Political fallout

The dust from the election is still yet to settle, but forget the make-up of the government, the biggest unanswered questions regard the futures of Jasper the cat and Abby the dog…

We’ve already brought you news about our favourite parliamentary pets, Jasper the cat and Abby the dog. But sad to report, the Rudd family’s resident four-legged friends seem to have borne the brunt of the former PM’s ousting from office, with a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald reporting that the pair have not only been booted from the Lodge, but from the Rudd family itself – for now, at least.

‘For those who have written to us extensively about Jasper and Abby, they… temporarily have gone to be with friends here in Canberra,’ Mr Rudd told the Herald back in June.

If you ask us, this seems like pretty harsh treatment for the pets made famous by Rudd’s foray into children’s books, starring in his debut story Jasper and Abby and the Great Australia Day Kerfuffle.

Pet pioneers
The article goes on to describe the contribution made by Jasper and Abby during their time in Canberra: ‘Jasper and Abby have been pioneers, fundamental to the rise in media presence of Australian first pets, and have given their roles a more presidential air. The US presidents have always celebrated their pets and embraced them as important parts of the first family. On a few occasions they have even saved their masters from media peril. I mean who doesn’t look more human and amenable whilst cuddling a puppy?’

We’d have to agree.
Surely the cat and dog who’ve served alongside Kevin 07, making none of the policy decisions but remaining loyal and deserving darlings of the Australian media, deserve more respect in their retirement from office than a stint as couch-surfers in the house of a prime ministerial friend?

Perhaps Mr Rudd was hoping for a recall to the cabinet after the election. Well, since that is looking increasingly unlikely we can only hope he’ll soon be summoning them to join him in his Queensland home. Apart from the TLC they’ll give Kevin (who, let’s face it, has precious few friends left in the Australian Labor Party), they could provide further inspiration should he decide to chuck in the cut-throat business of politics and become a full-time children’s author.

We smell a sequel coming…

Images: watoday.com.au, readingupsidedown.com and smh.com.au