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Strewth: swamped by babies

If you are seeing Pauline Hanson now, it means she has had a grandchild.

If you are seeing her now, it means she’s had a grandchild. Pauline Hanson’s daughter, Lee, had a healthy baby boy yesterday morning. Little Nate, Hanson’s fifth grandchild, came in at 7.9lb (3.6kg). “WE HAVE A BOY!!!! … Thanks for everyone’s well wishes. They’ve been lovely,” Hanson wrote on Facebook. It’s a shame, though, her hope for a wee girl didn’t come to pass. “Imagine if it’s a little girl with fiery red hair, I’ll have a little mini me to keep the two major parties on their toes at the next federal election.” Yeah, just imagine that.

Turnbullstruck

The Prime Minister of Australia cannot name a single AC/DC song and must resign immediately. Malcolm Turnbull shamed the nation on Triple M Brisbane yesterday when he failed to nominate a single song by the legendary Aussie rock group in light of guitarist Malcolm Young’s death. “Well tell me, what’s your favourite AC/DC song?” he asked the hosts. Asking his interrogator a question back is Turnbull’s main tactic against the likes of Leigh Sales and David Speers, but those guys are actually asking tough questions. The Prime Minister did name “the Mentals’ If You Leave Me Can I Come Too?” as a tune close to his heart. We assume by “the Mentals” he means Mental as Anything. Turnbull’s spokesman didn’t reply to Strewth’s request for comment but he did laugh heartily down the phone. The Prime Minister’s office later tweeted out a Spotify playlist leading with AC/DC’s Back in Black. Good pick; it might inspire Turnbull to do something about the deficit.

Netflix and Mal

Turnbull was killing it on FM radio yesterday and he was forced to relive the “Netflix and chill” saga. The last time the Prime Minister was on 97.3 Brisbane, he said he and Lucy Turnbull “Netflix and chill” all the time, not realising it was millennial slang for having sex. It seems he knows all about it now. “We certainly do watch a lot of Netflix and we do chill out when we do so. Well, not a lot of Netflix,” he said yesterday. So there you go, the Turnbulls have sex. Good on you, guys.

Drink and dream

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has seen the future; a future where we’re all free to get sloshed. The Liberal heavyweight was in fine form at a trans-Tasman business circle lunch with his federal counterpart Paul Fletcher. Apart from joking federal government should be abolished and there should be only state and local government, Constance really let loose when it came to what he saw as a real change by the mid-2020s with more and more driverless cars on the road. Constance already has taken a spin in the car with a mind of its own on his recent trip to San Francisco. “There will be no need for third-party insurance. Little Jimmy will be able to take himself off to the cricket on Saturday morning. You’ll be able to drink and drive home. I didn’t say that. Plan B!”

Bennelong bets

Kristina Keneally’s showy launch did nothing for her odds. The former NSW premier has blown out to $1.95 in her fight for the federal seat of Bennelong, out from $1.90 just a day ago. Meanwhile, the Liberals’ John Alexander (who may not have been a British citizen after all) has come in at $1.70. The betting shops are already in Labor’s bad books after they accurately predicted the Victorian state seat of Northcote would fall to the Greens, when polling suggested they’d hold on. But we reckon Keneally is still looking like a good bet.

Abbott amoureux

Frances Abbott is getting hitched. The daughter of former prime minister Tony Abbott was in the headlines recently when she fought for same-sex marriage. Now Yes has won and Frances can go to her aunt (and Sydney city councillor) Christine Forster’s February wedding to Virginia Edwards. And right after, they’ll all be going to the Abbott daughter’s wedding to Olympic rower Sam Loch. There was a lot of chatter on social media about the fact Abbott and Loch had been dating for just two weeks but that’s nothing. Strewth’s Granny Annie got engaged to Grandpa Albert after one day. Granny and Grandpa met when they were playing in the ruins of a Glasgow church that recently had been pulverised by the Luftwaffe. Grandpa, aged 10, called out, “Hey you! I’m gonae marry you one day.” Granny replied: “Aye right, if you’re lucky.” They returned to the reality of World War II and the Blitz but 13 years later they were married. They were a cool couple and recently Strewth’s mum named her two miniature goats after Albert and Annie. Mum doesn’t seem to understand why that’s so weird.

strewth@theaustralian.com.au

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/strewth/strewth-swamped-by-babies/news-story/6ebc1a38e4693e16b55dd5e2d8a6e409