Nappy nasties

Hamish Heard
A senior Liberal senator has used the sanctuary of “cowards’ castle” to launch a barrage of verbal grenades at the Geelong region’s two federal Labor candidates.
Victorian Senator Michael Ronaldson used a Senate adjournment speech to label Labor’s 30-year-old candidate for Corangamite Darren Cheeseman a nappy wearer.
He also used parliamentary privilege, which protects MPs from defamation action, to reignite allegations of branch stacking against Labor’s Corio candidate, Richard Marles.
“In 15 or 20 years this young man might possibly make a member of parliament,” Sen Ronaldson said during his attack on Mr Cheeseman.
“The best I can say is that he is toilet trained but I think he probably still wears a night nappy.”
Sen Ronaldson scoffed at Mr Cheeseman’s chances of unseating incumbent Liberal Stewart McArthur, who turns 70 this year.
“So we have got Mr Cheeseman from Ballarat coming into Corangamite to take on Stewart McArthur, a proven performer, and Mr Cheeseman will be dispatched back to Ballarat,” Sen Ronaldson said.
But the bulk of his outburst was directed at Mr Marles.
“He has been accused by branch members of being a branch stacker (and) he has been accused by his ex-girlfriend of being a branch stacker,” Sen Ronaldson said.
He said Geelong media reports were rife with allegations from within the ALP that Mr Marles stacked sitting Labor Member for Corio Gavan O’Connor out of the race for preselection.
Sen Ronaldson also criticised Mr Marles’ background as an Australian Council of Trade Unions assistant secretary.
Both Mr Cheeseman and Mr Marles condemned the spray as “cowardly”.
“It was just a cheap political shot from cowards’ castle that certainly doesn’t contribute to making Australia a better place,” Mr Cheeseman said.
Mr Marles said the attack was typical of a Federal Government out of touch with the electorate.
“This is further evidence of how stale, tired and out of touch the Liberal Party is,” he said.
“They are more focussed on gutter politics than on the real issues of jobs, education and health, which is what the electors of Corio are really interested in.”