‘Let me say this,’ she said, in a time-honoured politician’s way of stalling to think of something nebulous to say, ‘we cannot, as a responsible government, countenance such a speculative venture.’

‘Al Haut says he has found oil and gas,’ Cavalier persisted.

‘He hasn’t.’

‘I disagree. I’ve seen his assay reports.’

‘So have I.’

‘MRT said you have not bothered—’

‘Are you calling me a liar?’

‘If you’ve read them, what is your assessment?’

‘I leave that to my experts,’ Orangey thundered.

‘That’s not an answer. That’s pollie doublespeak.’

One of her staff signalled that the conference was over. Reporters began to file out. TV camera operators started packing up equipment. Orangey waddled from the anteroom to her private office. Cavalier hovered near the door, pressing her with probes.

‘Don’t you fuckin’ dare step through that doorway!’ Orangey said. ‘If you do, I’ll fuckin’ throw you through the window!’

Cavalier stayed where he was.

‘What’s your name, mate?’ Orangey asked.

‘Cavalier, Victor Cavalier, minister.’

‘Weren’t you fired from one of the mainland papers a few years back?’

‘I resigned. I’m freelance.’

‘Why don’t you fuck off !’

A staff member nodded to Cavalier with a rueful look and ushered him to an elevator.

*

Haut was devastated by the government’s intervention, which he called ‘political sabotage’. It left him well short of the funds required to get on with his drilling program. And now the leases would be terminated if the current government remained in power. In a phone conversation with Cavalier, Haut said, ‘It would have been a directive from Bleulance and Conquer. They knew that fat cow would do anything, I mean anything for a quid.’

‘You can’t speak of your beautiful minister in such terms!’ Cavalier said in mock indignation. He wanted to placate Haut, who was angry. ‘What are you going to do?’

‘I’m hatching a plan with the Greens. I’ve been friends with them since the Franklin River dam fiasco. I helped them make the case that the dam would be a disaster.’ Haut gave his stuttering laugh as he added, ‘We even had the Greens fight the police while Greens leader Bob Brown and I sneaked down to the river to take samples that would prove the rock formations would not hold a dam. I was once arrested with Bob. We’re mates.’

‘How can the Greens help?’

‘You’ll see. Just keep watching and reading the news.’

*

A few days later, a Greens Party member rose in parliament to ask a question about Orangey’s handling of Haut’s company.

‘Is the minister aware that many experts agree that the Al Haut Minerals company has indeed discovered oil, vast quantities of it, and that the report and core samples were lodged with the MRT?’