By Stephen Brook and Kishor Napier-Raman
Everyone loves funny guy Andy Lee. Except anyone living anywhere near the TV star’s massive renovation of his derelict historic mansion Ravenswood, which he and fiancee Rebecca Harding bought for more than $8 million in 2021.
The renovation of Andy Lee and Rebecca Harding’s Ravenwood has upset some neighbours.Credit: Wayne Taylor
“The noise is just horrendous,” a neighbour told CBD.
“Some residents just leave - they go away for a week at a time and come back on the weekend.
“He’s lost a lot of community goodwill in the way this has turned out.”
The renovation project in Hawthorn – said to be worth $5 million, involving building a tunnel from the 1876 house to a new build on the Yarra river – has relentlessly positive coverage via its own Instagram account, @thebuild_ravenswood, which has 172,000 followers.
So far it’s proved a god-tier-level PR strategy. Even Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins has popped in for an Instagrammed site inspection. The most unimaginable fire hydrant of PR guff has splashed across Daily Mail Australia, Stellar, MSN, 7News, Mamamia, Who, New Idea and, er, Nine, publisher of this column and broadcaster of Lee’s TV show The Hundred.
But residents are furious due to the 26 weeks of construction noise, which involves excavating a 7.7-metre basement drop. Dust from the constant rock breaking has even coated the solar panels on neighbouring houses.
When CBD visited on Wednesday morning, the noise was so loud and constant it proved disorienting. A local resident hunched into her jacket as she walked her dog past the site, as if that small act might guard her against the incredible din.
But good news approaches, according to one builder CBD spoke to.
“We are just about done with the noise. That’s everyone’s Christmas present.”
Andy Lee and Rebecca Harding at the TV Week Logie Awards.Credit: Getty Images
A few months ago Lee and Harding distributed a gourmet hamper in an attempt to make good. OK, it was from the renowned Phillippa’s Bakery, but as our man on the street said: “People have said a box of biscuits is no recompense.”
A spokeswoman for the couple told CBD the “overwhelming majority of the neighbours have been amazing and patient”.
“Andy and Bec are very mindful of their neighbours, and we continue to discuss ways to minimise the impact the build has on their lives,” she said.
“We understand one neighbour has been working from their office a lot more, but we don’t believe anyone has moved out.”
Despite that, representatives for the couple were concerned enough about complaints to follow up with an offer to residents of noise-cancelling headphones.
Boroondara Council said it had received six complaints about traffic and parking around the build, including one noise complaint. It warned the developers about the Building Sites Local Law, but said it “prefers to achieve compliance on a co-operative basis rather than issuing infringement notices”.
Locals now say relations and communications have improved recently.
“We are excited to continue to show everyone what Flack Studios and our builder Visioneer are creating for us!” Lee and Harding said via their spokeswoman.
Good days, bad days … in this social media age, it’s all content.
Farewell show
The farewell function for retiring soon-to-be-Labor-legend Bill Shorten is on Wednesday, December 18 at the Thornbury Theatre. Host Clare O’Neil MP. Special guest stars Bill Kelty and Disability Royal Commissioner Dr Rhonda Galbally.
Proceeds from the $60 tickets support the re-election of federal Labor MP for Wills, Peter Khalil, and punters can bid on – as the program puts it – “priceless memoraBILLia”. That’s our Bill. To the very last, still bringing the ZINGERS.
Fit Kings
Call it the Parliament House paunch.
In a workplace traditionally known for long hours, high stress, mediocre food options and the occasionally irresponsible consumption of alcohol, new MPs, staff and gallery hacks based in the Big House frequently find themselves packing on the pounds.
But nobody told Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Andrew Leigh. Fresh from seeing his 13th tome, The Shortest History of Economics, feted on The Economist’s annual best books of 2024 list, as noted by CBD, the Labor frontbencher is on the brink of defending his title as federal parliament’s fittest politician.
Andrew Leigh and Bill Shorten running around Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra in 2018.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Leigh, who does marathons and triathlons in his spare time, took out first place in not-for-profit AUSactive’s Fit for Office challenge last year. But with the 2024 challenge closing late Wednesday night, he was neck and neck with rookie Liberal MP Simon Kennedy, with shadow treasurer Angus Taylor sitting in third place, ahead of another 37 MPs and Senators and over 100 staffers.
Leigh seems to be taking his competition portfolio rather seriously.
“It’s nice in a hyper-partisan world to have a contest like this which crosses political boundaries and allows us to do something fun with the other side,” he told CBD, while adding that it was “always nice to beat the Liberals”.
Just to clarify
Political duo Josh Burns and Georgie Purcell are still very much together, despite rumours to the contrary in some circles.
Federal Labor MP Josh Burns and Victorian Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell at the Midwinter Ball.Credit: James Brickwood
Burns is the Jewish Labor MP and federal member for Macnamara who had his office firebombed in an antisemitic attack and has been booed by some members of his own community unhappy with the government’s Middle East policy.
Purcell, a state MP for the Animal Justice party, is a supporter of self-determination for Palestine. The couple hard-launched their relationship at the Press Gallery Midwinter Ball in June.
“When we first declared our relationship, we said we really value our privacy and the importance of having something away from politics. That hasn’t changed, especially with the ongoing interest surrounding it,” Burns told CBD.
“But we are still very much happily together, spending time between our communities and supporting each other every day.”
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.