From the Crikey grapevine, the latest tips and rumours …

Abbott speaks to anti-LGBTI hate group. So the former PM is continuing his international speaking tour of “just helping,” this time in the US, advocating against marriage equality. As reported in The Australian Financial Review, Tony Abbott is heading to the US to speak at an event for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a huge group that wages war against progressive causes through the US court system. This is the second time in as many years that Abbott has addressed the group (last year he spoke on the importance of family). If the ADF sounds familiar to you, it’s because we have covered them a bit at Crikey, because the Australian Christian Lobby is trying to emulate their legal successes with the Human Rights Law Alliance launched in Australia last year. The ADF is defined as an anti-LGBTI hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Centre in the US and has also campaigned against female reproductive rights. 

While we’re talking about helping. Crikey favourite Michaelia “Chuckles” Cash, the Employment Minister who’s big on the rule of law but not so much that she wouldn’t appoint a bloke who breaks it to head the ABCC, has done her bit to smooth trans-Tasman relations. With Foreign Minister Julie Bishop embarrassed by her attempt to blame New Zealand Labour for Barnaby Joyce being a Kiwi, Cash obviously thought she’d show some solidarity. She went on the radio program of peculiar right-wing finance journalist-cum-shock jock Ross Greenwood yesterday afternoon to opine “history shows that unfortunately the last time the [sic] Labour Greens and independents formed a government it didn’t end well.” She then realised what a bad idea it was to be commenting on the politics of a close ally, so retreated to graciously allowing that it was a decision for the NZ people. For the record, the last Labour PM in New Zealand was Helen Clark, who served three terms.

Libertarians in the pub. “Outsider” Mark Latham is making the trip into the inner suburbs of Sydney to be part of a Politics at the Pub event with his Liberal Democrat mate David Leyonhjelm and CEO of Freelancer Matt Barrie. The event is at Dick’s Hotel in Balmain, and is meant to be focusing on New South Wales politics. We imagine that with this kind of line-up it will be all about lockout laws — Barrie wrote an essay on the topic on LinkedIn last year, and Leyonhjelm is also not a fan. Latho will be face to face with the inner-city hipsters he rails against, might be an interesting night.

*Heard anything that might interest Crikey? Send your tips to boss@crikey.com.au, use our guaranteed anonymous form or other ways to leak to us securely