The Liberals hold the seat with a 12 per cent margin, and Labor’s disinterest in wasting money in the Shire means Kennedy’s campaign is more of a coronation. Which makes some of Dutton’s companion choices during his visit even more questionable.
Regular readers will recall that the online stock trading “educator” with a taste for Ferraris, high-end champagne, private jets and selfies in exotic locations was bankrupted last month by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission , to whom Scholz owes $436,000 – the cost of ASIC’s pursuit of him for providing financial services without a licence.
To say that the Emiratis take a dim view of this sort of conduct would be to dramatically understate the case – drinking alcohol is banned outside licensed hotels, bars and restaurants in the city, and they take a very hard line there on drink-driving. Plus it won’t help that Scholz pulled his stunt barely a day into the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Now, among the Canberra blob, Veterans’ Affairs has maintained a reputation as a bit of a basket case, so it’s no surprise they’ve called in Halton’s Rangeworthy Advisors “to deliver a series of masterclass workshops designed to build on the capability of staff across the department in policy development and design,” a spokesperson told us.