ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
Deep in the bowels of our democracy’s highest temple is a man who keeps a watch.
He watches Gladys Liu, a new parliamentarian who came into the role with a cloud following her.
A red cloud.
From afar, in the back sections of the House of Representatives, Andrew Hastie keeps an eye on her. Not for himself – but for the country.
Some years ago, in the time before ScoMo, was a man who came to our intelligence community with information. He said the Chinese Government had offered him a million dollars to run for office in Australia. A few months later, that man was dead. In a picture, he stands behind Gladys.
Hastie spoke to our reporter via Wickr this afternoon. He used his burner phone.
“She’s got everyone wrapped around her little fingers. Not me,” said Andrew in a hoarse but confident voice.
“I’ve still got an eye on her.”
Each morning before work, Hastie does chin-ups in the living room. Shirtless. He has one of those fancy bars that go in doorways.
“I do as many as I can. Sometimes, I do heaps. Other times, not so much,”
“Look, I don’t need to spell it out for you. You know what I did before I became the Member for Canning. I just have a gut feeling on this one. Boys, I hope you can see it, too,”
“They probably reading these messages now, their spooks and ours. You’re already on a couple watchlists, but they know you’re harmless inbred journalists from some banjo-strumming shithole on the edge of the Simpson Desert. But you know the truth, boys. Now go. Live your normal lives but one day,”
“It’ll be your turn to take watch.”
Andrew hung up.
A bit of piss ran down Clancy’s jean leg, leaving a long dark stripe down to his boot. Another jet followed the same stream down to the floor. He was now full-on pissing his pants in our reporter’s office.
More to come.
