Bushranger

Poor students cop it

SOMEWHAT morbid viewing for the year 5 cohort of Nightcliff Primary School in parliament last week, as they watched NT Police Minister Nicole Manison list reasons why juvenile offenders should be refused bail. The family-unfriendly content didn’t stop there, with the class then sitting through a debate on sex offenders.

Eva back in schoolyard

ON the subject of schoolkids, ah the joys of Question Time. Infrastructure Minister Eva Lawler was forced to withdraw after calling an opposition member “a smart-arse” during a particularly fiery session on Wednesday. She then had to withdraw another comment implying that same MLA’s friends were often drunk at The Cav.

Shady question pops up

TO be fair to Eva, she did have a very busy session on Wednesday. Her adversary Gerard Maley used Question Time to ask her half a dozen questions in a row, not least of all about our old friend the Cavenagh Street shade structure. Bushie wonders how many years it will take for that subject to finally bite the dust.

Gunner no dab hand

CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner looked to immerse himself with the visiting Nightcliff Primary Students, with hopes of possibly earning some voters in the 2028 election. But asking if the kids knew what a “dab” was when making suggestions for a funny class photo in parliament, after the serious snap had been taken, may not have been the right move. Given the dab rose to popularity in 2015 before fading away in 2018, it’s fair to say the Chief may be late to the party on this one. Instead he resorted to Plan B with a tiger’s roar, shamelessly trading in his Tahs red and white colours with hopes most of the Nightcliff Primary students pulled on the colours of their school’s local football club.

Interruptions plain stupid

THE Northern Territory is reaching stupid levels of pettiness. In the world of ‘let’s pretend my feelings have been hurt’, apologies were demanded for the words “mate” because it was felt to be threatening towards Minister Chansey Paech and “incompetent” because it was deemed to be offensive to the Chief Minister Michael Gunner. Bushie apologises if the members of the government find the word stupid offensive, but that’s how you are behaving with your petty interruptions to parliament.