| No images? Click here Quote to note“What are you hearing about the Gridiron?” This was the text message doing the rounds of Washington DC according to the New York Times after a recent black-tie event at the swanky Gridiron Club turned into a political COVID superspreader event. It’s the sort of story that makes the Labor campaign team here really nervous given Anthony Albanese hasn’t had COVID yet and he’s got an awful lot of handshaking ahead of him… Making news this morning1. The Federal Government will chip in another $385 million in flood-recovery funding for Queensland. PM Scott Morrison had turned down the proposal, but reports say he was lobbied by some of his own MPs fearful of the electoral consequences (PW). 2. Tony Abbott made a deal with Joe Hockey to hand over the prime ministership at some point. Hockey told The Australian (PW) that the plan was thwarted when Malcolm Turnbull rolled Abbott in 2015. 3. Interest rates will start rising in June and go up at least 4 times in the next 6 months. That’s the view of the Big 4 banks. 4. Twenty Bushmaster armoured vehicles will leave for Ukraine today (PW). Australia is one of the first countries to provide special combat vehicles to Ukraine with the $50 million gift. 5. Russia has been suspended from the United Nations Human Rights Council after a US-led vote in the General Assembly. Russia has responded by quitting. There were 93 votes in favour, 24 countries voted no, and 58 countries abstained. Going deeper: The Liberal preselection mess is going all the way to the High CourtIt was always on the cards that the messy stoush around NSW Liberal preselections would end up in the High Court. An appeal had been flagged, and now the highest court in the land will convene at 4pm to hear a special leave application brought by former party member Matthew Camenzuli. ● It’s not certain that the Court will actually allow an appeal. This is a sitting to decide if it will hear the matter. ● Earlier this week, the NSW Court of Appeal found that Morrison and a small committee were entitled to take over the NSW division and install 12 candidates without local preselections. What it means: The PM has flagged he’s going to call an election within days. If he was considering doing it today, this development would prompt him to review that plan. What’s next: The messiest scenario for the Liberal Party is the High Court allows the appeal and they go to an election with candidates under a cloud. Their best case: the High Court kicks this out tomorrow, and it’s all systems go… The heckling has started before the Federal campaign even begunIt’s been quite the campaign dress rehearsal for our pollies this week as both Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese copped sprays from cranky punters. Of course, there’s nothing new about the public heckling our politicians… Morrison’s encounter with an angry pensioner on Wednesday night reminded us of Bob Hawke on the campaign trail in 1989, calling 74-year old Bob Bell “a silly old bugger”. ● On the international front… The Washington Post went through the great US heckles with highlights including former US President George W Bush having a shoe thrown at him and an ice-cold Ronald Reagan telling a heckler to "shut up". ● And the ‘Prescott Punch’ got its own Wikipedia page after then UK Deputy PM John Prescott responded with his fists after being egged back in 2001. It has similar vibes to Australia’s “Egg Boy” incident involving former Senator Fraser Anning in 2019. Why it’s a thing: Political parties carefully choreograph campaign events for their leader, but it’s impossible to “shield the boss” from every tricky encounter that might end up front and centre of the unrelenting media cycle. Watch out for: During a recent flood visit, Morrison didn’t allow the media pack to follow him to meet people. He says he wanted to talk to people whose lives were in disarray without the cameras in tow. But it also avoided awkward or angry encounters à la Cobargo. So keep an eye on the leaders minimising their exposure to unscripted appearances in public. Will Macron be back? France heads to the polls on Sunday Just a month or so ago, the French presidential election looked like a one-horse race. The incumbent Emmanuel Macron was polling well ahead of his nearest rivals, and the markets were pricing in a business-as-usual result. But hard-right challenger Marine Le Pen (now on her 3rd tilt for the top job) is gaining traction with a focus on cost of living pressures and a promise to reduce immigration. ● France has a 2-round voting system. People will vote this Sunday and unless someone gets a majority, the 2 candidates (out of a field of 12) with the highest tally will move on to the next round on 24 April. ● Voting isn’t compulsory in France and Macron is urging people to turn out. There’s a chance more than a 3rd of the population will stay home, potentially skewing the result in favour of more extreme candidates who can motivate their supporters to show up. Why it matters: This is a big one for Europe. Macron has been a powerful voice uniting Europe to act against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Le Pen has been a consistent critic of the European Union and has threatened to trigger a French version of Brexit. What’s next: Like we said… 2 rounds of voting. This Sunday will give everyone a read-out of just how tight the content really is. Quick shotsThe United Australia Party’s Clive Palmer will spend $40 million on the election campaign between now and election day. Addressing the National Press Club yesterday, he said the mainstream media don’t give them coverage, requiring the spending to get through to voters. Ray Drury said he was sober but fed up when he gave PM Morrison a spray in a Newcastle pub on Wednesday night. The former mining worker has spoken to Nine and says he has cancer, and he’s angry that his compensation payments eat into his pension. Tasmanian Liberal Jeremy Rockliff is set to become the state’s 47th premier today after Peter Gutwein resigned earlier in the week. There may still be a contest for the deputy role, with both Michael Ferguson and Elise Archer confirming their interest in the role. The Victorian Government has been accused of making it harder for people to win lotto. It’s proposing changes to Oz Lotto, reducing the chance of winning the jackpot from 1 in 45 million to 1 in 63 million. The US Senate has voted to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. It breaks one of the most significant remaining racial barriers in America’s government and sends the first Democratic nominee to the nation’s highest court in 12 years. Pakistan PM Imran Khan will likely face a no-confidence vote tomorrow, and pundits say he’ll probably lose power. The nation’s Supreme Court has ruled that the former cricket great’s move to dissolve parliament on Sunday was unconstitutional. The fox that bit a congressman in the US had rabies. The critter was caught on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, and the 8 people who’ve been in contact with it now need an intensive round of shots. Chart of the day Sheesh… The job market is so tight at the moment that employers are turning to Google in droves to find workers. It used to be the other way around not so long ago… Back when COVID hit, there was a massive spike of people looking for work, but oh how the tables have turned… What’s on today7.20am – Defence Minister Peter Dutton will make an announcement on assistance to Ukraine with the nation’s Ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko. We assume it’s to send off the Bushmasters… – Amberley Airbase 9.00am (8.30am local time) – Labor leader Anthony Albanese is in Adelaide and has a media event with Peter Malinauskas, Terri Butler, Penny Wong and Louise Miller-Frost From 10.30am – Closing submissions to be delivered in the defamation trial involving Clive Palmer and Mark McGowan – Sydney 11.30am – The RBA releases its bi-annual financial stability review 4.00pm – The High Court to hear former NSW Liberal Party executive committee member Matthew Camenzuli’s legal challenge to the federal takeover to force through 12 preselections ABS Data Release – Monthly Business Turnover Indicator, 2022 And to distract you from election campaign watch, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne is opening the Sydney Royal Easter Show on Saturday arvo. You’re welcome… *All times in AEST unless noted |
