By Stephen Brook and Kishor Napier-Raman
We won’t be the only ones ordering in the popcorn for the July 15 launch of the Sky News special event The Australian: 60 Years of News, starring an all too rare interview with the national paper’s founder, Rupert Murdoch.
For the chat with Murdoch, now chairman emeritus of News Corp and Fox Corp, Sky found the ultimate safe pair of hands – Sky News Australia chief executive and former editor-in-chief of The Australian Paul Whittaker.
The program is hosted by Sky News presenter, Australian columnist and former National Parks and Wildlife Service fire spotter (it’s true – we checked!) Chris Kenny.
What actually happened during the gestation of the project depends on who you talk to.
CBD had heard that a special one-hour documentary focused on the wide-ranging thoughts of the chairman emeritus was planned. But this plan did not meet with the favour of everyone (oldest son Lachlan Murdoch, perhaps?) and plan B was implemented.
But others swear that the documentary was always planned to feature the paper’s biggest names and a selection of interviewees from a wide cross-section of Australia – everyone from former prime minister John Howard to Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Who knows? The intricacies of News Corp internal politics have always had a level of opacity somewhere between the Kremlin and the Vatican, and we say that as someone whose first job in journalism was delivering the newspapers to Rupert’s office in Sydney.
Anyway, in this situation we will adopt a situation-appropriate News Corp slogan. “We report: you decide.”
PIES HAVE IT
Despite being played deep in enemy turf – the Melbourne Cricket Ground – Wednesday night’s State of Origin game two was a rip-roaring success for both the good people of NSW and the NRL honchos, who got a 90,000-strong crowd at the ’G and a much-awaited decider at Lang Park next month.
A life-size chocolate replica of the State of Origin shield for VIPs at the State of Origin match at the MCG on Wednesday.
And it didn’t take long for Mr NSW, Peter V’landys, to have the southern crowd eating out of his hand. Just about literally. The Australian Rugby League Commission’s chair hopped in to replace catering staff to serve party pies to the assembled VIPs at the Keith Miller room about halfway through the Blues’ demolition job.
“I was just assisting out staff because they’d done such a brilliant job,” a jovial V’landys said on Thursday, telling us the game couldn’t have been choreographed better for the NRL.
VIPs including Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas, former Victorian minister for fun Martin Pakula, former NSW premier Barry O’Farrell and former Queensland premier Peter Beattie also indulged in a life-size chocolate replica of the State of Origin shield.
Also on Origin night, the Santos Foundation staged an event in Port Moresby (dress code: tropical formal) to mark the charity’s decade-long involvement in the region.
Guests included PNG Prime Minister James Marape, Santos boss man Kevin Gallagher and Australian deputy high commissioner Joanne Loundes – and savvy organisers were sensible enough to have a widescreen TV on hand to keep the crowd on side.
Local paper The National reported this warning against Origin-provoked violence given by Eastern Highland police commander Michael Welly: “If you fight and die, neither the Maroons nor Blues players nor their coaches will contribute to your funeral nor will they attend your funeral. They don’t even know your problems.”
PANTO PLUNGE
Bob Katter has always had a flair for the theatrical.
The Far North Queenslander’s rambling question time interludes make parliament a little more bearable, and that rant about crocodiles, a masterpiece of delivery, is much-loved even among those who don’t share an ounce of Katter’s politics.
So it comes as no surprise that the Father of the House (the title Katter gets by virtue of being our longest-serving sitting federal MP) is taking to the stage in a community pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Farmers, in Mission Beach next month. Katter will play the magic mirror.
According to the promotional material, it’s set to be “a fractured fairytale of envy, greed and excessive cleaning told in pantomime”. Sounds a bit like Parliament House.
Mission Beach Community Arts Centre’s artistic director, Don Sanderson, told CBD they’d emailed Katter, the local member, on the off chance that he’d get involved.
Noted thespian Bob Katter dressed in a pig outfit in February.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“He’s invited to interact with the audience, and it’s a pantomime-style show. He’ll give as good as he gets.”
We can’t wait.
TURN RIGHT
SPOTTED: Former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk apparently slumming it at Sydney Airport on Wednesday afternoon, boarding her flight to Brisbane in group two and sitting in seat 5F in economy. Not that there is anything wrong with that!
Annastacia Palaszczuk finished up as Inala MP in December 2023.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Palaszczuk quit as cane toad boss woman in December after nearly nine years and also left parliament. But her limelight deprivation is about to end.
Palaszczuk, now represented by celebrity agent Max Markson, recently filmed an after-COVID special for Seven’s beleaguered Spotlight program, due to air this Sunday.
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