Tale of two tributes — Abbott’s Gatsby-esque gala v no-frills Turnbull
Two former prime ministers will be farewelled in the coming months, but their tribute dinners could not be more different. Plus, which former pollie is being wooed to return to parliament?
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For a “tribute dinner”, Tony Abbott’s farewell shindig is looking more like a party that Jay Gatsby would be proud to host, with the latest count putting the guest list at around 700.
To be held at the Miramare Gardens in the northern Sydney suburb of Terrey Hills, the November 7 event is being organised by the Warringah FEC with help from the NSW Liberal Party headquarters.
Despite the $130 a head ticket price — $170 for non-party members — one Liberal source claimed the dinner would become a “break even” affair because of the overhead costs.
The event has grown so big that one senior Liberal source yesterday told The Sauce the event had moved to the International Convention Centre.
However, this appeared to be false, with organisers declaring the dinner venue had not changed.
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Nestled among four acres of landscaped gardens, Miramare Gardens features a grand ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows and an onsite up-market restaurant.
Alan Jones will MC the event, described in the invitation as one being held to honour Abbott “for his magnificent leadership and outstanding contribution to both Australia and the Liberal Party”.
As for who the guests are, we know Prime Minister Scott Morrison and former leader John Howard will attend as will NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
One guest unlikely to be in attendance is former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who will be having his own tribute dinner next year.
Mr Turnbull, who is understood to be spending much of the rest of this year overseas, is expected to have a more intimate dinner.
“Abbott wants a huge one with every man and his dog,” a Liberal source said.
“Malcolm is likely to have a small intimate affair with his closest colleagues and branch members next year.”
Tribute dinners are part of the Liberal Party tradition for former prime ministers.
BAIRD REBOOT
Another guest who is expected to have scored an invite to the Abbott shindig is former NSW Premier Mike Baird. The National Australia Bank (NAB) executive had not responded to inquiries from The Sauce by the time of going to press.
Given the shellacking NAB was receiving over its decision not to pass on the full value of last week’s 0.25 percentage point interest rate cut, Baird can be forgiven for focusing his attention on more pressing matters.
That said, many Warringah Liberals are hopeful he will attend so that they may continue their campaign to woo him back into politics. One senior Liberal said Baird was viewed as the party’s best chance at reclaiming Warringah from independent Zali Steggall.
The former Manly MP, who quit as premier in 2017, cited family health issues for his decision to withdraw from the race to become NAB’s chief executive officer.
“If he wants it, he can have it,” a senior Liberal source said of the prospect of Baird being preselected for Warringah. “I’m not sure he does — at the moment — but I’m told he is not ruling it out.” Stay tuned.
THE STATE WE’RE IN
In the ongoing battle of two cities over who has the edge when it comes to events, The Sauce was amused to see a Melbourne communications firm has been enlisted to promote the Sydney Festival. The boutique PR agency, called Common State, has been introducing itself to media outlets interested in writing about festival events.
Maybe Melbourne does it better after all?
FOOTY FEVER
Team and party allegiances have been cast, with politicians joining together to watch the Roosters take on the Canberra Raiders in the Telstra Premiership Grand Final at ANZ Stadium in Sydney today.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Premier Gladys Berejiklian will watch the action in the Presidents Suite, alongside Governor-General David Hurley and NSW Governor Margaret Beazley.
Also in attendance will be former prime minister John Howard, Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne and her partner, NSW Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres, Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean and NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro.
Diehard Rabbitohs supporter Labor leader Anthony Albanese has also RSVP’d to the game, and it’s a fair bet he’d rather eat glass than support arch rivals the Roosters.
“As a part-time Canberra resident and someone who cheers for the underdog, it has
to be the Raiders,” he said.
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Originally published as Tale of two tributes — Abbott’s Gatsby-esque gala v no-frills Turnbull
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