Fed: Beazley seeks support at BBQ and birthday party

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2006
Fed: Beazley seeks support at BBQ and birthday party

By Belinda Tasker

SYDNEY, Dec 3 AAP - Could a backyard barbecue and children's birthday party end up
being the last public appearances Kim Beazley makes as federal opposition leader?

The low-key events provided a much-needed break for Mr Beazley, who spent most of today
in his Sydney office frantically phoning colleagues ahead of tomorrow's leadership showdown
with Kevin Rudd.

After a quick take-away lunch of chicken teriyaki washed down with a Diet Coke, Mr
Beazley and wife Susie Annus escaped to the well-heeled eastern Sydney suburb of Woollahra.

Waiting for them was a crowd of supporters squeezed into the backyard of Janine Young,
daughter of Mr Beazley's mentor and former Hawke government minister Mick Young.

Despite being in the middle of a battle to save his political career, Mr Beazley was
determined to honour Ms Young's invitation to her backyard barbecue for the Mick Young
Scholarship Trust.

But before he even walked in the door, Mr Beazley had a few quick words with the media
pack waiting in a park opposite.

Having expressed his confidence at winning the leadership ballot, Mr Beazley spied
a children's party and marched over to congratulate the birthday boy, four-year-old Shaun
Mitterlechner.

Shaun and his young friends mobbed Mr Beazley, although possibly only because they
realised they could be on the tele if they posed with the big man.

Across the road at the barbecue, the more adult crowd provided a tired looking Mr Beazley
with some much-needed words of encouragement.

Among them was The Whitlams frontman Tim Freedman, who had turned up to play a few
tunes and present Mr Beazley, as patron of the trust, with a cheque for $25,000.

The singer soon found himself urging the crowd to get behind a man he believed "deserves
to be our next prime minister".

Mr Freedman said Mr Beazley had been unlucky in the past in losing two close elections
to Prime Minister John Howard.

"I think anyone who can be that unlucky that many times has got enough ticker to be
a very good prime minister," he said.

The words weren't as kind earlier today as Mr Beazley waited at the Network Ten's studios
in Sydney to appear on Meet The Press.

As he waited, he listened to a harsh attack by fellow guest, Health Minister Tony Abbott,
who said Labor's caucus had to choose between "a proven failure" in Mr Beazley and "a
potential disaster" in Mr Rudd.

The opposition leader was also forced to put on a brave face when the program screened
an unflattering animated cartoon of him.

But once the cameras were switched off and Mr Beazley prepared to depart, he was met
by Mr Abbott, who extended an olive branch by shaking his hand and wishing him luck.

AAP bt/br

KEYWORD: LABOR BEAZLEY SCENE (PICS AVAILABLE)

2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.