THE political fight on climate change warmed up this past week while we shivered in our beds.

PM Tony Abbott, the former Oxford boxing blue, went on the attack and drove his opponent into the red corner while muttering “carbon tax” through his mouth guard.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s seconds shouted back that they hadn’t decided their strategy yet. Bill himself was still dazed from his pre-fight appearance before a Royal Commission and his mumbles were lost in the general tumult.

The French ambassador called from the bleachers that Tony should get on the front foot; and the PM promised him, “a push in the right direction”.

Then he delivered a verbal right cross in the direction of Clean Energy Finance Corporation that wasn’t even in the ring. Since he couldn’t ban them from the arena altogether, he reckoned they should just sit there and do nothing.

Incidentally, Australia is now the second biggest greenhouse gas emitter per capita in the world and 13th biggest overall, ahead of 182 other countries. Punching above our weight again… but not in a good way.

ON the other hand, one must applaud Environment Minister Greg Hunt for his pledge to kill two million feral cats to protect our native wildlife.

Ten new cat-free enclosures will be built and all states and territories will target the feline killers through baiting, shooting and poisoning. The program will make life a little safer for the numbat, mala, pygmy-possum, greater bilby, golden bandicoot, brush-tailed rabbit-rat, eastern bettong, western quoll, Kangaroo Island dunnart and eastern barred bandicoot. Well said, sir!

FASCINATING the way the Press Gallery falls for these “early election” rumours. They begin, quite deliberately, in the PM’s office because they know the government can’t afford to wait till after the next budget. If they did, the issue would be the economy and by then their first term would look pretty sick.

So, they start the rumour that the PM denies. Then they cast about for an issue that makes their opponents look bad – say, trade union “corruption” – and manufacture a trigger for a double dissolution. And by March next year it doesn’t seem so “early” anymore, so they pull the trigger and it’s up and away.

SPEAKING of which, Bronwyn Bishop’s $5000 helicopter ride to a Liberal Party golf club fundraiser gave her opponents a rare opportunity to get their own back on the imperious Speaker (and Abbott stalwart). “It doesn’t pass the sniff test,” said one. “Every member should be accountable,” said another. And those were just the Liberal front benchers.

Bronwyn finally said she’ll repay it, even though it was part of her “entitlements”. Perhaps she missed Joe Hockey’s announcement that “the age of entitlements is over”.

NICK Kyrgios’ sad performance at Wimbledon is forgivable; but not when he’s playing Davis Cup for Australia. With Bernard Tomic’s drunken tomfoolery in Miami, it suggests there are real problems for Tennis Australia to overcome in their youngsters’ approach to their athletic careers.

ALCOHOLIC drinks also featured in a weird survey that reported (short term) good health and happiness for Australians consuming up to 42 drinks a week! Who knew? Maybe they’re just the bits they remembered.

robert@robertmacklin.com