef Week breakfast at the Rural Press Club on Thursday, followed by another celebrity lunch on Friday courtesy of Signature Beef, with chefs Adrian Richardson (from La Luna in North Carlton) and Nick Holloway (Numi Ice Cream and Pantry in Palm Cove).

From here on in, we’ll be exclusively referring to Canavan as Sir Loin.

Scott Morrison.

Lil’ Princess

The eighth in line to the throne has a family name.

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, a reference to her great-grandmother, the Queen, and grandmother, Princess Diana.

Lili won’t be a princess until Charles becomes king, which, by our calculations, will be 11 exclusive Megxit interviews (about how much her parents hate publicity) from now.

A day after Lili was born in California, keen royal watchers noted that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had slipped down on the official website of the British crown. A royal snub?

Under the “family” tab, Harry and Meghan are now listed below Anne, Andrew, Edward and Sophie. Ouch!

The Count and Countess of Wessex have a sense of humour, at least. “What interview,” Sophie joked, and Edward added “Oprah who?” when asked about Harry and Meghan’s racist accusations about The Firm.

Recalling that Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby did not recognise Oprah at the Sussexes’ 2018 nuptials, Sophie said: “You know, if you’re not into chat shows, there’s no reason why you should know who she is. Certainly not in this country, anyway.”

To those asking for my reaction to the new royal baby, I am respecting her parents' constant pleas for privacy and declining to comment.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) June 6, 2021

Silence of the Lambie

Van Demon senator Jacqui Lambie has a theory about Scott Morrison’s approval rating dropping from 58 per cent to 54 per cent in the latest Newspoll.

“If this hasn’t been a kick up the backside, I don’t know how else to get him to better manage Covid. He needs to stop saying it is the states or the premier down here or whatever,” she declared.

“Start taking responsibility for your lack of actions. I just don’t think he has been on top of his game since he got in. Covid has knocked him around. I don’t think he has handled it as well as what he probably could have.”

#BREAKING: The Coalition has recovered electoral ground to draw level with Labor on a two-party-preferred basis for the first time since February #Newspollhttps://t.co/4c6YM1zYGspic.twitter.com/Bqrq7ud1q1

— The Australian (@australian) June 6, 2021

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