Predictions of a massive coffee drinking economic recovery and a giant Singapore Sling a hundred times bigger than the Raffles Hotel staggers bibulous voters in the dry tropics .
Lithesome and petite Julie Bishop with cuppa mock turtle soup and LNP northern heavyweights Ewen Jones and George Christensen in Townsville
The dancing , prancing , jogging , beaming Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop , accompanied by the Assistant Minister for Defence, Michael McCormack , bounced about Townsville , dwarfed at times by the LNP twosome known in the north as Tweedledee and Tweedledum -Ewen Jones (Herbert ) and George Christensen (Dawson). Like twins, they often are seen travelling together by plane to and from Canberra .
Christensen is the subject of a complaint to the Australian Electoral Commission and Federal Police that he improperly offered to pay $12,000 to a turtle retrieval organisation , if voted back in ; this kind gesture, made on Facebook , has since been removed , Christensen saying that the complainant , GetUp, is a " left wing, extreme Green group." GetUP national director Paul Oosting said that Christensen's offer was ham-fisted and a dumb attempt to gain votes .
Christensen is the subject of a complaint to the Australian Electoral Commission and Federal Police that he improperly offered to pay $12,000 to a turtle retrieval organisation , if voted back in ; this kind gesture, made on Facebook , has since been removed , Christensen saying that the complainant , GetUp, is a " left wing, extreme Green group." GetUP national director Paul Oosting said that Christensen's offer was ham-fisted and a dumb attempt to gain votes .
Ms Bishop had jetted into sunny Townsville from Perth and said she was absolutely delighted to be in town . According to Niki Savva's book, Road To Ruin ,which told how the Abbott government repeatedly shot itself in the foot with an elephant gun , this happy state of mind was just the opposite to the previous time she was in town with then PM Tony Abbott just before the fatal spill which saw him dethroned .
On that occasion , displaying obvious uncomfortable body language , the two were shown side by side in Townsville , with Jones , announcing direct flights from the city to Bali . Author Savva wrote that Bishop was angry at the time (see Page 169) because the announcement had nothing to do with her portfolio , but she had been instructed to attend by Peta Credlin , the PM's chief of staff , or else it would be regarded as being disloyal to Abbott .
However, on this latest slaphappy trip to Townsville , Ms Bishop provided a photo opportunity by running along the The Strand with people in Ewen Jones T-shirts ; Jones not built for speed , did not participate , although he did do a mock Olympic marathon race finish , in shirt and tie, lumbering up to smiling Julie.
In company with Jones and Christensen , she beamed at the media , holding back her famous death-ray glare , above, when questioned about the failure of the Federal government to make a commitment to funding for the $300 million stadium and entertainment centre , as had Bill Shorten and the Queensland government -$100million each .
However , she and Jones went on with gusto about the vast amounts of money that would be spent building facilities in Townsville for the 14,000 Singapore defence force troops who will spend 18 weeks a year in the city and Shoalwater Bay.
In a separate event on Magnetic Island , Jones , performing like a Parramatta rockabilly auctioneer, said he was going to have extensive discussions with Defence Minister Marise Payne and he would urge that regular marathon races between Singaporean and Australian troops be held on the island , with teams running from one bay to another ; more tracks could be built on the island.
Somewhere along the line , it was suggested the influx of Singaporeans could lead to 9,000,000 cups of coffee being consumed, which would undoubtedly stimulate the Townsville economy and open up new job opportunities dishwashing. This coffee explosion probably explains why Townsville has been boasting that it now has a city lane with a Melbourne coffee drinking atmosphere, showing it will be able to cater with the massive increase in slurping .
After all this grand Coalition parade , the Townsville Bulletin gave the Bishop/McCormack visit and Ewen Jones support act the rhubarb treatment , saying the Singaporean news had been rehashed and she had nothing to say about a Coalition commitment to funding for stadium and entertainment centre .
Moreover , the Townsville Bulletin followed up with a front page story which was like the Japanese attack on Singapore in WWll ... JONES: I'M CLUELESS, the strapline , MP admits he does not know if LNP will back stadium.
Furthermore, the paper ran a cartoon showing Herbert ALP candidate Cathy O'Toole , decked out like local hero , Johnathan Thurston of the Cowboys, complete with his headgear, about to score in the election footie match fast approaching end of play .
The Brisbane Courier Mail also ran critical items about Ewen Jones and Government ministers not being able to say if the LNP would commit funding for the Townsville stadium , and Turnbull neglect of Queensland in the election campaign . By now the air raid sirens must have been ringing in the Coalition bunkers .
Furthermore, the paper ran a cartoon showing Herbert ALP candidate Cathy O'Toole , decked out like local hero , Johnathan Thurston of the Cowboys, complete with his headgear, about to score in the election footie match fast approaching end of play .
The Brisbane Courier Mail also ran critical items about Ewen Jones and Government ministers not being able to say if the LNP would commit funding for the Townsville stadium , and Turnbull neglect of Queensland in the election campaign . By now the air raid sirens must have been ringing in the Coalition bunkers .
Some political observers say Canberra is increasingly coming to the conclusion that Herbert will be lost and that Christensen , who recently called in Tony Abbott for help , above, could also be part of a Coalition domino collapse in Queensland .
SMOKO , COFFEE BREAK : When Ewen Jones visited a men's shed he looked about at all the useful things being made , passed the comment that the only thing he could make would be an ashtray for a motorbike.
SMOKO , COFFEE BREAK : When Ewen Jones visited a men's shed he looked about at all the useful things being made , passed the comment that the only thing he could make would be an ashtray for a motorbike.
