Newhouse stuffup

The ABC is reporting this morning that Labor candidate George Newhouse may be constitutionally ineligible to run for the seat of Wentworth. His former boss is refusing to release his undated resignation letter, which would seem to indicate that Georgie has stuffed up and forgotten to resign more than 24 hours before nominations were announced.

Wentworth is the 9th seat that Labor requires to win this election, and is likely to be one of the closer fought battles. Should Newhouse win, this little oversight could see the seat of Wentworth (and possibly the outcome of the entire election) decided in the courts, US style.

All this uncertainty can only provide relief for Malcolm Turnbull, a man who entered politics for only one reason: to become PM. Labor’s poll lead still looks to me rather tenuous – 16 seats is a big ask, especially if you’re screwing up the technicalities along the way.

Stand by for more mediocrity to come. Ten days to go until the election, and unless this is cleared up, it could be months before a result. Oh, the pain!