CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
OFF TO A CRACKING START BAZ: The entire Western Australian media establishment are today rushing to protect Perth Lord Mayor and former TV sports presenter, Basil Zempilas, who was caught on a hot mic referring to the Australian Open tennis women’s final the ‘reserves game’.
Zempilas, who is one of those big-fish-small-pond Perth identities, has already fucked up the pivot into state politics that he was supposed to be announcing for the cameras.
Zempilas was heard asking 9News reporter Michael Genovese if the tennis was on tonight.
When Mr Genovese said it was the women’s final, the Zempilas replied: ‘It’s a reserves game then’.
This sobering insight into the casual misogyny of the Perth mayor follows his decision remove women’s shelters from the city, after the property investors of inner-city Perth complained about to council about the low-socio-economic status of the at-risk women that use the Safe Night Space programme in their efforts to escape domestic violence and homelessness.
The former 24-match superstar of the WAFL, who really hasn’t done much with his career outside of commentating Aussie Rules, was elected as Perth mayor at the height of lockdowns in 2020 with the support of 12% of eligible voters after a coordinated media campaign orchestrated by the lackeys of billionaire Western Australian media tycoon Kerry Stokes, who owns Channel 7 as well as the most highly circulated newspaper in the state, who literally used mid-match AFL broadcast commentary and live horserace coverage to promote the candidacy of this politically inexperienced convicted drunk driver.
Footage of this most recent gaffe was accidentally broadcast by lesser known Perth online news organisation WAMN News, which is why it saw the light of day without the intervention of Kerry Stokes, Peter Costello or the Murdoch powerbrokers who desperately need a new Premier who does what they tell him to do.
Zempilas has since clarified that was not the intended meaning in a convoluted explanation that seems to contradict the look of realisation they appeared to come over his face after being told he was on live TV.
