The Sauce: Libs say ‘tide has turned’ as dollars roll in for Dutton

An event with fewer than 20 invited guests has raised $500,000 for the Liberal Party, with sources saying leader Peter Dutton has the Midas touch when it comes to fundraising. Read details in The Sauce.

The tide has turned for the once cash-strapped Liberals, with one notable fundraiser last week making $500,000 in just a few hours.

The intimate soiree at the Vaucluse home of billionaire pub and club boss Justin Hemmes – and controversially attended by Peter Dutton – raised the staggering amount, which has significantly bolstered the campaign coffers.

The Tuesday event – held at Hemmes’ historic Hermitage mansion – carried a $25,000-a-ticket price, with “nearly 20” invited guests turning up to spend a few hours with the Liberal leader.

One source familiar with the party said the guests had represented serious “family wealth”.

While the event has been the most lucrative to date, multiple Liberal sources told The Sauce that the money has been rolling in — in stark contrast to 2022.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has been dubbed ‘the $20,000 man’ because that’s how much punters will pay for a ticket to an event he attends. Picture: Brenton Edwards

One dubbed Dutton “the $20,000 man”, representing the ticket price organisers are able to charge to an event he attends – and often much more.

The source claimed the “vibe” was similar to that of 2013 when Tony Abbott was heading into the election, adding: “The tide has definitely turned.

Justin Hemmes regularly uses his Hermitage mansion for fundraisers. Picture: Damian Shaw

“Business just feels more confident in investing in us. These are people that are traditionally risk-averse. They are asking us where can they donate, which seats would help us most.”

A sold-out event held at Taronga Zoo for 300 people last month also raked in tens of thousands, with guests paying between $500 and $3000 to mingle with Dutton and Liberal frontbencher Angus Taylor.

NSW Liberal state director Chris Stone also attended the 80th Birthday Gala Dinner held to honour Sir Robert Menzies.

The Jewish community has also rallied behind Dutton, giving generously at local fundraisers.

Even without Dutton, local organisers claim they have already hit their targets.

A fundraiser held at a Chinese restaurant at Crown Sydney for Reid hopeful Grange Chung raised close to $100,000, with guests paying $2000 a ticket and an auction raising tens of thousands more.

A bottle of Grange signed by John Howard went for $15,000 in the auction.

WATER COP

Former NSW Nationals leader and ex-cop Troy Grant has been reappointed to the $400,000 role of the Inspector General of Water Compliance.

In a move that will irritate his detractors in the Nationals, government water agencies and Murray-Darling Basin “water thieves’, The Sauce can exclusively reveal Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek has extended Grant’s term for another four years.

Troy Grants has been apointed for another four years as Inspector General of Water Compliance. Picture: Martin Ollman

Grant – who drew the ire of his former party colleagues by defending the then-Baird government’s greyhounds ban – was first appointed to the role in 2020, with one declaring he was the “last person who should be given this responsibility”.

But he clearly has had the last laugh, with the Albanese government happy with the so-called water cop not being afraid to call out both sides of politics in his role, including the former NSW Coalition for not delivering on overdue NSW water resource plans.

It will be interesting to see what the Nats in a future Dutton government might do, should they come to power.

While the remuneration for the role is determined by the independent remuneration tribunal, it is currently set at $398,450.

DARK SIDE

Many pollies have side hustles.

In the case of Nationals MLC Nichole Overall, it’s conducting ghost tours – although she prefers to call them “historical tours” with “ghost” yarns.

Politician Nichole Overall has a spooky side hustle. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

The author, who held the seat of Queanbeyan before heading to the NSW Upper House after her election loss, is well known in her local area for her haunted walks of the local area, which she had been doing for more than a decade.

According to the online reviews, guests are often given “a paranormal device of some kind”.

“I was lucky enough to have an electromagnetic device,” one satisfied punter said.

Since entering parliament, Overall has not been doing as many of her Mysterious Moonlight Tours as she has in the past, with only the occasional tour for school groups or Girl Guides, a source said.

Instead, she has been focused on her crime podcast Capital Crime Files, which has been looking into the oldest unsolved murder in Canberra, that of 20-year-old Keren Rowland, whose body was found in 1971.

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Originally published as The Sauce: Libs say ‘tide has turned’ as dollars roll in for Dutton