Bath, blowdry and barracking for the PM
SUE DUNLEVY
Daily Telegraph
November 15, 201212:00AM
WHEN he's not running her bath, fetching the newspaper or blowdrying her hair the Prime Minister's partner, Tim Mathieson, is often flopped on the couch at The Lodge watching her in parliament.
There's no misogyny at play in the home of Australia's badass PM.
Mr Mathieson has revealed he watched the PM deliver her world famous misogyny speech at home and was "pretty impressed".
"I was sitting on the couch watching and thought, I think there's a bit more going on here than normal at question time," he said.
"It sort of bolted me up in my chair, yeah."
When Ms Gillard returned home very late that night Tim was asleep but he says he woke up and drew her a bath.
"Obviously she'd had a big day," he said.
The PM's partner says he thinks her misogyny speech was "probably warranted".
"I just think when people get into question time it's all on really," he said.
The first Bludger, Tim Mathieson's daughter Staci Childs.
"She's a pretty tough lady and I kind of figure she's got respect worldwide."
Despite being the partner of one of the world's most famous feminists the "First Bloke" says "nothing has changed" in their home life since the speech - "it's all good".
Born in Shepparton the former hairdresser has often spoken of how he has to pinch himself to make sure he really is in attendance at great international events like the Royal Wedding in London.
At home at The Lodge he behaves like a very caring and solicitous partner, delivering the busy PM her morning paper and helping with an early morning blow wave for the television cameras.
"Then I have to recover during the day and sit on the couch and watch parliament which usually puts you to sleep, except for that day," he said.
Mr Mathieson revealed his quiet pleasure in presenting Ms Gillard with the morning newspapers on Tuesday that revealed the government's latest lift in the polls.
"It was good to take The Australian in to give it to her and go "not a bad look over here," he said.
"She was just going about her business, but for me it was good to wake up to that."
He says Ms Gillard appears to have had more spring in her step since she received a lift in the polls.
"It makes me a bit more happy about things, I guess," he said. "I don't follow it too much, but it's a bit easier or a bit lighter if things are going a bit better."
He doesn't attribute the government's improved poll performance to the misogyny speech and instead sees it as just part of a "natural cycle".
"It was always going to level up a bit, you know, after a period of time. Pretty much all the hard stuff has now been done," he said.
He predicts the polls will get "even closer" in the lead up to the election.
Mr Mathieson's father suffers from diabetes and he yesterday hosted a lunch for World Diabetes Day at The Lodge.
The food was specially prepared to be diabetes friendly and included one of the Prime Minister's favourite dishes - caesar salad.
A spelling glitch in the menu however described the salad as being "full of victims and a good source of slow release for protein".
Mr Mathieson is also an ambassador for Kidney Health Australia and a patron of the Australian Men's Sheds Association and says he enjoys the work he does promoting these causes.
He's spent the last year travelling to many of Australia's country towns to promote men's health and took part in the Kidney Health car rally.
"I'm really interested in the indigenous side of diabetes," he says.
He talks of trying to raise the profile of the issue with Pacific Island spouses at the Pacific Island Forum and the ASEAN conference next week.
