From the Crikey grapevine, the latest tips and rumours …

We hope they know how to put out metaphorical fires. The Country Fire Authority has been a thorn in the side of Premier Daniel Andrews for a while now, bubbling up last year during its dispute with United Firefighters Union and returning last week with reports of bullying and misogyny throughout the organisation splashed across the front page of The Age last week. Ms Tips understands after the weekend’s reporting on the United Firefighters Union, powerful people in Victorian politics will be making sure the issue causes Andrews some headaches. So stay tuned for that announcement. Honestly, given the issue concerns growing union power, and wounds Andrews’ progressive credentials, Ms Tips is surprised it’s taken so long. 

Mark Latham and the collapse of the right. Oh, some things just write themselves, don’t they? As we reported earlier this month, Mark Latham and Lyle Shelton fronted the Wombat Hollow forum to debate marriage equality against Christine Forster, the Reverend Harry Herbert and independent MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich. We wondered at the time who would fill out their panel of three, and heard with great relief that Miranda Devine was able to show. For the record, Devine, Shelton and Latham proudly walked away with the victory, winning 37 of the rooms votes as opposed to 35 for the Yes side. But the most noteworthy event for the evening was something else. It was really something else. At one point in the evening, Latham’s chair gave way, and he dragged his allies down with him (as we say, it writes itself). 

Please, enjoy. We must warn you though, it’s very difficult to stop watching (and yes, we want you to send in your captions for this):

A salty anniversary. Has it been a year already? In the October 15-16 edition of The Weekend Australian Bernard Salt’s amusingly curmudgeonly piece decried youths in “hipster cafes” scoffing “smashed avocado with crumbled feta on five-grain toasted bread at $22 a pop and more” when they should be eating at home so they can afford a home of of their own. The piece took on a emblematic quality, drawing battlelines between under-40s facing the and older gents like Salt implying they could easily do so if they just chilled with all the indulgences like nice food and coffee. Well, the cafe at The Australian‘s Holt street headquarters is doing its bit to alleviate smashed avo-related costs, marking the anniversary by offering 50% off smashed avo on toast today.

Pre-drinks at Kate’s. There has long been conjecture about just when Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will call the next Queensland state election — she’s even gone so far as to tell reporters to “chill out” about the date — while insiders have told The Courier-Mail that the party is “ready to go”. Well, Kate Jones, member for Ashgrove (now known as Cooper) certainly is. We know that, because she has organised a campaign launch for November 3 featuring Queensland Labor president John Battams and Labor’s federal deputy leader Tanya Plibersek.

Maybe Jones will be able to give the attendees of this event some insight into the election date?

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