Senator Sam Dastyari Spent His Weekend At The Parkes Elvis Festival Dressed Up As “Halal Elvis”
Hail to the King.
We here at Junkee are very fond of the Parkes Elvis Festival. Very fond indeed. And so too, apparently, is Labor senator Sam Dastyari, who spent his weekend at the annual event in Parkes, NSW learning about what it takes to become an Elvis impersonator tribute artist.
Dastyari has been keeping a relatively low profile since being booted from the shadow ministry over an expenses scandal. But this Sunday he emerged from the political wilderness to share a video of his recent (self-funded) expedition to the festival, which attracts tens of thousands of Elvis Presley fans each year.
The Senator spent his time mingling with the locals, observing an Elvis rugby union game, and getting tips on how to nail down the perfect Elvis look. Forget about kissing babies – this is how you win hearts and minds.
Indeed, the Iranian-born Senator told The Sydney Morning Herald that his “Halal Elvis” was well received, even in a town that had “some of the highest One Nation Senate vote totals of anywhere in NSW.”
“What I really worry about is where the Americans head where you have 90 per cent Democratic vote in places like San Francisco and the reverse in country towns,” he told the paper.