Bridget Archer (centre) with (from left) Bob Carr,Julian Assange,David Shoebridge and Monique Ryan.Credit:Joe Benke
We doubt many other Liberals would be brave enough to show up. After all,the media contact isJames Schneider,an erstwhile comms director for decidedly socialist former British Labour leaderJeremy Corbyn.
Corbyn,leftie icon Noam Chomsky and every teenage Trotskyist’s favourite philosopher,Slavoj Zizek, are all on Progressive International’s council – the kind of companyPeter Dutton would be thrilled by.
BAD MAYOR DAY
It’s the end of an era in North Sydney. For years,the council was the fiefdom of colourful local mayorJilly Gibson and her family.
That dynasty is now all but gone. Gibson,who remains a councillor,was ousted as mayor early last year after a decade in power. Now,Gibson’s daughter,fellow councillor and partner inbilling ratepayers for interstate jaunts,Alanya Drummond has resigned,ahead of a move to Perth.
Loading
That departure will trigger a countback election this week,where local cafe owner and ex-property developerJohn Lepouris is almost certain to get up. Gibson,meanwhile,is now a humble councillor,who must suffer the occasional ignominy of having motions rejected for lack of a seconder,reduced to writing restaurant reviews in the free local paper.
But the former mayor,best known for absurdly claiming North Sydney swimming pool was a regional facility when it received a $10 million pork-barrelled grant from the Morrison government,is occasionally a surprising voice of reason on council.
She was recently the only vote against a motion attempting to ban leather and fur from events on council properties.
HACK CHECK
Far-right agitator,gadfly and serial litigatorAvi Yemini has found a new target.
This time it’s the fact check unit at RMIT’s journalism school who took him to task over his reporting of demonstrations in Melbourne last year.
In a writ filed in December,Yemini accused RMIT of suggesting his work is “sloppy and inaccurate” (a term Yemini used 15 times in his legal claim),saying he “does not lack credibility” and “is not a sloppy and inaccurate journalist”.
But in their defence,RMIT has doubled down and stood by Yemini’s own words.
“The plaintiff is not a qualified or trained journalist,” it says.
“His conduct in the preparation of the Rebel News website publication,Rebel News Australia Facebook publication,andRebel News Australia Instagram publication was sloppy,inaccurate and lacked credibility.”
They also say he breaches the journalist union’s code of ethics and failed to adhere to the Australian Press Council Statement of General Principles.
Yemini has made a cottage industry over picking legal fights with people,and just last week had costs awarded against him over a case he brought seeking media accreditation to gain access to the Parliament of Victoria.
In 2016 he threw a chopping board that hit his ex-wife,for which in 2019 he pleaded guilty to assault.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories,analysis and insights.Sign up here.