From the Crikey grapevine, the latest tips and rumours …
Thanks for the tax dollars, part one. Commonwealth Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue QC’s work history makes for impressive reading — double degree in arts and law at the University of Melbourne, did his PhD at Oxford, joined the bar in 2001 and became a QC in 2011. His services wouldn’t come cheap. Lucky for Human Services Minister Alan Tudge, Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar and Health Minister Greg Hunt, they don’t have to pick up the bill for Donaghue representing them in a Melbourne court today. Who does? The taxpayer, of course.
Tudge, Sukkar and Hunt apologised through Donaghue for comments made in The Australian last week in which they criticised the judiciary. The trio withdrew their remarks but refused to apologise earlier in the week.
Why are taxpayers picking up the bill for the defence of three government ministers in their fight with Victorian judges? The controversial comments were all made outside their portfolios and therefore do not involve federal government affairs.
They knowingly added to the cost to taxpayers by refusing a week ago to apologise — unlike The Australian: the paper’s counsel withdrew the comments and apologised to the court a week ago.
In the meantime the trio realised the potential cost of their stupidity could be a conviction on an offence with a penalty of a year or more in jail — which would disqualify them from sitting in Parliament. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull failed to understand the stupidity of his ministers’ comments and the political danger to his government until well after last Friday’s court hearing (otherwise he would have forced them to apologise, or so you would have thought).
Thanks for the tax dollars, part two. Speaking of spending taxpayer money, it’s that time of year again, when we find out just how much we are paying in flights, other travel and office costs for our MPs. Former health minister Sussan Ley’s flights are again under the microscope, but Ms Tips always has fun with the reading material purchased by our elected representatives. Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce bought Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, among other children’s books, which are often purchased and given as prizes to schoolchildren. Labor Senator Lisa Singh bought five copies of sequel Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (not as magical as the original series) and 12 copies of Karen Middleton’s biography of her colleague Anthony Albanese, Albanese: Telling It Straight. George “Bookshelves” Brandis also bought Albo’s book, as well as Planet Jackson: Power, Greed and Unions and The Turnbull’s Gamble: Snatching Victory From the Jaws of Defeat. Former PM Tony Abbott acquired a range of books about the Anzacs and Australia’s military history.
Record that in Hansard. There’s no doubt we have seen some stinkers in the Australian Senate over the past few years, but Larissa Waters revealed yesterday that while she was moving a very worthwhile motion on black lung disease in Queensland, her daughter Alia Joy had some other important business to do. “First time I’ve had to move a Senate motion while breastfeeding!” she tweeted. “And my partner in crime moved her own motion just before mine, bless her.”
While Waters and her daughter have made quite a few parliamentary firsts, we hope this one is also marked in the history books.
*Heard anything that might interest Crikey? Send your tips to boss@crikey.com.au or use our guaranteed anonymous form
My son, then aged 2 or 3 and in training to be liberated from nappies, was with his mum doing a guided tour of the Senate. They were standing near the President’s chair when he (my son, not the President) urinated on the carpet. The attendant very kindly and diplomatically made no fuss and told my mortified wife not to worry. My comment when I was told was that it was probably one of the few honest opinions ever expressed in that Chamber.
It’s contemptible that we tax payers are supposed to cough up the dough to support those 3 “in contempt of court” fools: Drudge, Sucker and Shunted. Meanwhile, is Malcontent awake and aware at all of what a disgrace his ministers are? Probably, the answer is yes, but he’ll do anything at all to hang onto power. Sad, sad, sad.
Who needs judges? Just stick the DHs in jail for a month…
“Thanks for the tax dollars part 1”
So ably reported by the experts as a carefully orchestrated attempt to pervert the course of justice, the apology, which was never in doubt, was left for as long as possible before they would be charged, in order to prolong the dog-whistle and generate as much distrust in the courts as they could manage.
This plan worked out just as these mini-Trumps intended, and has damaged Australian democracy as you would have to guess they probably intended.
The only good thing is that the damage was pretty deftly mitigated by the speed with which the justices acted and the seriousness of the threats they issued to these 3 clowns.
Worst of all is the fact that it didn’t matter in the end what the decisions on the cases involved were, they were open to outraged criticism.
You’d have to think that this was also intended. Although if it was, of the 3 of them only Hunt would have sufficient intelligence to dream it up.
Which really points out how incredible foolish and dim Sukkar and Tudge are. And how lost Hunt is.
As I point out in a comment to Michael Bradley’s article, as lawyer they should have known that a conviction would have had them out of Parliament and the government would fall.
I do not for a moment believe that the 3 Contemptibles did this without Talcum’s approval, unless he’s an even worse barrister than he is a PM, so it was purely for the rabble rousing affect.
Then the shit eating soz-nosoz apologies, job done.