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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/29/queensland-watch-or-should-that-be-futurekingland-watch
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Queensland watch: Or should that be Futurekingland watch? | Queensland watch: Or should that be Futurekingland watch? |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Queensland becomes Futurekingland | Queensland becomes Futurekingland |
| 2005 university graduate and arguably Queensland’s most powerful person in the legal field Jarrod Bleijie has had a fairly tense few months. The youthful attorney general has found himself in a standoff with bikies, and occasionally at loggerheads with the judiciary as well. Not knowing Bleijie well enough to say whether he found joy in introducing laws which curtailed freedom of association, we can at least know for sure he has had a very good week overall. It started off with Bleijie personally delivering a birth certificate to a couple, not just a boring run-of-the-mill-most-important-document-you’ll-probably-ever-own birth certificate but one with the face of a baby on it. Not the actual baby who the birth certificate is for, no, a much more important baby, one Prince George Alexander Louis, with his beaming parents Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge. Queenslanders are the only Australians who can commemorate their babies being born in the same year as the future king with the special birth certificate. Bleijie announced the endeavour just after Georgie’s (we can call him that, right?) birth, and hand-delivered the first ones to twins Ivy and Phoenix this week. Queensland Watch, an avid fan of Bleijie’s pocket handkerchiefs over the years, notes he chose a simple white one for the day, probably so as not to overshadow the momentous occasion. | 2005 university graduate and arguably Queensland’s most powerful person in the legal field Jarrod Bleijie has had a fairly tense few months. The youthful attorney general has found himself in a standoff with bikies, and occasionally at loggerheads with the judiciary as well. Not knowing Bleijie well enough to say whether he found joy in introducing laws which curtailed freedom of association, we can at least know for sure he has had a very good week overall. It started off with Bleijie personally delivering a birth certificate to a couple, not just a boring run-of-the-mill-most-important-document-you’ll-probably-ever-own birth certificate but one with the face of a baby on it. Not the actual baby who the birth certificate is for, no, a much more important baby, one Prince George Alexander Louis, with his beaming parents Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge. Queenslanders are the only Australians who can commemorate their babies being born in the same year as the future king with the special birth certificate. Bleijie announced the endeavour just after Georgie’s (we can call him that, right?) birth, and hand-delivered the first ones to twins Ivy and Phoenix this week. Queensland Watch, an avid fan of Bleijie’s pocket handkerchiefs over the years, notes he chose a simple white one for the day, probably so as not to overshadow the momentous occasion. |
| Little Ivy & Phoenix are the first bubs to receive our special birth certificate commemorating Prince George's birth. pic.twitter.com/zTKplEPsb6 | Little Ivy & Phoenix are the first bubs to receive our special birth certificate commemorating Prince George's birth. pic.twitter.com/zTKplEPsb6 |
| Bleijie’s monarchist sensibilities were again indulged to a rapturous degree on Thursday when he unveiled wax figures of Georgie’s parents. | Bleijie’s monarchist sensibilities were again indulged to a rapturous degree on Thursday when he unveiled wax figures of Georgie’s parents. |
| @JarrodBleijieMP unveiling new wax sculptures of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the GC. @9NewsGoldCoast pic.twitter.com/iGgwnOQ23f | @JarrodBleijieMP unveiling new wax sculptures of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the GC. @9NewsGoldCoast pic.twitter.com/iGgwnOQ23f |
| We’re squinting but do believe he had a snazzy maroon and pink pocket handkerchief for the event. The figures will be taking up residence at the wax museum in Surfers Paradise. Walk, don’t run. | We’re squinting but do believe he had a snazzy maroon and pink pocket handkerchief for the event. The figures will be taking up residence at the wax museum in Surfers Paradise. Walk, don’t run. |
| Fighting the good fight, which is for a good sacking | Fighting the good fight, which is for a good sacking |
| Delivering birth certificates with photos of the royal family on them and waxing on about royalty was of course not the only thing on the AG’s agenda this week, he was also working hard to get opposition MP Jackie Trad sacked from the ethics committee. He called for her resignation last week but has continued to fight the good fight this week, issuing press releases in the hopes that if you demand something enough, it will happen. | Delivering birth certificates with photos of the royal family on them and waxing on about royalty was of course not the only thing on the AG’s agenda this week, he was also working hard to get opposition MP Jackie Trad sacked from the ethics committee. He called for her resignation last week but has continued to fight the good fight this week, issuing press releases in the hopes that if you demand something enough, it will happen. |
| “The member for South Brisbane is a member of the powerful ethics committee, which investigates and judges other members of parliament on issues such as pecuniary interests, so why didn’t she practise what she preaches?” he said on Monday. | “The member for South Brisbane is a member of the powerful ethics committee, which investigates and judges other members of parliament on issues such as pecuniary interests, so why didn’t she practise what she preaches?” he said on Monday. |
| “There are two possible answers. She’s never bothered to read parliament’s standing orders, which the committee bases its judgments on, or she deliberately kept quiet and voted. | “There are two possible answers. She’s never bothered to read parliament’s standing orders, which the committee bases its judgments on, or she deliberately kept quiet and voted. |
| “Either way, the member for South Brisbane’s position on the ethics committee is untenable. She is refusing to resign so the opposition Leader must show leadership and sack her.” | “Either way, the member for South Brisbane’s position on the ethics committee is untenable. She is refusing to resign so the opposition Leader must show leadership and sack her.” |
| His issue is Trad’s husband is a partner for quite a big workers’ compensation legal firm and she did not disclose this when she voted against legislation that made changes to WorkCover last month. | His issue is Trad’s husband is a partner for quite a big workers’ compensation legal firm and she did not disclose this when she voted against legislation that made changes to WorkCover last month. |
| Trad has admitted to the folly, saying it was an honest mistake but that hasn’t satisfied the attorney general. Maybe Bleijie is feeling a bit unchallenged with only seven members of the Labor party making up the opposition? | Trad has admitted to the folly, saying it was an honest mistake but that hasn’t satisfied the attorney general. Maybe Bleijie is feeling a bit unchallenged with only seven members of the Labor party making up the opposition? |
| A note on promotions | A note on promotions |
| Though if he is really passionate about the issue he could always convince the government to use its 74-strong majority and simply sack the entire committee. It’s not exactly unheard of in the sunshine state – actually it just happened last week. The Queensland government sacked the entire parliamentary crime and misconduct committee after it voted unanimously to refer the acting head of the crime watchdog, Ken Levy, to a select ethics committee when it emerged he had met the premier’s media adviser about a column he wrote for the Courier-Mail in support of the state’s bikie laws. | Though if he is really passionate about the issue he could always convince the government to use its 74-strong majority and simply sack the entire committee. It’s not exactly unheard of in the sunshine state – actually it just happened last week. The Queensland government sacked the entire parliamentary crime and misconduct committee after it voted unanimously to refer the acting head of the crime watchdog, Ken Levy, to a select ethics committee when it emerged he had met the premier’s media adviser about a column he wrote for the Courier-Mail in support of the state’s bikie laws. |
| This week the LNP announced it was changing the committee so it had balance of power and there are some interesting résumés among the party’s replacements. | This week the LNP announced it was changing the committee so it had balance of power and there are some interesting résumés among the party’s replacements. |
| The new chair of the committee, Steve Davis, was only last month telling a delightful story about how he got a young Bandidos bikie “taken care of” as polite folk put it, by dobbing him in to his sergeant of arms. Apparently the young scallywag had been giving Davis grief when he was a motorcycle parts salesman. | The new chair of the committee, Steve Davis, was only last month telling a delightful story about how he got a young Bandidos bikie “taken care of” as polite folk put it, by dobbing him in to his sergeant of arms. Apparently the young scallywag had been giving Davis grief when he was a motorcycle parts salesman. |
| “He basically came in and threatened me and told me that, you know, my life was at risk and, 'Don't you know who I am? I'm a Bandidos,' " Davis told local ABC radio last month. | “He basically came in and threatened me and told me that, you know, my life was at risk and, 'Don't you know who I am? I'm a Bandidos,' " Davis told local ABC radio last month. |
| "So we rang that sergeant of arms up and said: 'This young bloke's threatening us' and there was some sort of internal justice.” | "So we rang that sergeant of arms up and said: 'This young bloke's threatening us' and there was some sort of internal justice.” |
| Joining him on the committee will be Verity Barton who could enthusiastically be described as someone who makes hay while the sun shines. Barton is often referred to as the “Steven Bradbury” of Queensland politics, referencing the speed skater who scored a gold medal when he coasted past two fallen competitors who were ahead of him. She became the youngest woman elected to parliament (at 26) after she was the LNP’s third choice for the Gold Coast seat of Broadwater. The first choice was caught drink-driving and the second choice was photographed at a pirate-themed swingers’ party. He of course went on to become a Gold Coast councillor. | Joining him on the committee will be Verity Barton who could enthusiastically be described as someone who makes hay while the sun shines. Barton is often referred to as the “Steven Bradbury” of Queensland politics, referencing the speed skater who scored a gold medal when he coasted past two fallen competitors who were ahead of him. She became the youngest woman elected to parliament (at 26) after she was the LNP’s third choice for the Gold Coast seat of Broadwater. The first choice was caught drink-driving and the second choice was photographed at a pirate-themed swingers’ party. He of course went on to become a Gold Coast councillor. |
| She recently moved out of her parents’ home before her latest promotion was announced. Details of her Facebook were revealed last year, delivering us this gem: “Welfare for parents (single or coupled) just shouldn't exist. If you fall pregnant you've got nine months to save/budget.” | She recently moved out of her parents’ home before her latest promotion was announced. Details of her Facebook were revealed last year, delivering us this gem: “Welfare for parents (single or coupled) just shouldn't exist. If you fall pregnant you've got nine months to save/budget.” |
| Yes, quite. | Yes, quite. |
| • This article was amended on 29 November 2013. The original said Steven Bradbury was a skier. This has been corrected. | |
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