By Stephen Brook and Kishor Napier-Raman
Mick Gatto is getting political. Again.
The underworld figure/former boxer/professional mediator in the building industry is spruiking a policy of self-defence classes in high schools in the Werribee byelection. He’s supporting the campaign of Aidan McLindon, the mayor of Whittlesea in the outer north, a long way from Werribee.
Mick Gatto has staged an intervention in the Werribee byelection.Credit: Eddie Jim
“They’re not going to force [the students], but if they want to do it, I believe it’ll be fantastic for them. It helped me a lot. It changed me dramatically,” Gatto told CBD.
But to be clear, Gatto is not further entering the political arena, other than to support his good mate McLindon, a former Queensland LNP state MP. But he had some choice words for today’s political class.
“Nah, leave me out of that mate. I’m not interested in politics. They all bullshit, mate.
“They say something when none of them do it. Yes, that should get you charged with perjury.” A novel political idea, but one we are here for.
McLindon’s candidacy in the Werribee byelection has received the surprise endorsement of crime figure Mick Gatto.
McLindon, whose day job is as a high school wellbeing education officer, said running for the Werribee contest had opened his eyes.
“You do see 10- and 11-year-olds loitering about service stations vaping away and looking pretty lost,” he told us.
“What I have noticed as a teacher pre- and post-COVID is a timidity around children now, especially girls.”
The policy is a carbon copy of the one both men advocated in 2022, when McLindon stood as a Freedom Party member against then-premier Dan Andrews in his seat of Mulgrave.
We should note that McLindon spoke to us earlier in the week, before he was hauled to an urgent unscheduled Whittlesea council meeting on Tuesday night that voted to discipline him for some of his public comments.
In November, he had been elected mayor by seven out of 11 councillors. But according to council minutes, 10 councillors (McLindon abstained) voted to make an urgent application to Local Government Minister Nick Staikos to expedite an internal arbitration process for McLindon.
It seems McLindon, after a rough week in the municipality, needs some political self-defence classes of his own.
Major events
It was a tale of two sporting cities this week as the NSW and Victorian premiers vied for major event supremacy.
Ball games: Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan with LA Rams mascot Rampage announcing NFL games at the MCG.Credit: Jason South
At the ungodly media hour of 7.50am on Thursday, the press were invited to see Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan go full bread and circuses at the MCG to announce – as she put it – “a major touchdown” with the stadium to host a couple of US NFL matches.
Costs were not disclosed. Allan acknowledged event partners Visit Victoria chairman, former Telstra boss Andy Penn and VV board member (and NFL nut) Eddie McGuire and, er, Rampage, the mascot of the Los Angeles Rams. A few seconds of euphoria swept over Melbourne as we basked in our major events supremacy before the city instinctively worried: “But what about the footy finals?”
While the NSW government might’ve fumbled negotiations with the NFL, Premier Chris Minns on Wednesday sat down to record a 30-minute podcast with powerful sporting administrator Ultimate Fighting Championship boss Dana White, who is in Sydney for Sunday’s big fight.
Chris Minns shares a mic with UFC boss Dana White.Credit: YouTube
The Minns government’s $16 million deal to bring UFC to town was attacked by the state Liberals over warnings it “glorifies violence”.
Months later, UFC is now the centre of the political universe thanks to White’s friendship with US President Donald Trump. Mark Zuckerberg just shamelessly added him to the board of Meta, for goodness’ sake.
Minns and White’s interview with business dudebro and podcast host Mark Bouris devoted most of the discussion to their shared love of mixed martial arts.
“I’ve loved the UFC for years and years, and when we were in opposition, not in government, we were huge fans of it. For some reason the previous government didn’t try and grab UFC and pitch it into Sydney,” Minns said. (I mean, can you imagine Gladys Berejiklian or Dom Perrottet leaping to their feet to celebrate a smackdown in the Octagon?)
“He’s been a champ for us,” White said of the premier.
And while Minns struggled to get a word in between Bouris and White, he did have a few choice words for the snobs cranky at the government for supporting an event enjoyed by 20-something-year-old blokes from the ’burbs.
“We spent a lot of money on opera and classical music and a ballet company, but the truth is, there’s millions of people in Sydney and NSW that aren’t particularly into that, but love MMA and love the UFC ... I’m very democratic about these things” he said.
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