WA Opposition Leader: I did not do anything inappropriate to that quokka

Sniffing chairs, yes, but having inappropriate dealings with a small marsupial known as a quokka is a bridge too far for West Australian Opposition Leader Troy Buswell.

West Australian Opposition Leader Troy Buswell says there is “absolutely no substance” to reports he once did something inappropriate to a quokka, a small marsupial found on a holiday island off Perth.

Mr Buswell, who has admitted to sniffing the chair of a former Liberal party colleague and snapping the bra of a Labor staffer, was questioned on the rumours today while attending a press conference at Parliament House.

12 comments ↓

#1 Strider on 05.14.08 at 11:32 pm

Oh dear.

#2 Anwar on 05.15.08 at 10:58 am

“Mr Buswell…was questioned on the rumours today”
It might be just that, rumors.

#3 LDU on 05.15.08 at 12:49 pm

This has been knocked out of proportion. He sniffed a female colleague’s chair? Big deal. It was distasteful, but they’re not elected on a platform of leading a puritanical term in office.

#4 Strider on 05.15.08 at 12:51 pm

The fact that they even felt it necessary to ask the question about the quokkas speaks volumes.

#5 Strider on 05.15.08 at 12:54 pm

And they were not elected on a platform of sniffing chairs either.

#6 antish on 05.15.08 at 1:39 pm

” It was distasteful, but they’re not elected on a platform of leading a puritanical term in office.”

True, but they are elected by people who probably don’t want leaders to be crass. Whatever the majority want is RIGHT in a democracy. I agree that there are problems with that.

#7 Phil on 05.15.08 at 10:46 pm

Even if Mr Buswell had an inappropriate relationship with the small furry marsupial, does that make him unfit to rule?

What happens on the holiday island should stay on the holiday island.

#8 Eudaemonion on 05.16.08 at 8:47 am

If we take Antish’s statement at face values, Democracy = Mob Rule.

#9 antish on 05.16.08 at 11:12 am

And it is that. Luckily the mob’s flip-floppery is tempered by the inertia of social relationships, history and so on. Anything which dilutes this (such as “direct democracy”) makes the pure, dumb mob more powerful.

#10 Shadower on 05.17.08 at 1:01 pm

It seems like the entire Liberal Party has falling apart across Australia these past few months. Western Australia and Victoria are having issues at State levels (they are both important States considering their contribution to the economy) and at a Federal level it has also fallen to bits.

WA has elections soon and I doubt they`ll be ready for it, but the Victorian and next Federal elections are about 2 years or so off and the Liberal party would need to get its act together soon.

#11 antish on 05.17.08 at 1:55 pm

I think the ALP will lose a swag of state governments, if not at the next elections at the following. Labour is on the nose in NSW and WA, and Brumby is much less popular than Bracks in Vic. Dunno about SA or Tas. Probably a reasonable price to pay for holding federal power.

#12 Strider on 05.18.08 at 11:11 am

The NSW ALP government seems pretty good. The treasurer Costa has his head screwed on properly unlike a lot of the others in parliament.

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