NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian moves into new electorate office
While the Sydney property market marches on, it appears the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian won’t be immune from increasing rent prices.
Confidential
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Gladys Berejiklian’s electorate office has moved to a shopfront just three minutes walk away from the Premier’s North Shore home.
It doesn’t have quite the convenience of working from home, but commutes to the new electorate office are far easier than to the old digs in Naremburn – a tiring 26 minute walk away.
The four-year lease on Ms Berejiklian’s old office finished in October last year, and had no option to renew.
The lease for her new office (in the name of “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Second (C/- Parliament of New South Wales, Department of Parliamentary Services”) was signed in February.
And while the Sydney property market marches on, it appears the member for Willoughby isn’t immune from increasing rent prices.
The old office was leased for $52,000 per year excluding GST, increasing at the rate of inflation each year.
The new office is costing taxpayers more than $130,000 per year excluding GST. The yearly rent at Northbridge address will increase each year by three per cent.
Under the rules about MP’s offices, taxpayers also foot the bill for any fit-outs required.
Leasing of electorate offices is handled by the Department of Parliamentary Services.
CEO Mark Webb said “members are consulted as a part of selecting office locations (but) we make our final decision based around whether a building meets our criteria”.
“The Department undertakes rigorous independent market rent testing and procurement processes as the part of any relocation,” Mr Webb said.
Despite the convenient location of her electorate office, Ms Berejiklian typically treks into Martin Place to work out of the government’s Ministerial offices.
Savvy politicians stream press conferences
In the social media age, savvy politicians have many ways to reach voters while bypassing pesky journalists. One method embraced by some, including Premier Gladys Berejiklian, is to stream press conferences live on Facebook to appear directly in voters’ news feeds.
Typically, the live-streamed videos remain online for punters to re-watch later at their leisure. But one video in particular appears to have mysteriously vanished, with the Premier’s infamous declaration that it is not “illegal” to use taxpayer funds to politically benefit a government minister nowhere to be found on Berejiklian’s page.
Those comments were made on November 26 at the reopening of the Australian Museum. The Premier’s office did not alert the Macquarie Street press pack of the Premier’s press conference ahead of time.
Thankfully, enterprising political journos were on hand to quiz her about a grants scheme Labor has labelled a slush fund. When Confidential went to clarify the Premier’s remarks this week, the full press conference had been replaced with a 60-second highlight reel.
Potts Point pair have partner
It is not just Peter Lew and Nicole Galloway, from the Potts Point Chinese restaurant Fei Jai, who have emerged as the mystery buyers of the Paddington terrace that’s been Lucio’s Italian Restaurant for the past few decades.
Their $3.75 million acquisition of the fine dining space was in partnership with lawyer Jonathan Namey, best known for having launched IWannaTicket in 2009 when frustrated by difficult ticketing systems. There’s whispers it won’t be a Chinese restaurant, although the partnership syndicate have yet to reveal their plans for the premises.
In the meantime they are seeking pop up tenants to take the space once Lucio’s closes in late January.
“This is the first time in 38 years this property has been available for lease,” the leasing agents advise.
“Join the likes of Fred’s, Barbetta, Alimentari and other Paddington institutions in Sydney’s most sought after locale,” it suggests.
Warning on ‘toilet’ trips
NSW police were given reports that two well-known AFL players were seen in the company of a shady Sydney businessman doing far too many trips to the toilet of a Kings Cross eatery last Friday night. Sources said it was obvious what the trio were up to.
They were surprised the players, with a clean-cut image, would be seen anywhere near this dining companion, who has a dubious reputation.
It appears no further action will be taken by cops, although there is talk that there might be a quiet word of warning in the players’ ears and a call to the AFL in Melbourne of their suspicions.
Crime series for glamourous NSW cop
Deb Wallace, the glamorous NSW cop who retired from the force last year will front a new crime series concentrating on cold case murder mysteries. Known as ‘Gangbuster’, Wallace was just as famous for her flamboyant dress sense as she was for heading the bikie busting squad called Strikeforce Raptor.
Titled Million Dollar Mysteries, the former detective will interview police, suspects and family members of some of Australia’s most baffling cases.
Wallace has had plenty of experience fronting the cameras having conducted hundreds of media conference as her time as a top cop.
“This is the last thing I expected to be doing in retirement. Im nervous but also excited by the prospect,’’ she said.
The show will air on Channel 9 next year.
Retiring with no ties
Retired detective Paul Jacob wasn’t just regarded as one of the state’s top investigators, he was also known as among the most generous.
As Jaco, who has worked on some of the state’s most gruesome crimes, steps down after 41 years on the frontline, it is without his prized collection of squad ties. It is an old-school police tradition for squads to design their own ties which are worn like battle honours. He auctioned off his ties a few years ago to raise money for veteran crime reporter Les Kennedy after he was diagnosed with cancer. Les died in 2011.
Everyone who bid for the ties is still smarting they were outbid at $650 by cop turned awyer, Ben Archbold.
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