GAY PENGUINS ON PARADE

THEY’RE Sydney’s most famous lovebirds but now Sea Life Sydney Aquarium’s famous gay penguins will help spread a bit more love at this year’s Mardi Gras.

Male gentoo penguin couple Sphen and Magic will have starring roles on-board the NSW Teacher Federation’s float at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade on March 6.

The penguins went viral in 2018 when they hatched their first chick from a surrogate egg, before they welcomed a second baby in November last year. Giant inflatable versions of the penguins and their two chicks will feature on top of the float to symbolise a happy “rainbow family”.

Aquarium general manager Richard Dilly welcomed the penguins’ inclusion.

BINGE, FOXTEL

Another classy crowd-pleaser from Richard Curtis, the clever mind behind the evergreen British feel-gooder Love, Actually. At 21, Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) is clued in on a longstanding family secret: the males in his clan have the ability to travel back in time. A fine ensemble including Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy and Tom Hollander will guarantee a smile on most dials. Might be wise to bring along a tissue or two as well.

I HAVE recently received a birthday card from a local Liberal senator, presumably due to reaching a certain age. Age and birthdate are no big deal, but my first response was annoyance; this was an abuse of my personal information.

More to the point, time and resources are being diverted from many pressing problems, such as climate change, COVID recovery, an effective revue of federal environmental legislation, inappropriate development proposals in wilderness areas, protection of whistleblowers and strong federal integrity processes, to name a few.

Is it too much to expect our elected representatives to do their real job rather than attempt to curry favour with the electorate in the hope of a vote next time round? We can expect better than this.

Peter Booth East Launceston