The Department of Parliamentary Services has ordered the removal of flyers advertising a cigar club and a related company selling cigars inside Parliament House.
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"Wide variety including premium Cuban cigars," one of the brochures spotted by Public Eye proclaimed.
"Free delivery to Parliament House & the inner south."
One would think that Joe Hockey and Mathias Cormann had just handed down a federal budget.
![John-Paul Romano had distributed pamphlets at Parliament about a cigar club. Pictures by Matt Loxton, Dion Georgopoulos John-Paul Romano had distributed pamphlets at Parliament about a cigar club. Pictures by Matt Loxton, Dion Georgopoulos](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/3BUUzmFAhrhLyX9rFCubPq5/98d348fd-7099-47f2-9572-9320a812f574.jpg/r0_0_3840_2159_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"The flyers in question have been removed from the noticeboard," a departmental spokesperson advised.
"DPS will contact those responsible for the flyers and inform them of the rules governing the advertising of tobacco products."
Alongside the offending promo was another, printed on a similar paper stock.
"Collegiality, relaxation, quality conversation," it promised.
"Meeting across Canberra. BYO cigar."
It turns out that the club meets almost exclusively upstairs at the Kingston Hotel, a.k.a. The Kingo. That's according to the pamphleteer, John-Paul Romano.
The self-styled consigliere of the Amici Hospitality Group told this writer he'd counted politicians from both sides of the aisle, and their staffers, among attendees.
Let's hope no one from tough-on-tobacco Health Minister Mark Butler's office has taken up the habit.
"They're all friendly," Mr Romano said.
"Some are self-proclaimed aficionados, they know exactly how you should be smoking."
As for all the fuss about his use of parliamentary notice boards?
"It's all plain packaging," Romano said. "Otherwise, how would anyone know we exist?"
The cigar club was "a social group", he said, while all sales of tobacco products were transacted through a licensed business.
Former G-G on grocery duty
Former Governor-General David Hurley and his wife Linda Hurley seem to be adjusting to life outside Yarralumla.
The pair, who'd just handed the keys to Government House to Australia's 28th G-G, Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn, were spotted buying groceries at Coles Dickson last weekend.
What better way to mark this life transition, than to acquaint themselves with the cost-of-living crisis. Let's hope they've been briefed on the supermarket giant's dubious use of yellow 'special' tags, under scrutiny by the competition regulator.
General Hurley's salary as G-G was a mere $495,000, well short of the $709,017 granted by the Federal Parliament to Ms Mostyn, however he receives a military pension.
While the Office of the G-G has a substantial catering budget, it provided hospitality to 4306 guests at Government House in the eight months to February 2024, a figure - provided to Senate Estimates - that sounds frankly exhausting.
Perhaps the Hurley sighting is a sign that Coles' flagship store is giving the Ainslie IGA a run for its money.
After all, that purveyor of delicacies - billed as "more than a supermarket" with Canberra's largest cheese collection - is closer to the Hurley residence in Campbell.
Lighting the Olympic flame
Not to be upstaged by Bill Shorten, whose daughter Georgette 'Gigi' Parkin stole the show on his arm at the Midwinter Ball, Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor has taken to the airwaves with his offspring.
Adelaide Taylor popped up on Ben Fordham's 2GB show on Friday with her boyfriend of "a little off a year", Elliott Earnshaw, fresh from their win at the World Wife Carrying Championships in Finland.
Joining the program, Mr Taylor called for the sport - which involves carrying a woman through an obstacle course - to be part of the Olympic Games.
Country towns like Mr Earnshaw's native Singleton "always come up with innovative games and competitions," he said.
In case anyone thought Ms Taylor and her beau met at a country show, it appears they crossed paths while studying economics at the University of Sydney.
Both are alumni of the elite, yet scandal-prone, St Andrew's College.
Guardian to get a tidy-up
Word in the Canberra press gallery is the Guardian Australia bureau has been earmarked for renovations.
Politicians, press secretaries and lobbyists who enter in search of the publication's journalists are greeted with streamers, satirical posters, a shiny unicorn balloon, a Hawaiian lei, a bib emblazoned with "in case of spill" and even a Lego set.
Staff have been told to tidy the "mess".
- Over to you. Got a tip? ps@canberratimes.com.au