Slow on the draw

Slow on the draw

In the wake of Mark Latham's admission that he tried marijuana in his youth, the Health Minister, Tony Abbott, and the NSW Premier, Bob Carr, have been sucked into the dope debate.

Latham made headlines at the weekend by telling journalists he used cannabis in his youth. "Yes, I did, and I have got to own up I did inhale. So there you go. How about that?" Latham said, refusing to elaborate.

In 1992, former US president Bill Clinton admitted trying marijuana, telling a reporter: "I didn't like it. I didn't inhale."


Yesterday on Sunday Sunrise, Abbott was asked about smoking weed by Seven's chief political correspondent, Mark Riley.

Riley: Mark Latham admitted yesterday smoking marijuana. He won't say when or how often. Is this important? Should he give a detailed account of his illicit drug use now?

Abbott: That's really a matter for him. The important thing is not whether or not he might have smoked dope in the past. The important thing is, what is his policy now? As far as the Government's concerned, our policy is to be tough on drugs. Our policy is that we oppose injecting rooms, we oppose heroin trials, and no one knows where the Labor Party stands on these things.

Riley: And marijuana - have you smoked marijuana?

Abbott: Ah, look, haven't I put enough skeletons out of the closet over the last few weeks?

Riley: Well, you're in that mood. How about another one?

Abbott: (laughs)

Riley: Well, it's a fair question, isn't it? You're Health Minister and you're talking about drug policy.

Abbott: Look, I had a puff on a marijuana cigarette when I was a student.

Riley: Right. Did you inhale?

Abbott: Um, I don't inhale normal cigarettes, let alone illegal cigarettes.

Riley: So, what? Did Bill Clinton roll this reefer?

Abbott: I'm afraid, in this matter, Bill Clinton and I have something in common.

Bob Carr handled the dope question in his own inimitable way yesterday. Asked whether he ever smoked marijuana, Carr said: "I refer you to my previous answer: I haven't smoked it and when I didn't smoke it I didn't inhale."

Vocation, vocation

Forget reality TV wannabes desperately competing for photo opportunities at Manly during The Block auctions at the weekend. The real stars of the day looked like any other young couple bravely facing the Sydney real estate market. However, this couple isn't your average garden-variety pair of lovebirds.

The semi-silver fox is David Gyngell, chief executive officer of Channel Nine, pictured with his fiancee, who also happens to be an employee, reporter Leila McKinnon. They have been engaged for well over a year but didn't bid, though they were entertained by another rising network star, Don Burke's heir apparent, former stripper and The Block's host, Jamie Durie.

Moore pegs tents

What is it with Sydney's Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, and tents? With the Aboriginal tent embassy in Victoria Park ignoring her requests to leave, now comes news she has refused to let David Jones and rival Myer put up their own tent embassies. The Sun-Herald reported yesterday that Moore had blocked DJs' proposal to set up a marquee in Hyde Park for a fashion parade in August, and a similar request by Myer to set up camp in Pitt Street Mall. It seems the fracas over the Hyde Park Gold Dinner marquee has made the council less enthusiastic about repeating such exercises.

Meanwhile, the organiser of the Aboriginal tent embassy, Isabel Coe, has made it clear she and her crew intend to stay put in the park until a sovereign Aboriginal government is formed. No doubt management, shareholders and customers of DJs and Myer are beginning to understand how they feel.

Soap has lads in a lather

They've been billed as the hippest thing to come out of Scotland since the kilt, but the Glaswegian group Franz Ferdinand admitted in Melbourne last week that they were Neighbours fans and would love to visit the show's studios, reports Scotland's Daily Record.

"They watched it for years and couldn't believe their luck when they were able to actually see the place where it was all made," said a source. "They were all having a good laugh sitting on the sofas and pretending to order drinks at The Pub. But they didn't meet the cast, although they'd have loved to have met Harold Bishop."

Well, which tour-hardened indie-rock band wouldn't?

The Virgin People

Virgin Blue's 2005 calendar is being shot tomorrow and Wednesday, but don't expect pics of scantily clad hostesses in compromising positions.

This shoot is men only.

"We think we've got quite a lot of spunky guys working for us," said Virgin Blue's spokeswoman, Amanda Bolger. "And the girls get enough attention, so we thought why not give the boys a chance?"

Sexy managers, pilots, engineers, cabin crew and ground staff will feature in the calendar, whose profits will go to Camp Quality. Let's just hope Richard Branson didn't make the cut.

"We have a variety of different outfits for the guys to wear, like Ferrari-red overalls for the pit crew, which they'll wear hanging from their hips, and tool belts for the engineers." It is not known if the airline's budget competitor, Jetstar, will retaliate with a 2005 calendar of its own, featuring the face of the airline, comedian Magda Szubanski.

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