Close, but no cigar for Mathias Cormann and Joe Hockey in Paris

Former treasurer Joe Hockey and OECD secretary-general Mathias Cormann have reunited in Paris. Their time in the City of Love comes a little over seven years after they were snapped smoking Cuban cigars in a Parliament House courtyard, ahead of delivering the much unloved 2014 budget. As millions of Sydneysiders began a fortnight stuck at home – and with the rest of the country largely barred from international travel – the beaming duo were spotted having a rendezvous outside the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmarte. “Sunday morning in Paris!” our erstwhile finance minister wrote on his private Facebook account. They later enjoyed some vin blanc on the balcony of Cormann’s Parisian apartment and it is unclear whether they also indulged in a pack of smokes for old time’s sake. The former finance minister, who speaks French, Flemish, English and German, relocated to Paris this year after nabbing the plum OECD position that comes with a $383,000 per year salary (sans tax). Hockey, having left Australia’s Washington DC embassy, is now in lucrative private practice providing strategic advice to big corporates. For what it’s worth, there were some 1841 cases of Covid-19 recorded in France on Sunday. Despite this, overseas travellers are allowed to enter – and aren’t subject to any health orders if vaccinated – if they are from a “green” list of countries with falling Covid-19 cases numbers including the United States, Singapore, Canada and … Australia. Getting bureaucrats from Home Affairs to agree to let you go, however, is another matter.

Oh deer

Spare a thought for the AUSLAN interpreter at Gladys Berejiklian’s Covid-19 update on Monday, who had to convey not onebut two bizarre turn-of-events to New South Welsh men and women locked-down at home. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller revealed two naked men had to be rescued by state emergency services over the weekend after they became “startled by a deer” when trying to catch some winter rays. “Unbelievably, we saw two men sunbaking naked on a beach on the South Coast. They were startled by a deer, ran into the national forest, national park, and got lost,” he said. “Not only did they require assistance from SES and police to rescue them, they also both received a ticket for $1000.” Police sent a helicopter to search for the pair, who were fined for breaching public health orders amid a Covid-19 outbreak in which residents in Greater Sydney are banned from travelling outside their local area. But the intrigue didn’t stop there. The press conference was later interrupted by a bearded man who described himself as the “Prime Creator of this Earth”, who asked Mr Fuller if his “cease and desist” notice had been received. To which the Commissioner responded: “Don’t come near me.” In a statement issued later, the police chief said “even the prime creator is not above public health orders” as he commended those on the scene for their swift actions in detaining the man. He also gave a shout-out to his chief of staff, Superintendent Rod Hart, the executive director of NSW Police’s Public Affairs Branch Grant Williams, and Seven News journo Rob Ovadia. The man also copped a $1000 fine for leaving home “without a reasonable excuse”. 2021 is proof that fact is stranger than fiction.

Read Next

Snakes and blathers

Demoted veterans affairs minister Darren Chester savaged Barnaby Joyce on Monday after he was sacked by the new Nationals leader in a reshuffle. The Gippsland MP said Mr Joyce had been “incoherent” during a phone call in which he was told he would be dumped from cabinet. “I couldn’t actually explain what he was even saying to me,” Mr Chester revealed. “So people of Australia, brace yourself, there will be more conversations like that. Now we didn’t have harsh words at all, it was just a matter-of-fact conversation. He was sacking me. I didn’t agree with him, and I got on with the walk I was having with my dog.” Keith Pitt, who was also removed from cabinet, also shared some insight into the tough game of politics, likening it to “landing on a snake”. “I’m disappointed, that’s true. In the game of snakes and ladders I’ve landed on a snake, a very short one,” Mr Pitt told Sky News.

strewth@theaustralian.com.au

Canberra

Olivia Caisley is a federal politics reporter based in the Canberra press gallery. She began her career at The Australian in 2015 working for the digital team before joining the Sydney bureau as a general news … Read more

Read Next

Comments You can now view your entire comment history via the My comments link in the subscriber menu at the top right of each page. Click here for more details.

Reader comments on this site are moderated before publication to promote lively, but civil and respectful debate. We encourage your comments but submitting one does not guarantee publication. You can read our comment guidelines here. If you believe a comment has been rejected in error, email comments@theaustralian.com.au and we’ll investigate. Please ensure you include the email address you use to log in so we can locate your comment.