Premier's Reading Challenge vs Premier's Leadership Challenge

This is the spectacular view from Government House, Sydney, venue of the annual Premier's Reading Challenge presentation - with an absent Premier, who was fighting a losing battle to save his own job.


















The next door neighbour is some weird, white, noisy building! ;)

Premier premiere

With the closing date of the Premier's Reading Challenge passing this week, and my recent attendance at Keating, the musical celebration of one of Australia's big political switcheroos, it was a surprise to hear the evening news tonight and realise it had happened again.

All change!

The radio this morning noted that NSW Premier, Morris Iemma, would be reshuffling his cabinet and choosing a new Deputy. Instead, Iemma realised he'd lost the support of his caucus faction - and relative newcomer, Nathan Rees, was suddenly Premier in his stead.

So there'll be a different signature on this year's Premier's Reading Challenge certificates!

Keating!: Where were you when...?

... Paul Keating nudged out Bob Hawke to become Prime Minister?

December 20, 1991. I was in the USA, at the start of a six-week vacation. Now, in the US, news from Australia is extremely rare. On my first trip (December 83/Jan 84), the only news from home in six weeks was a Sydney Harbour ferry sinking during the annual Great Ferry Race of 1984. So when, during my 1991 trip - with more a few people I met saying, "I understand you have a new Prime Minister..." - it was only compounding my belief that Americans knew very little about Australia. Eventually, I discovered it was true: Australia suddenly had a new Prime Minister, no election needed.

Last night, I finally got to see an small, but highly acclaimed piece of Australian musical theatre: "Keating!", about the rise and rise of the suave and debonair politician, Paul Keating. Brilliantly performed by Mike McLeish (above left) - at times his Keating-esque glances and poses were uncanny - at almost all times his Keating was as unflappable as the original. With the easy poise of a lounge singer, Keating was surrounded by embarrassing blunderers: hilarious and quirky caricatures of Bob Hawke, John Howard (in several quick-change outfits - marvellous!), both played by Terry Serio (above right, as Bob), and Dr John Hewson and Alexander Downer (both scene-stealing roles played by Brendan Coustley).

This is an expanded version of the 2005 Drowsy Drivers' Melbourne International Comedy Festival pub show. Because both versions usually play in smallish venues, "Keating!"'s reputation for selling out early is well known.

One aspect of this production I really loved: the band members were such essential elements to the action on stage. Those guys weren't just playing instruments, they were doing as much acting as the main performers, and this was evident from their opening notes of the overture. There was some great rapport happening there, and I loved the switch from regulation black shirts and singlets to business suits and ties after intermission. Special kudos to Mick Stuart, who quietly slipped away from his electric guitar and saxophone to emerge from backstage as perfectly coiffed, red-dressed Cheryl Kernot, to sing "her" duet with Senator Gareth Evans (Enio Pozzebon, also from the band).

Terry Serio performed several of his numbers right in front of me (in the front row). That was a little unnerving at times, considering my last encounter with Mr Serio. However, it was Alexander Downer in his fishnets who picked out the two women sitting next to me, to make them a crucial part of his raunchy solo, "Freaky".

It was a fun night at the theatre. Many thanks to Fleur for organising the tickets. I'm sorry I let Mr Downer molest your mother and her friend! Hehehehehe. (Glad it was them and not me.)

And my friend, Maria in Brisbane, would be proud of me for going. Maria has been an avid "Keating!" fan since its early days, and has the original version's cast recording CD on an endless loop in her car. Most of my holiday road trips with Maria since 2005 have been accompanied by the sulty tones of Mike McLeish. I'm guessing her little son, Ben, knows the songs of "Keating!" better than those of The Wiggles.

Preparing for "Sorry"...

It certainly snuck up on us... Former Prime Minister, John Howard, stubbornly resisted any attempt - for many, many years - for the nation to say "Sorry" to Australia's Aboriginal population for the Stolen Generations. Actor John Howard (currrently appearing in television's All Saints), did once say "Sorry" in the very funny TV mockumentary, The Games, but that one doesn't count! However... in just a few more hours, our new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, will say "Sorry" - and a nation (and much of the world, thanks to the immediacy of the Internet) will down tools and listen. Then the next stages of Reconciliation might be able to proceed.

Australian schools have been encouraged to organise for students to witness the event live, which will no doubt cause a bit of a scramble in some schools. We do have Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags on hand - and use them often - but my school doesn't have a working TV antennae on the roof. Traditional broadcast options (at least, those in use since the first Moon Landing in 1969, I reckon) will be impossible for us. Taping the speech at a teacher's home, then watching it all together the next day, just won't cut it. (That might work for the average episode of BTN, but not this event.)

Therefore, the Principal, my library clerical and I did a tech dress rehearsal yesterday, with: a laptop computer, recommended software, data projector, standard projector screen and the spare Internet hub (located in a sports storeroom within in the assembly hall). I'm glad we didn't leave the preparation until the morning of the apology; if the tech fails us, it will be a disaster perhaps equivalent to the communications breakdown that threatened Apollo 11's historic moonwalk in the Aussie motion picture, The Dish.

This significant day in Australia's history will undoubtedly become one of those "Where you you when that happened?" events, and we've all crossed our fingers that the fickle finger of fate won't bring down a tech disaster of epic proportions. (Although we'd been informed that schools could gain access to today's live streaming, from Parliament House in Canberra, via the Internet, the Department's intranet and TaLe, we couldn't find a hyperlink which seemed to be awaiting The Big Day.)

I ended up doing a simple Google search (essentially, my total contribution to the rehearsal), to find the website for Parliament House (haven't been there in ages!), and I was pleased to see a very obvious link, along the top of the frame, for Live Broadcasting. We bookmarked the site, and did our trial run on yesterday afternoon's Opening of Parliament 2008, and were able to identify exactly what needed to be done to maximise sound and picture quality. The extended "test pattern" gave us a moment of panic, but when the session finally started our trial run seemed to indicate that "doing our homework" would ensure success.

I hope the speech brings everyone the hope and acknowledgment that many have pinned to this long-awaited, historic gesture.