The Sauce: Bennelong MP kills off former Mayor of Ryde prematurely
Which MP accidentally paid tribute to a former mayor he wrongly believed had passed away and the NSW police media unit loses another staff member. Don’t miss The Sauce.
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Bennelong MP Jerome Laxale was left feeling mortified last week after posting a glowing tribute about former Ryde mayor Edna Wilde on his Instagram page following her apparent passing.
“I’ve just been informed of the death of Edna Wilde OAM, Marsfield local and former Mayor of Ryde,” the Labor MP wrote beneath a photo of the pair.
“Edna gave everything to her community.
“She remains the @cityofryde’s longest-serving Councillor and its first and only Mayor.”
There was just one problem with the tribute – Wilde is still very much alive.
Laxale was informed of this fact by the current Ryde Mayor Trenton Brown, prompting the MP to quickly delete the post.
“I self-combusted,” he told The Sauce.
Laxale said he was told Wilde had passed by a branch member who had apparently heard it at church.
“Apparently a church congregation was told,” Laxale said.
Laxale said he immediately arranged to visit Ms Wilde in hospital, to “apologise unreservedly” and sign her visitor’s book.
SECRET SPEAKERS
Sex therapist turned men’s issues activist Bettina Arndt is hosting a “presumption of innocence” conference next month.
The speaker list – and location – for The Restoring the Presumption of Innocence Conference is being kept closely under wraps because Arndt says she does not want them attacked “by our hostile media”.
Bruce Lehrmann had meant to be the star attraction at an earlier conference, but pulled out after what Arndt described as “extremely aggressive pursuit” by the media in the wake of the Justice Lee verdict.
Given his latest legal issues – he has been committed to stand trial on two counts of rape following an alleged incident in Toowoomba – we’re guessing he is unlikely to attend.
However, Arndt says the event has locked in 12 speakers, including some “household names whose lives have been destroyed by false allegations”.
“We have a number of speakers who won’t be named in advance because we don’t want them attacked by our hostile media,” she said.
Those that have been named included Professor Augusto Zimmermann, a law professor and outspoken critic of Australia’s domestic violence laws, and Chris Merritt, legal commentator for The Australian and Sky News.
Arndt, who has written a book titled #MenToo, said she herself would be presenting an overview of “all that is going wrong in our justice system”, including how Australia had ended up with “one of the highest rates of false allegations in the world”.
The event will be held on August 31 at Rushcutters Bay, with those who buy a ticket to be advised on the exact location just prior speakers taking the podium.
Tickets are being sold for $132 each – or $110 for members.
REVOLVING DOOR
NSW Police director of media Tom Wald has moved on.
Wald – a former journalist who later headed up the media team at NSW Treasury – was hired by ex-NSW Police Force executive director of public affairs, Liz Deegan before she headed out the door.
Deegan was told her services were no longer required by NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb amid intense scrutiny over her public handling of an officer’s alleged double murder.
Ex-television producer Steve Jackson was later given the $360,000-a-year job of heading up the media unit, before he was let go amid concerns over his alleged ties to then alleged rapist Bruce Lehrmann.
We hear it has been a struggle to fill Jacko’s position, although interviews are now being held with prospective candidates.
SORRY NOT SORRY
After a Facebook post that almost split the Coalition, Nationals MP Wes Fang has offered an apology to his colleagues for the distraction it caused.
The former army pilot told The Sauce this week that his post attacking Liberal leader Mark Speakman about ‘slinking” unannounced into Wagga Wagga followed an “understanding” between the Coalition partners that MPs would inform each other of visits to the bush.
He said he remained of the view that Speako should have let him know of the visit, although admitted he could have probably handled the situation better.
“I don’t resile away from holding my side to account in the same way the government is held to account. It makes for a better Coalition,” he said.
“If I perceive that there is disrespect, I will call it out. It doesn’t have to be World War Three.”
“It’s embarrassing when one of us is asked why a Coalition partner is in town and we don’t know. But I’m man enough to acknowledge that it could have perhaps been handled differently.”
As for relations between the two leaders, we reckon they remain tenuous given sources’ claims that Speako had ignored calls and texts from Saunders for more than 48 hours after the pair had issued separate and conflicting statements about the status of Fang’s parliamentary roles on the Friday.
KEAN BATTLE
Three left-wing Liberals have nominated to replace outgoing MP Matt Kean in the seat of Hornsby – and the mud-slinging has begun.
Lawyer James Wallace, who Kean described in his recent valedictory speech as “a once-in-a-generation political talent”, is already being described by his rivals as “Kean 2.0” and “Kean on steroids”.
We were unable to confirm rumours that he has secured a reference from former premier Gladys Berejiklian, but it makes sense given he apparently lives in her old electorate of Willoughby.
Barrister Ishita Sethi has also secured a reference from a Liberal heavyweight with sources telling us former premier Nick Greiner had given her a glowing write-up.
The dark horse is former Hornsby councillor and deputy Rural Fire Service captain Michael Hutchence.
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Originally published as The Sauce: Bennelong MP kills off former Mayor of Ryde prematurely
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