Rees given the ‘Hopoate’ in Rozelle

BY ALEXANDER MCCLINTOCK

The state Opposition Leader arrived early and ordered a Carlton Draught. The Premier, a little late, opted for a lemonade. Both men were at Rozelle’s Sackville Hotel last week, a pub that’s known for hosting spirited political debates.

Though the crowd quickly filled the venue, expectations were surprisingly low.

‘I’ll be interested to see if they both turn up,’ said a local, Karen Hamilton, 51. This was obviously a reference to a previous debate where the Liberal frontbencher Tony Abbott was heckled by the left-leaning crowd for turning up late.

‘I doubt it will be as interesting as last night when the police came,’ added the pub’s 21-year-old barman, Sam Murray of Balmain.

After arriving first, Mr O’Farrell spent 15 minutes mingling with patrons, before moving through the throng to hobnob with ABC election analyst Antony Green.

‘I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could do him like a dinner,’ Mr O’Farrell said.

Once his minders had brought him his lemonade, Mr Rees chatted briefly with journalists and some besuited Young Laborites before making his way to the stage.

The Premier blushed when the moderator, Channel Seven’s Louise Milligan, described him as ‘one part renaissance man, two parts westie’.

The Opposition Leader grinned when he was called: ‘The man formerly known as Fatty O’Barrel.’

Barry O’Farrell immediately went on the attack and stayed there for most of the debate.

‘You’re giving New South Wales the John Hopoate,’ said the Opposition Leader to uproarious laughter.

Nathan Rees, by comparison, was subdued and seemed pained by his opponent’s taunts. He became much more effective as the night wore on.

‘When I look across the chamber in Macquarie Street, I see where the talent is: about as far from Barry as you can get it,’ quipped the Premier.

Mr O’Farrell parried by pointing to the government’s handling of health, education, public service reform and transport.

‘The last time I came to this pub was 15 years ago ‘ it’s good to see some things have improved since then in NSW,’ he said.

‘We have abolished Reba Meagher… after she had a red hot go.’

It was somewhat unfortunate that as the debate progressed the Young Labor posse and the more casually dressed Young Liberals tried to drown each other out.

‘He might be a prick, but let him speak,’ yelled the Shadow Minister for Women, Pru Goward.

At the halfway point Barry O’Farrell offered to buy the Premier a beer. ‘He’s never offered to do that when there wasn’t an audience,’ noted the Premier as he sipped his lemonade.

Maybe it was the rowdy audience, or the Opposition Leader downing his third beer of the evening, but the debate hit a more conciliatory note in its later stages. Remarkably, the Premier and Opposition Leader shook hands on a pledge to reform campaign finance and political donations in New South Wales.

‘We sell the people of NSW short when we pretend there are simple answers to complex problems,’ Mr Rees said.

After much heckling and bellowing, Louise Milligan declared Barry O’Farrell the victor, at which point an overly aggressive heckler was ejected from the premises by the police.

At least the barman was happy.