Slurs in the battle

NSW Treasurer Eric Roozendaal's denunciation of Queensland and Western Australia as an "axis of evil" swindling honest NSW and Victoria out of GST revenue (Strewth, yesterday) was always going to get a robust response, and so it has come to pass.

NSW Treasurer Eric Roozendaal's denunciation of Queensland and Western Australia as an "axis of evil" swindling honest NSW and Victoria out of GST revenue (Strewth, yesterday) was always going to get a robust response, and so it has come to pass.

WA Treasurer Troy Buswell (no gratuitous chair mentions, please -- Ed.) suggested: "NSW is the rust bucket of the national economy and the anchor around our neck." Getting into the spirit of things in Perth, ABC morning show host Geoff Hutchison asked fellow sandgropers to help stock the insult armoury. Some his listeners came up with included NSW -- where the rum rebellion never finished; NSW -- Not So Wealthy; NSW -- New Scab Wales; and NSW -- the Freeloading State. Victoria, which wasn't responsible for the original slur, still found itself in the crosshairs with: Victoria -- the place to be? If that's the case, then stay there. But, as often happens in the heat and din of battle, listeners went all out, hurling insults all across the country, causing collateral damage aplenty: Adelaide -- living proof that Tasmanians can swim; Queensland -- the Blighnd leading the blind; Queensland -- two hours ahead, two decades behind. So, yes, a solid effort there from the west. Sadly, Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser refused to play and said something far too sensible to be repeated here.

Hick, hick away

MEANWHILE, and we say this in the most affectionate way, if federal Small Business Minister (and former Julia Gillard squeeze) Craig Emerson ever again claims -- as he did on ABC1's Q&A the other night -- that he's "a simple country boy", somebody please arrest him. Just for a little bit.

Insecurity Slip-up

REMEMBER the excitement last year when Sunshine Coast MP Peter Slipper caused a security breach during a parliamentary tour of the Persian Gulf? For those a little hazy on the details, Slip-up was aboard the HMAS Stuart near Iran's maritime border when he insisted on using the ship's satellite phone, during which he blabbed the ship's location and operations. The planned boarding of a tanker was abandoned and the Yanks, who intercepted the call, were none too pleased; just as well we're all friends. Anyway, there's no keeping a good man out of the navy and we hear that during a winter recess outing designed to let a group of MPs experience the life of an ordinary seaman, Slip-up demanded to be upgraded to officers' quarters or be put off the boat. Hey, the man has standards. As far as we know, he at least kept off the blower this time.

Fly away, Bob

AIR jockeys involved in the pilots' strike that did so much to boost the long-distance bus industry in 1989 will be gathering to commemorate the event at Queensland's Caboolture Aero Club from noon tomorrow. Bob Hawke, who at the time described pilots as "glorified bus drivers", is not expected to be attending.

Postmodern protest

AND while we're on the industrial action front, there was a pleasing sort of Escher-esque quality yesterday as actors who didn't want to be filmed found themselves being filmed by a man they didn't want filming them while they took part in a demonstration explaining why they didn't want to be filmed. Equity members -- just about all actors in Australia -- are on strike over the Screen Producers Association of Australia's decision to rip up the existing agreement governing the filming of commercials in Australia for overseas markets, a $200 million industry. So yesterday, a group of actors marched to SPAA's Sydney offices, where they heard speeches from Patricia "Little Pattie" Amphlett and Simon "Big Ted" Burke and Actors Equity director Simon Whipp. The actors were disappointed to find the blinds drawn at SPAA; performers always like to do it in front of an audience, but many were mollified by the sight of a man with a video camera. "Who are you?" asked one of the protesting actors, expecting to be told he was filming on behalf of Equity. No such luck. Said the cameraman, "I'm filming this for (legal firm) Baker & Mackenzie, who are acting for their client, SPAA." Equity members, who like to be paid when they appear on film, wonder whether they should direct their invoices to the law firm or to SPAA itself.

You don't say

THIS week's best inadvertent statement of the bleeding obvious comes courtesy of Fairfax blogger James Adonis, who included this in his article on the ups and downs of office hanky-panky: "My fellow Fairfax blogger, Samantha Brett, is a commentator on all things sex. I asked her for her opinion. 'Having sex with an employee can often end in a sticky situation."' Well, quite.

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