Deputy Leader, Baillieu confidante and senior Victorian minister Louise Asher slept through the ridiculously loud bells that ring in every corner of the Parliament precinct when a division was called late last night.
Her press factotum issued this succinct statement:
Comment made by the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party – Minister Louise
Asher
"I regret. I apologise. I fell asleep and I have taken measures to
ensure that it won’t happen again."
Members of the VEXNEWS Investigations Unit though just won’t put the issue to bed so quietly though.
More than one has speculated that in order for any fast-asleep individual to continue snoozing through those bells that they must be:
â– Suffering from a severe medical condition, possibly including nerve deafness or inebriation on a massive scale;
â– Guilty of interfering with the bells in their office (not allowed);
â– Medicated with hard-hitting sleeping tablets;
â– In congress with a constituent; or
â– Not being present in the building at the time.
The possibility of sleeping through those bells, when in a normal state, has been almost completely ruled out by embedded VEXNEWS investigators. Given past behaviour, some have been inclined to back the inebriation option. There is no evidence at this stage to support that contention.
It caps off a distracting week for the government, with the equal opportunity bill having to be re-voted on after another minister missed a division and Minister Asher’s Film Victoria hierarchy being exposed by the Herald Sun and hard-grafting Labor front-bencher Martin Pakula for hosting an obscenely extravagant $50,000 farewell ego-orgy for its departing CEO (complete with $10K video commemorating her hitherto uncelebrated service).
VEXNEWS (Archive) 
First Mary, now Louise. Note that the hard-working and industrious members of the Krogerite Klan, the Action Faction, have not been involved in these embarrassing episodes.
If you slept with Ron Best you would need a drink.
Was she sleeping? Or enterainig someone in her office, which is probably more likely in Ms Ashers case.
She was seen with bed head in the chamber (the Parliamentary one) 10 minutes after the division…
I am appalled Asher was sleeping – she should have been
awake and voting to extinguish my rights as a victorian. Hitlet and liberals are right if you write down rights you lose them…..
I take it that it was not beauty sleep,
Who was she sleeping with?
Not Craig Langdon. He bats for the other team these days.
Who are the other party girls in the Victorian Libs?
Years ago, Louise used to be very friendly with Costello & Kroger.
She might have been on the dog & bone to them.
I should add that LA used to look great in a short skirt – and she used to love to wear them! Drool…
I don’t sleep on duty, I obviously don’t need any beauty sleep as those naughty young Liberal Boys can’t resist a peek up my skirt.
A GOVERNMENT ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL!
I was GREAT in a short skirt. I almost converted Ollie I was so hot in my day.
Probably on the nod. Oh, these Liberals…
Sorry Luckins I only showed some interest as I wanted your brother, but you were often seen dishevelled after a quick rompy pompey with Stockers.
Who couldn’t but love those eyebrows?
I have never been accused of being a feminist (one day I may be insulted in this way). At the risk of being labelled a wanker again (a physical impossibility as I type with both hands firmly on the keyboard), I am growing tired of the peurile snide comments being made about female members of parliament. They are not funny and the people making them hide under cowardly pseudonyms lest they be accused of sexist behaviour and be forced to apologise by the femocratic forces in their respective political organisation. If you want to learn how to be funny, read a good joke book for some ideas – I heartily recommend the report of the Gillard Climate Change Commission.
Ten years ago we saw Asher asleep in the Victorian parliament and it is so etched in the memory that many were told, so whats changed Ms Asher? Hey no excuses get on the job well what if a train driver or policeman falls asleep at the wheel so its not good enough and you so know it!
This is what happens when you give these BLUE BLOODS a majority in the Lower & Upper house.
My favourite activity – sleep. Now where is that little black book?
And why do you think I like parliament, too? Because I too like slumber parties.
I also like slumber parties. Now who can I invite over to my house in Berwick tonight? Now where is that telephone book….
Of course the victorian libs basically slept their way to power – so no surprises here that they are asleep at the wheel.
Don’t forget to hand out the 40′ planks to all the blokes attending your slumber party Wenchy, as speaking from experience they’ll need em luv.
The Lib government nutters want all Victorians in home detention asap. We will all have to register for political reorientation. Ted wants a 100% turnout next time.
sleeping in the chamber is small beer compared to what is unfolding in Victoria police.
We now have misconduct allegation against sir Ken and allegations that Peter Ryan’s office was bugged.
With both houses of parliament in coalition hands do not expect this advisor to ever front the public on this.
We do not have a police state undr baillieu we have coalition keystone cops state.
They were obviously playing politics in Victoria police command and it has blown up in the liberals face.
Frozen into inaction baillieu must now wait powerless until the OPI table the actions of sir Ken and ryan’s advisor that caused the bugging in August.
This is worse than being asleep at the wheel.
Baillieu is letting low level back seat drivers steer law and order of the road.
Ted swear laws and two year mandated laws will fill and overflow youth prisons.
@The Liberal Kymer Rouge
Ted’s Ministers advisors are already tied up in OPI bugging.
Not sure this Coalition mob will organise a prison state they cannot even sack one Police Chief Commissioner.
Even with the crime bosses, the police union and the herald sun all standing cheering them on Baillieu has failed to act.
Baillieu and Ryan have made a complete mess of Victoria Police in just six months.
In August when the OPI tapes are tabled in Parliament we will see how foolish Coalition advisors are.
Now hands up who voted for these Baillieu idiots.
The Liberal party advisors and various hangers on are already out of control.
They are running around town trying to attach themselves to every land deal, government project and development going.
Many of these shady characters are out of the ‘international education’ industry – most of us know these as visa factories. Many of these had connections to key Liberals – and even a key sitting liberal MP haS admitted they financially benefited with these colleges supplying them with students to rent their over priced investment properties.
Having blown up their own cash cow with badly organised protests against the Brumby government these assorted migration agents and scam artists are living in the fringe of the Baillieu government.
Key Targets for these bottom feeders are the community support fund, VMC, hospital boards, local council contracts, the taxi directorate and any state funded land development.
In opposition Baillieu brazenly had political meetings in Parliament with the 70 international visa factory owners. Many dollars were pledged from this group to a few Baillieu Indian pre-selection hopefuls. We the Victorian taxpayers generously supplied to venue for these gatherings.
Of course much of this cash will never be declared under the electoral act as it was directed to efforts to branch stack in Ivanhoe and other places where Baillieu forces hope to unseat Krogerite candidates.
Baillieu’s faction is unwise to be in bed with the dregs of the Indian scam college owners. But with few numbers compared to the Krogerties they must take cash wherever they can get it.
Baillieu and his factional ally Minister Guy are totally deluded to think that these shady associations will not be fully exposed as these parasites infest his government in general and the planning system in particular.
The Baillieu faction is like a mangy dog – it looks harmless and appears to be fast asleep but on close examination you can see it is infested with all sorts of exotic fleas and leeches that will suck this state dry.
It all started with Askin and Hinze. Putting the Coalition in charge of any state government with wide ranging powers over planning is a mistake.
In NSW various powers have been removed from ministers via the land council and panels – in Victoria the Minister has far too much power.
I relatively young Minister (with his own property portfolio) aligned to a factionally weak Premier (with his own property portfolio too) who has an extensive family background in real estate is a recipe for poor outcomes.
Basically dracula is now in charge of the blood bank in terms of land use and planning.
To see just some of the adhoc nature of this see Ministerial interventions on the coast and in the CBD.
The hubris of power will see more outrageous interventions in the Coalition’s second term.
However a good barometer of clean government will be the size of the property portfolio’s of both the Premier’s family and key Ministers like the Planning minister over the next four years.
Anyone willing to bet their property wealth will not grow?
The ongoing sledges against the Baillieu faction on this site are false.
The fact that Nitin Gupta was unsuccessful in pre-selection for the upper northern metropolitan seat shows that the $200 promised donation by Indian colleges was not rewarded with pre-selection.
In fact the only Liberal Indian candidates pre-selected in Bundoora and Millpark seats were not connected to colleges but to legitimate Indian business families in manufacturing, construction and hospitality.
The fact that many of these business gave Indian students there first training jobs should be commended.
So the DIRECT link between Indian migration agents and appointment in Mathew Guy or any other Baillieu aligned MP’s offices cannot be substantiated.
Nitin Gupta sold the college he owned a few months before the student demos. This is matter of record.
This should not be held against him for consideration of government employment in the Taxi directorate or in the VMC.
Baillieu faction MPs are too busy dealing with the business of running a government to be concerned about the pre-selection of the next Liberal party candidate for Ivanhoe.
I am curious is this Indian migration agent connection with the USS recruitment arm of Cambridge College or the Greek run ITHEA college.
I thought that the Krogerite faction also had investment links in this area.
Is it really fair to only link these business interests to the Baillieu faction?
I thought the Krogerites rarely missed a business opportunity?
Anyway these liberal supporter controlled colleges have all crashed so you can bet that these Liberal hacks will try to go into MPs office jobs and government contracts.
Unlike NSW in Victoria any one can be employed in an electoral officer position so that is an easy path.
Apparently the cost of a job in a liberal MPs office is now just 50 ethnic stacks. Thanks Mr Minister sahib.
This is very affordable compared to buying jobs in India and is a fortunate spin off of the very low membership base of the Liberal party.
When it comes to the western and northern suburbs the Baillieu faction’s motto appears to be ‘let a thousand Brimbanks blossom’.
A night shift job in some supermarkets can be bought for about $5000 with a ‘hungry’ supervisor so the Liberal party is certainly cheaper.
The Liberal party should congratulated for lower the price of buying a job in Victoria.
Only sleazy labor people can try to make a link between a $60,000 political donation and a political job.
It fails to occur to these people that the two events are not linked and both actions were based on merit.
What job was handed over for $60,000?
Are these guys crazy?
In Ivanhoe it is clear that Africans being stacked by the ALP factions and that Indians are being stacked by the Banyule Liberals.
With so much political interest from both main parties why are schools in Macleod and West Heidelberg still being short changed?
The parties should fight for votes in the area for a change.
re: liberal underbelly watcher
What job was handed over for $60,000?
Yes, one GUY is crazy.
Stop pointing finger at Nitin Gupta.
He has not taken any government job.
He is not the GOLD Y digger in Liberal party.
GUY is a young Minister with a big future why has he linked himself with Goldy home constructions?
We know lazy labor stoogies are trying tarnish the excellent name of the Liberal party in banyule.
We know who you are.
You will still lose Ivanhoe.
Go Jenny.
Sherriff is behind the ALP recruiting. A very dangerous game bringing in Somali’s and Arabs at the same time. Samir and Wahid will not be happy.
Vex, never mind the snoozing liberal minister please give us a story on the dirty rift between Ryan and baillieu over sir Ken and Overland.
The coalition is a two headed monster and Ryan and baillieu cannot even agree on who should head the police force.
How is it that a minority party forces the premiers office into secret meetings and then vetoes the liberal party’s preferred candidate. Sir Ken has left Victoria in disgust at a government where the premier is clearly NOT IN CHARGE.
C’mon lib lovers. Not one line to defend asleep state government and no action premier. If I was a liberal I would crawl under a rock and hide too!!!!
a Police Commissioner getting a phone tap on a Police Ministerial advisor and for what?
Will he now try to get a trace on on critic?
Where will this Commissioner stop to protect his own power?
Does Overland think that he is heading an anti terrorist investigation ?
a Police Commissioner getting a phone tap on a Police Ministerial advisor and for what?
Will he now try to get a trace on any critic?
Where will this Commissioner stop to protect his own power?
Does Overland think that he is heading an anti terrorist investigation ?
Dear anon liberal
overland is ofcourse aware that the coalition want to bone him. But being half wits faillieu and hayseed Ryan thought they could take their time. With half hearted overture to sir Ken by some young drop kick in the permits office.
At this point you gave to admire overland who has upped the ante by involving the OPI. No doubt the recorded conversation will reveal that we are all unwise to put our futures in the hands of the petty morons in the liberal party.
Fact is overland has a job and a contract. If he has failed this then the minister has a right to act.
By taking the long road with various inquiries the minister gas assured a form of government created crisis that will ensure instability in police administration for another year.
The minister should have sat back and worked with overland and then quietly removed him at the end of his contract with no controversy. But that would have taken tact and intelligence. Something missing in this hicksville administration.
Overland is a tough career cop and is happy to make low lifes in the liberal party held to account. Cannot wait to read the tapes of the liberal advisor when tabled in parliament.
No doubt the liberals plan to axe overland in 1 year but in the meanwhile his agressive tactics may deliver a few scalps.
If any adviser has overstepped the line and tried to organise a coup in relation to the chief commissioners job then they must be held account.
This abuse of political power is looking more and more like a pacific island nation rather than a state of Australia.
Ted must wish his advisor would spend more time sleeping and less time plotting in police department.
Maybe Faillyou should put his advisors on risk management Course.
Chapter three on’ avoiding phone conversations about removing the top cop’ may come in handy.
Whoops! Too late.
Roo Ted needs a quick kangaroo court.
Vexnews should shut down the debate.
Looks like Baillieu’s chief of staff should now also feature in inquiry into police command by Rush.
If Rush fails to look at this then we know we are sliding down a slippery slope in to complete political interference in police command and that the Rush inquiry is a white wash for the current government.
Obviously, Ted knew nothing about Kapel’s meeting with Sir Ken. And the Premier tells Ryan nothing and everyone tells the Premier nothing so he know also knows nothing.
After all we only voted in this ‘know nothing’ so he would do nothing.
It may well take a royal commission to really find out exactly how little the Premier knows.
The Ted bear’s picnic faction sure knows how to pick em.
For the record Asher was asleep and knows nothing as well.
None of this would have happened if Bernie was Premier.
Still laughing about the Coalition’s dogs on trains fiasco – and now they serve up the bugs in the Premiers office fiasco.
It appears the rats in the ranks of the pigs put the bugs in the dog bone of Baillieu’s man servant.
Which just goes to show you cannot get good help on the animal farm these days.
Now who leak about the wire tap?
Is Spring street the comedy channel?
Ted, please call me about this rotten Police mess…or just txt me….no forget that..an anonymous twitter will do…better still a wink in the hallway…..a wink and we sack Overland later…a wink and nod and we sack him after the Rush inquiry…
Peter please stop posting on vexnews. I do not know you.
re: Anon | June 5, 2011, 16:15
The indignant Liberal post under Anon shows his/her outrage that a Liberal adviser is bugged by OPI.
Listen you back room operators need to understand that your breed are not above the law.
All too often you shady advisers are doing the dirty work for your political masters and government officials and the public are right to be wary of you.
I often ‘entertain’ in my Berwick boudoir but it is not for slumber purposes!
“In short, his message to me was this has stuffed up and you are on your own,” Sir Ken wrote.
This mirrors Baillieu’s message: Victoria you stuffed up and voted for me and now you are on your own.
Can assure not Liberals are asleep. all nite long.
Now where do you want this truck load of cream pies unloaded Mr Premier?
Replace the Premier and the Police Minister with Bernie FINN and Robert Clark.
I am in charge here and I decide when to put down the top dog…not some muppett from the Premiers office.
I will put down that dog once I have given him a good kicking. So tell Baillieu to keep his city slicker RSPCA do-gooders out of my portfolio…
Kapel….what kind of name is that anyway boy….what cricket team do you follow?
…inaudible…….
x*x%@x! +&x$%!! x*x%@x! +&x$%!! x*x%@x! +&x$%!! Baillieu x*x%@x! +&x$%!!x*x%@x! +&x$%!! Baillieu
…inaudible…….
x*x%@x! +&x$%!! Baillieu x*x%@x! +&x$%!! x*x%@x! +&x$%!
…inaudible…….
end
Sheep dog one:
It’s not looking good for us in this grubby Overland affair…..
Sheep dog two:
Whadya mean?
Sheep dog one:
Well if he lets Overland go then who do you think he is gonna kick each day?
Asher doesn’t deserve much sympathy. She has a tawdry record of extreme right-wing views that make most Victorians wince.
But Teddy Boy Bailleau was way out of line kicking her head in publicly.
@ Giuseppe De Simone
You claim you are not a wanker because your hands are always planted on your keyboard.
This, of course, does not rule out mental masturbation–an affliction many commenters here suffer from.
A number of government agencies monitor internet activity by internet surfers like you and me, perhaps illegally.
Australian governments and police have not been up-front about surveillance on what is supposed to be the freedom of the internet.
Only the good Lord knows to what extent this infiltration of privacy has gone. Much further, one would think, than anyone could possibly imagine.
Big brother does not need hi tech bugging when police department emails are freely leaked to the herald sun and age.
Failyou faction is a joke. If they think their secret meetings and dodging dealings are not known about they are fools.
The people they deal with love to boast around town.
Failyou factional hangers on are particularly known as big noters.
I will never forgive you Bernie for denying me Macedon preselection in 2002. Now Im stuck in the upper house with Wendy amd Inga, and Joanne Duncan is still in Macedon. Not happy Bernie.
i recall LA in her YL daze – she has not changed at all!
Dear Pubic Penance
I will admit to some mental gymnastics but never to anything more sinister.
My hands are not always planted on a keyboard.
I sometimes use my right hand to un-zip my fly, my left hand to raise the toilet seat, back to my right hand to point correctly and two shakes (any more would be naughty), my left hand to put the toilet seat down again (I am married) and finally my right hand to re-zip my fly.
I am ambidextrous so I can use either hand to do any of the above tasks.
The above useless information is more edifying than some of the piss-poor commentry on this site by those too gutless to put their real name to their posting.
Giuseppe,
You are far too loquatious to be anyone but Andrew Landeryou in disguise. Your unwelcome toilet habits are typical of Andrew’s unhygienic dithering.
@ Giuseppe De Simone
As long as you keep your hands visible at all times, we will know you are not doing anything akin to onanism–or even going to the loo.
More importantly you won’t be able to post any more drivel here.