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Bill Shorten's Lettuce Saga Continues To Grow

Everyone In Politics Is Talking About Lettuce And It's Bill Shorten's Fault
Fairfax Media

Everyone in Australian politics is talking about lettuce today, and it's all Bill Shorten's fault.

Shorten made awkward small talk with a family at a Queanbeyan supermarket yesterday, asking them what their favourite type of lettuce was.

Shorten was out at the market to attack the government's investigations into raising the GST, claiming any such tax increase would hit families hardest when they're buying food.

Since then, Twitter's #AusPol hashtag has been dominated by discussions of lettuce, but not in the way Shorten hoped.

On Wednesday morning, Shorten replied to ABC reporter Alice Workman's query about his favourite type of lettuce, offering up what might be the first political meme of 2016:

Workman then shared a text message she said was from Shorten's communications team, trying to get an answer on the pressing lettuce issue:

It went nuts. Suddenly, everyone was talking about the lettuce -- journalists, observers and other politicians alike.

Shorten gave another press conference at another supermarket in Victoria today, where he was asked the inevitable follow-up, with a journalist pressing him on his favourite type of lettuce.

Bill would not be budged. No, he would not name his preferred lettuce variety! Between cos, butter, green oak, red oak, iceberg and many more varieties, Shorten would not offer up his favourite.

Workman then decided to give Christopher Pyne a chance to comment, with the Minister for Science, Industry and Innovation giving us a little look into his salad preferences:

This could go on for some time, or at least until Shorten nominates a preferred variety. Come on, Bill -- give the people what they want.

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