The Sauce: Foley won’t take legal action against accuser, insiders say
Luke Foley vowed to take legal action against ABC journalist Ashleigh Raper after she accused him of indecent assault, but those closest to the fallen NSW Labor leader claim he has privately told them he won’t be, The Sauce can reveal.
Luke Foley vowed to take legal action against ABC journalist Ashleigh Raper after she accused him of indecent assault, but those closest to the fallen NSW Labor leader claim he has privately told them he won’t be.
As the outgoing Auburn MP decides on what to do, local Labor members have deluged the NSW ALP office with pleas to be able to choose their own candidate via a rank-and-file preselection, rather than having one installed by head office.
The seat has attracted scores of prospective candidates, including Upper House MLC Lynda Voltz and former Waverley councillor Rose Jackson, the daughter of ABC journalist Liz Jackson.
It’s understood Raper was advised by leading defamation barrister Sandy Dawson SC before her bombshell statement was issued. Dawson was engaged by the ABC to advise on its Four Corners episode about the broadcaster’s internal management shenanigans.
NO REGRETS FOR DJ SAM D
Insomniacs have a new reason to switch on the radio with former Labor senator Sam Dastyari hosting the Triple M midnight to 6am shift for two weeks.
In a gig KIIS 1065 host Kyle Sandilands this week claimed to have scored for his mate, Dastyari fielded calls about politics, but also serial killers, ghost stories and “bad tattoos”.
His favourite? The truckie listener who had no regrets about having tattooed himself, “except that they spelt regret wrong”.
DJ Dastyari made the truckie pull over and send in a photo.
“Overnight radio is like a late session of the Senate — except the callers aren’t as weird,” Dastyari said.
A BROAD CHURCH
Please stop fighting. That’s the message from NSW Liberal Party director Chris Stone, who’s attempting to craft an election victory as his troops rip each other apart.
The next skirmish will play out next weekend when senior MP and Centre Right faction member Natasha Maclaren-Jones, presently government whip in the upper house and a former party president, tries to secure the seventh winnable spot on the upper house ticket.
This should be a simple exercise. Instead it’ll be yet another high-stakes battle as preselections are used to settle scores between two warring arms of the party — the Centre Right, led by ScoMo’s right-hand man Alex Hawke, and the Right, many of whom are Tony Abbott loyalists.
The victims so far (you can skip this par if you have a hangover) include: Damien Tudehope (a right-wing sitting MP whom Premier Gladys Berejiklian was forced to save from oblivion after the Centre Right accused him of branch-stacking), Teena McQueen (another right-winger who pulled out of a heated preselection stoush after accusing the Centre Right’s Taylor Martin of verbally abusing her, which he denies) and Tim James (a right-winger who had North Shore sewn up until the Centre Right backed in a left-winger, Felicity Wilson, just for fun).
Stay with us. The power battle has even played out in the local branch of Baulkham Hills, where the Right accused the Centre Right of annulling the memberships of 12 innocent civilians who tried to sign up. Hawke and Elliott have themselves switched memberships from their respective home branches to join Baulkham Hills, which holds meetings in a funeral home.
CAN’T TALK RIGHT NOW
THE above brawl has been so heated that the word on Macquarie St this week was Gladys Berejiklian (who was forced to have two attempts at finding a seat for Damien Tudehope when everyone ignored her first peace deal) rang Scott Morrison last Friday week to complain about the activities of his Special Minister of State Alex Hawke.
The PM was a bit busy, however, given the Bourke St terror attack had just occurred, and is understood to have despaired aloud at being dragged into a state factional brawl. Ms Berejiklian’s office denied the Premier made any such call.
HOT ALBO’S BACK
It was a Throwback Thursday picture of Anthony Albanese, taken in 1985, that inspired the hashtag #hotalbo.
Five years after the federal Labor MP posted the snap on social media, the eldest daughter of Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest reminded him of the trending selfie at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in Sydney.
As she collected the Special Humanitarian Award from Albanese on Wednesday night, Grace Forrest said: “Thanks Hot Albo, really appreciate it.”
When you’re the daughter of a billionaire, you can get away with a bit of cheek.
BROTHERLY LOVE
When Chris Minns’ numbers doubled overnight to secure him 12 votes against Labor leader Michael Daley, it was brother Jim Minns who took to Twitter to howl down those who had the numbers wrong.
And who is Jim? According to his social media profiles, he is a Quentin Tarantino-obsessed “producer and director” who has made several films — two in which he cast himself.
The Sauce can also reveal he is on the payroll of Labor leader Bill Shorten, for whom he produces social media videos.
While the numbers were not enough for brother Chris this time, Minns maintains the Kogarah MP will “make a great premier of NSW when his day comes”.
LIBERALS PARTY TOGETHER
The Liberals in Wentworth are a forgiving lot. Less than three weeks since Malcolm Turnbull quit politics, leaving Dave Sharma to battle unsuccessfully to retain the ex PM’s seat, the pair have been made “special guests” at the local Liberal conference Christmas drinks at the Deck Bar Lounge in Rose Bay on December 6.
As one Liberal quipped upon receiving an invitation, “Sharma is too fresh to point out this would be like going on a honeymoon with your new wife and dragging the old one along for the holiday”.
BE VERY AFRAID
There are a lot of jittery politicians ahead of this Wednesday’s annual NSW parliamentary press gallery Christmas bash.
Traditionally a scene of merriment and mixing between journos and pollies, the fate of Luke Foley following the 2016 edition is on a lot of people’s minds. It’s also the scene of the annual roasts, with the Premier, opposition leader and a press gallery member all taking verbal shots at each other at the end of a tense year.
The Sauce has seen part of this year’s time-warping goof reel video too — and given the high level of pollie goofiness this year, we can clearly say madness takes its toll.
GOT SOME SAUCE? Contact linda.silmalis@news.com.au, miranda.wood@news.com.au, or annika.smethurst@news.com.au
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