FEDERAL POLITICS:

Aged Care Services Minister, Senator Richard Colbeck, says he regrets attending a cricket match in Hobart instead of fronting an inquiry into deaths arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I really do wish I had gone to give evidence to the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 back in January because I really didn’t enjoy the cricket at all,” the Tasmanian Senator said.

“There has been a lot of commentary suggesting I spurned the serious business of the committee inquiry in favour of a fun day out watching the cricket.

“I want people to know that I sincerely regret my choice because I couldn’t really see much of the action on the field.

“My view was blocked no matter where I sat and while the batting was pretty exciting, the fielding wasn’t too flash. (main picture) So I really didn’t enjoy the game.

“I really would have been better off being grilled at the inquiry.

“Some people might think that’s a bit illogical given the adversarial nature of those Senate committee hearings.

“But in my experience they’re a breeze once you resign yourself to the fact that you have no idea about what should be the correct and honest answer to any question,” Senator Colbeck said.

MORNING TELEVISION:

Star’s brilliant ‘gotcha’ moment

Allison Langdon remains the toast of Australian morning television after the “gotcha!” moment of all “gotcha!” moments on an unsuspecting Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese.

The man who wants to be Prime Minister thought he was breezing through a lightweight interview with Langdon on Channel 9’s Today show yesterday morning when the show’s clever co-host stumped him with one simple question that he clearly wasn’t expecting or his minders had utterly failed to prepare him for.

“He was literally gobsmacked,” Langdon told The Bug. “He was silent for such a long time and his eyes were blinking uncontrollably from either shock or fear; I couldn’t say which to be honest.

“All I know it was one of those amazing television moments that come along ever so rarely. It was magical viewing. People are talking Walkley but I’m not so sure about that,” she added modestly.

“I simply asked him if he knew what a replacement blade for Madame Guillotine would have cost in francs at the height of The Terror in France in 1793-94 when so many aristocratic and royal heads were being lopped off!

“In the ad break afterwards, Karl (her co-host Karl Stefanovic) and I chased him down the corridor and out into the studio carpark shouting ‘gotcha!’ ‘gotcha!’ ‘gotcha!’ over and over again.

“I hope we we weren’t too rude.”