 |
| Handicapped counter |
The sight of Queensland Senator Ian Macdonald (right) with an arm in a medical type sling has raised eyebrows and provided some wild speculation in the tense , long drawn out Townsville counting of votes for the seat of Herbert where the lead has swung to and fro between the incumbent LNP Ewen Jones and ALP candidate Cathy O'Toole . (The latest inside tip received by Little Darwin is that O'Toole could win by a hairdresser's whisker in a thrilling photo finish ).
The senator , aged 70, the recognised Father of the Australian Parliament , exudes the wisdom of the elderly, and is one of the scrutineers for the Jones boyo . He suddenly appeared with his hand bandaged , then it was in a sling . This caused uncouth jibes by Lefties that he had punched the wall as Ewen's votes took a dive . Nobody in the media seems to have asked him what is the cause of his injury and you wonder if anybody from the media spends any time at all in the counting room , making observations, collecting colour about a seat, the loss of which will make life more difficult for PM Turnbull .
The count is taking place in a large former empty office-sign of the times in the city where one of the major streets had more than 80 empty premises - in The Domain shopping centre .
Despite not asking the obvious question about the cause of his immobilised limb , the media are fed statements by the senator in which he says Jones is a jolly good fellow , full of fun , loved by his colleagues in the Canberra party room and predicts that Jones will "fall over the line"... hopefully not doing himself an injury in the process.
Another Jones scrutineer is a former Herbert MHR Peter Lindsay . He and Macdonald were allegedly spotted photographing count report sheets , which is not permitted, there being a sign that no photographs are to be taken . Smart phones are also banned from the counting area .
Into this arena came metadata expert Federal Attorney-General , Senator George Brandis, who also did some checking for Ewen , in the process straying into an area in which he should not have gone, according to an informant.
The demeanour of the LNP team at the count is becoming tense , worried and gruff as they determine the trend . Worrying the hell out of them is that Pauline Hanson preferences are largely flowing towards the ALP in the closing stages of the battle.
Relief scrutineers for the ALP have included a number of savvy southern lawyers and unionists - none of this colour, personality interplay, intrigue and massive interest in the outcome detected or reported by churnalists. At one stage the PM was reported on TV to be jubilant that Jones was ahead, then he was behind . It seemed to be a Hooray !- Boo ! situation.
Senator Macdonald is not the only person to show signs of hurt in the campaign . Cathy O'Toole's campaign manager Jackson Hitchcock , from Melbourne , was shook up , bruised and lost his glasses in a car prang in Townsville involving a motorist running into several vehicles, wiping out Jackson's own car, an incident not reported by local media .
Senator Macdonald is not the only person to show signs of hurt in the campaign . Cathy O'Toole's campaign manager Jackson Hitchcock , from Melbourne , was shook up , bruised and lost his glasses in a car prang in Townsville involving a motorist running into several vehicles, wiping out Jackson's own car, an incident not reported by local media .
COUNT UPDATE: Jones leading by 12 votes, whips out in dash for finish post but Ewen's nag carrying a lot of lead in saddlebag , O'Toole's mount gaining second breath as if solar powered and could win , causing a celebration bigger than that when Carbine won the Melbourne Cup with a Queensland Prickly Pear stuck under the saddle ; nation holding breath, close situation mentioned on ABC TV Insiders.
