In the media
The Australian
Kylea Tink’s social media platforms underwent a vigorous scrubbing on Monday night after this column questioned her absence from a school ceremony, one where she was expected to present a student award bearing her name.
A photograph of the award winner was uploaded to Tink’s Instagram and Facebook accounts late last month but these have now each been marked as a “corrected post” with a number of revisions.
Gone, we note, is any mention of what the MP had termed “the inaugural Kylea Tink Award”, although it’s still plainly visible on the trophy. Missing, too, is her claim that the award, which didn’t exist prior to her election in May, is “traditionally” provided to a Year 12 student each year.
Importantly, Tink has also deleted her earlier explanation for missing the ceremony entirely. What was originally claimed to have been a commitment in Canberra turned out, via Margin Call’s fossicking, to be nothing more than an avoidable scheduling clash.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to be there on the night,” the newly corrected caption now reads, with an accompanying note congratulating the winner. No mention of the scheduling clash, of course, but why would we expect that level of transparency from any politician, even the sanctimonious teals.
While we’re on the subject of corrections, there’s another that requires our attention thanks to the clumsy, doddering, boneheaded confabulations of Tink’s predecessor, Trent Zimmerman, who told us on Monday that he’d started this award-giving trend in 2020.
As Zimmerman explained, it was he who purchased a trophy that year for the maiden graduating class of Cammeraygal High School. But unlike Tink, he didn’t have the temerity to name the award after himself. He was unequivocal about that. Only a self-obsessed teal would have the hide to exhibit such poor taste.
By Tuesday afternoon, however, this column was able to obtain a photograph of a large silver trophy from Cammeraygal High School bearing the unmistakeable words “Trent Zimmerman Award” in oversized lettering engraved all over its nameplate.
We contacted Zimmerman and queried the photograph, leading to a great bout of self-flagellation and sheepish muttering. Essentially, he was unable to recall how his name came to be upon the trophy at all, or whether it was his idea or the school’s to put it there.
Some hours later, he called back and said: “The recollection of my staff who were liaising with the school was that we expected the award to say it was ‘Presented by Trent Zimmerman’, not the ‘Trent Zimmerman Award’, per se.”
Make of that what you will. This column has already taken Zimmerman at his word once this week and we don’t intend to make that mistake twice.
Other relevant posts
It starts & ends with us.
Statement, 17 January 2025
Kylea's statement on the ceasefire in Gaza, and racism across our country.
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Kylea is among the independent MPs calling out major party leaders to end personal attacks and instead "...should be rising to the occasion rather than sinking into the sandpit," in lead up to the federal election.
‘Abhorrent catch-22’: Labor still consulting on promised first-term insurer regulation
The Australian, 14 January 2025
Kylea has criticised the Albanese government for a ‘cruel’, ‘confusing’ delay to the universally supported ban on insurers exploiting genetic test results, calling for the legislation to be tabled in February sitting weeks.
As the world burns, young Australians are feeling disbelief – and looking for answers
The Guardian, 13 January 2025
Anjali Sharma has reiterated her call for a Duty of Care Bill, in the wake of the LA Fires in a piece in The Guardian. "The Earth is burning. As young people everywhere rage against short-termism and demand their politicians consider their long-term needs, only to be ignored, I feel angry," she says.
The last goodbye?
North Shore Living, 19 December 2024
Michelle Giglio, Editor in Chief of North Shore Living has written a piece on Kylea, reflecting her time in Parliament and her achievements to date.
‘Overlooked by policymakers’: Kylea Tink calls for a national approach to end technology-facilitated abuse
Women's Agenda, 17 December 2024
Tink puts forward 12 recommendations to limit access to technology for perpetrators amidst this growing form of abuse. “Australia cannot tackle domestic and family violence if we do not tackle technology-facilitated abuse. It’s time for all levels of government around the country to come together and develop a national approach to tackling technology-facilitated abuse.”
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