Christian Kerr writes:



Prize catch: Who was the goose speaking in
the Senate late yesterday afternoon pronouncing hyperbole “hyperboll”? Why,
none other than that prize Liberal catch Julian McGauran.


Cosy Canberra: Politics
in the ACT is nothing if not cosy. In fact, it’s so cosy you can’t even hide
behind a false name on talkback radio. Canberra Times editor-at-large Jack
Waterford was bemoaning the lack of talent on the Assembly backbench on ABC
radio yesterday morning in the wake of drink-driving minister John Hargreaves
stepping down. A listener who identified himself as “Ben” rang in, irate, to
say Waterford was defaming the backbench – and more than a few people
immediately recognised “Ben” as one Brendan Scott, son of former Labor federal
MP Les and spouse of ACT Labor backbencher, Karin Macdonald. Liberal MLA Vicki
Dunne, along with others, immediately rang the producer only to have presenter
Alex Sloan outing Dunne on air for outing “Ben”. It’s all cosy in Canberra.

Less leave under AWAs so no need for the
holiday house?
The volume of the rumours has increased – that the NSW Labor
Council has finally sold its unspoilt 19 hectare Currawong holiday property in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.
Estimates of the Pittwater retreat’s value range as high as $50 million. A
bundle for the bruvvers too big too bypass?

Victorian dirt units: The Victorian
Liberals have made much about the Steve Bracks’s “dirt unit” targeting their new
leader, Ted Baillieu, and his family – but they seem to have plenty of dirt
diggers of their own. A vicious anonymous sh-t sheet is circulating in the lead
up to the Warrandyte preselection, containing all sorts of allegations of
financial malpractice against a key candidate.


A whole new level of accountability: “This
is the most accountable executive since federation,” the Prime Minister claimed
yesterday in response to attacks on changes to the Senate Committee system. Really?
It’s probably also the first executive since federation to elevate “No one told
me” to an acceptable response to questions of Ministerial proprietary. So which
executive was the Prime Minister using as a yardstick? We know it’s not Australia,
but could he have been referring to the 1921-23 administration of Warren
Harding?
Not Australian, as we said – but it fits the timeframe.