This week gave us a truly disastrous photo op in Victoria, yet another independent targeting a Liberal seat, and a new US Ambassador to Australia. But how closely were you paying attention? Play our weekly news quiz — and check your answers further down.

Question time!

1. Who was appointed US Ambassador to Australia this week?

  • Arthur B Culvahouse, Jr
  • JW Pepper
  • Caroline Kennedy

2. What is the name of the politician who decided the sight of them feeding baby dolls into a shredder would make for a great photo op this week?

  • Melissa Horne
  • Daniel Mulino
  • Robin Scott
  • Jacinta Allan

3. Which country is passing laws to ensure that no one aged 14 or under will ever be able to buy cigarettes?

  • Paraguay
  • New Zealand
  • Germany

4. Who joined Crikey to help recap the year that was at this week’s A Very Crikey Christmas event?

  • Brittany Higgins
  • Jacqui Lambie
  • Grace Tame
  • Samantha Maiden

5. Which high-profile lawyer was appointed to head Australian competition regulator the ACCC this week?

  • Gina Cass-Gottlieb
  • Michael Bradley
  • Rebekah Giles
  • Peter Bartlett

6. Who wrote to parliamentarians this week encouraging them to report members of the “Voices of” campaigns to the Australian Electoral Commission?

  • Angus Taylor
  • Andrew Bragg
  • Ben Morton
  • Sarah Henderson

7. What is the name of the One Nation official who is reportedly the subject of a police investigation for fraud?

  • Alex Jones
  • Nick Fuentes
  • Ben Shapiro
  • Cenk Uygur

8. Which independent has confirmed they will take a tilt at marginal South Australian Liberal seat Boothby at the next election?

  • Jo Dyer
  • Zoe Daniel
  • Kylea Tink

9. What is the name of the mysterious polling company putting out questionable statistics, often for right-wing causes?

  • Compass Polling
  • True North Polling
  • Atlas Polling
  • The Polling Stones

10. Who was ruled out of this week’s Ashes Cricket test on account of a COVID scare?

  • James Anderson
  • Pat Cummins
  • Joe Root
  • Steve Smith

11. Which former ABC director was the subject of an eye-opening anecdote from former PM Malcolm Turnbull this week?

  • Michelle Guthrie
  • Maurice Newman
  • David Anderson
  • Janet Albrechtsen

12. What album unexpectedly made the ARIA Top 5 this week, beating out competition from ABBA, Mariah Carey and others?

  • An album entirely made up of bird squawks
  • A collection of incidental TV music from the 1970s
  • The Monkees’ greatest hits
  • The Carpool Karaoke cast recording soundtrack

Answer time!

1. Caroline Kennedy

Via Crikey: “We called it! In August Crikey reported on the likelihood of Caroline Kennedy getting the nod as US ambassador to Australia, and finally it’s been confirmed. As University of Sydney’s James Curran pointed out back then, Kennedy — with her experience in the region and close relationship with US President Joe Biden — makes a nice change from what we we usually get.”

2. Melissa Horne

Via Crikey: “Channel Nine reported on the Victorian government’s destruction of 368 unsafe toys ahead of Christmas. The footage features Consumer Affairs Minister Melissa Horne joining safety inspectors and feeding some of those defective toys into a shredder. Except … surely some of the defective toys were less visceral choices than babies?”

3. New Zealand

Via Crikey: “New Zealand is set to introduce revolutionary anti-tobacco legislation barring certain generations from ever being legally able to buy tobacco. It’s a unique proposition — outlawing those aged 14 and under when the law comes into effect from purchasing a product their parents can.”

4. Grace Tame

Via Crikey: “In the final Crikey Talks of 2021, Crikey’s Charlie Lewis and Imogen Champagne hosted an evening that touched on many of the key moments that shaped the past year in Australia and around the world … The highlight of the night came when Lewis and Champagne were joined by 2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame, who was as insightful, passionate and good-humoured as ever.”

5. Gina Cass-Gottlieb

Via Crikey: “Gina Cass-Gottlieb can’t be a credible chair of Australia’s competition regulator — unless you think a key player for the country’s most powerful oligopolist should be in charge of regulating it, and every other competition issue.”

6. Ben Morton

Via Crikey: “Scott Morrison’s right-hand man Ben Morton wrote to parliamentarians yesterday, urging them to dob in to the Australian Electoral Commission any such organisations under the government’s tightened rules around political advocacy. The organisations he’s talking about? That would be the ‘Voices of’ candidates emerging in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and, now, South Australia.”

7. Alex Jones

Via The Sydney Morning Herald: “Alex Jones, the 22-year-old national executive treasurer for the party, has been charged with two counts of uttering forged documents and one count each of attempted fraud and forgery.”

8. Jo Dyer

Via Crikey: “Arts administrator Jo Dyer has confirmed she’ll throw her hat in the ring as an independent candidate in the marginal seat of Boothby, The Australian reports. Dyer shot to national prominence as an advocate for the deceased woman who accused former attorney-general Christian Porter of rape, a claim he denies.”

9. Compass Polling

Via Crikey: “…what do these three statistics have in common? Beyond being favourable survey results used by conservative-leaning public institutions to try to influence Australia’s politics, they all come from the same place: Compass Polling.”

10. Pat Cummins

Via ABC: “Australian captain Pat Cummins ruled out of second Ashes Test against England in Adelaide after COVID contact.”

11. Maurice Newman

Via Crikey: “[Malcolm Turnbull] talked about the ‘crazy troika’ opposing climate change — right-wing media, government figures and ‘most rational’ fossil fuel interests. To illustrate just how crazed it can get, he gave an anecdote about former ABC chair Maurice Newman.”

12. An album of bird squawks

Via ABC: “An album made up entirely of tweets and squawks from Australian birds has made history by entering the Top 5 ARIA album charts, surpassing Mariah Carey and ABBA.”