A tipster in Cairns in far north Queensland, who tells us he supports “that SA chap” (we think that means Nick Xenophon), has been stirring up trouble with Warren Entsch and Bob Katter:

“The family values independent McCarthy seems to have incumbent Entsch on edge, Entsch turned up about 10am and stood like a statue with his stomach protruding. I was one of the only people apart from ageing sycophants to engage with him.

I asked him very politely if he considered the old age pension to be welfare or an entitlement. When he said no I asked why the Treasurer recently suggested that it was an entitlement. He then said angrily that ‘he was not here for a political argument’

I said that he was the local member and walked away. As I did so a minion rushed over to him and Entsch said loudly ‘there is always one clown’.

Later Katter arrived with his candidate for Kennedy and they together did the only news clip of the day with a local TV station.

I approached Katter later and made a bit of small talk before asking if his forebears were Afghan cameleers like Aboriginal people in WA. He wasn’t happy and told me his grandfather was Lebanese and a Christian and the family were dinky di since 1867. Then he said never to suggest the Afghan thing to him again and that where he came from people lost their teeth for saying things like that!

“Hilarious politics up here with the hillbillies in FNQ.”