The Oprah Winfrey … er … Bob Katter show draws the crowds

Malcolm Turnbull tried to get the attention off all the obituaries for the Gillard Government by shining a light on the “features” of the Opposition’s climate change policy, particularly noting that it would be the easiest program to stop if the whole thing turns out to be hooey — giving yet another pointer to the raging funsters on the right of the Speaker — even sarcasm can work well if you put your back into it.

And is this the fundamental problem? Parliament used to be full of people who were genuinely funny, even if mostly when they were away from a camera, but plenty when they were in front of one too. Comedians are famous for being a highly intelligent but tortuously insecure mob. This lot mainly seem to be the latter without a huge amount of the former and incapable of humour at all.

Thus Bob Katter strides forth to the rescue, admittedly more funny peculiar than funny ha ha, but at least able to hold our attention for more than a nanosecond. Do we need more Bob Katters? Probably not — but how some of us pine for the Killens and the Dalys, even the Costellos and the Keatings, whose wits were more sledgehammer to the neck than epee to the heart, but at least clearly evident.

Meanwhile, back at the shallow end of the gene pool, the new NSW Government kicked things off with a cheeky bit of solar rebate grab back which looks like giving the collection of funny peculiars on the crossbench of the State Upper House an opportunity to show they won’t just be Barry’s lackeys, getting the chance to knock off an unpopular bit of legislation nice and early.

The new NSW Premier leaps into the talkback top five to a…mixed reception, while Malcolm Turnbull remains the favourite piñata of a certain end of Struggle Street.

We did but see her passing by…call me a crazy cynic, but methinks the call of widespread adulation might tempt Ms Winfrey back to the small screen at some point, but if not, at least she got to cuddle a Koala first.