The Source: Editorials go the way of the broadsheet at the Age

Since the gold rush, the Age has used its daily editorial to scrutinise, praise, condemn and occasionally pontificate on the stories which matter most. But no more.

The Age’s once sacred editorial space will now be partly claimed by “quizzes”.

Putting the squeeze on Victoria’s movers, shakers and headline makers.

For most authoritative newspapers around the world, the daily editorial is a vital instrument for staking their position on the key issues.

Since the gold rush, the Age has sought to influence, cajole, scrutinise, praise, condemn, preach and occasionally pontificate on the stories which matter most.

In a move which has raised eyebrows, the Age has decided to “trial a reduction” in newspaper editorials to Saturdays, and otherwise “as required” on issues ranging from climate change, to Ukraine, to the Voice, or power security and prices.

The most puzzling bit?

The once sacred editorial space will now be partly claimed by “quizzes”.

The other Melburnian in Succession

Shift it, Shiv: there’s another Melbourne ‘playa’ in the HBO hit Succession.

Comedian and podcaster Steele Saunders posted his moment of glory in the conniving corporate drama — all three seconds of it — on socials.

Sadly, Saunders didn’t share a scene with Melbourne actor Sarah Snook, who plays Shiv Roy on the show.

Steele Saunders' three-second appearance on Succession

But he did reveal the on-set catering highlights — bacon, sausages, hash browns and huevos rancheros from the — gasp! — truck.

Given the billionaire trappings flaunted on Succession, a meals on wheels menu that doesn’t involve a private jet taking off, seems rather ... humbling.

“Didn’t get to hear any of the show’s face-melting dialogue live,” Saunders confided, “but did get to enjoy Kieran Culkin singing from the back of a golf cart.”

Snook was born in Adelaide but now calls Melbourne home when she is not globetrotting for her acting gigs.

Food truck menu from the set of Succession

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Tina Turner festival gets Kennedy pitch

Flinders MP Zoe McKenzie met US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, on Wednesday to discuss bilateral issues.

Top of the priority list?

McKenzie’s bold plan for the Tina Turner Festival of Tootgarook.

Why not? As far as we can tell, the Mornington Peninsula’s Tootgarook boasts all the fixtures in Turner’s song Nutbush City Limits, which was drilled into so many Australian schoolkids of yesteryear - a church house, gin house, school house and outhouse.

Gets your foot tapping just thinking about it.

US Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy with Flinders MP Zoe McKenzie

AFL chief saddles back up for Paris wedding

Three months ago, an influential posse hit Arizona for the pricey Super Bowl bucks party of celebrity chef Guillaume Brahimi.

Now the lads are gathering again in Paris for the June nuptials of Brahimi to chicken heiress Tamie Ingham.

It will be a who’s who affair. Outgoing AFL chief Gillon McLachlan, who went to the bucks, is in the bridal party and taking a short trip to France for what is Brahimi’s second marriage.

British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is also expected to be there.

French culinary guru Brahimi is most well known here for his partnership with Crown Melbourne and his restaurant, Bistro Guillaume.

If the rather fancy bucks party is any indication — a week-long extravaganza which took in Los Angeles and Las Vegas before heading to the Super Bowl in Arizona — the wedding should be a suitably lavish affair.

Gillon McLachlan and Guillaume Brahimi at Melbourne’s Bistro Guillaume. Picture: Jay Town

Up in smoke

An Indigenous smoking ceremony in Melbourne’s courts district on Tuesday afternoon deviated from the solemn script when the fire brigade turned up.

The court-related ceremony ended with a smattering of singed Manna gum leaves in a puddle of water after a passer-by took exception to events.

What was at first described as a “beautiful ceremony” would be likened by one politically incorrect drinker at a nearby establishment to “smoking a brisket”.

Fire fighters were called to a smoking ceremony at Melbourne's court district

Ex-Libs director red-faced as legal bid backfires

First, they lost the election in a landslide (again).

Then, they engaged in navel-gazing drivel which only accentuated their steadfast commitment to being politically irrelevant.

Could it get worse for the Victorian Liberals? Of course it could.

Former state director Sam McQuestin may not be invited to dinner parties at Liberal HQ after the party was forced to pay its nemesis, the Victorian Labor Party, over one of his schemes.

Four days before the November election, McQuestin launched a legal challenge against Labor’s How to Vote Cards, alleging defects.

But the move came after the filing deadline.

Justice Michelle Quigley, the president of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, was displeased and the bid was rejected.

In final court documents released this week, Justice Quigley dismissed the Liberals’ arguments, the timing of the move and ordered the party to pay costs to Labor.

Sam McQuestin’s legal challenge has backfired.

“The Applicant’s conduct in the lateness of the application and the substance of the dispute might rightly be categorised as tactical or even petty,” she wrote.

“One repercussion of this delay was the interested party (Labor state secretary Chris Ford) had to redirect resources away from campaigning and instead, focus on the joinder of this litigation.

“Such an outcome provides limited value to Victorians or to the democratic debates our state should be having four days out from the Election.”

Justice Quigley said there was a public interest in “ventilating” these types of issues but, given the arguments were flimsy, she slammed the use of the courts to try and gain a boost at the polls.

“The grounds relied upon by the Applicant indicate this proceeding was not brought to advance the public interest but rather, smacked of an eleventh-hour attempt to achieve a political advantage against a significant competitor.”

Questions remain: Will the Liberal Party ever recover from its catastrophically poor discipline of recent months? And will Labor have to declare the VCAT-awarded costs payout as a donation towards its 2026 election campaign?