Former Seven producer Taylor Auerbach, best known for his explosive cameo in Bruce Lehrmann’s failed defamation trial, has clearly developed a taste for legal drama.
In evidence before the Federal Court last year, Auerbach alleged the network had paid for Lehrmann’s cocaine and sex workers in an attempt to land an exclusive interview with the former Liberal staffer. The case would conclude with Justice Michael Lee finding on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann raped former colleague Brittany Higgins in a ministerial suite.
Taylor Auerbach leaves Federal Court with lawyer Rebekah Giles, who is now his boss.Credit: Janie Barrett
Since then, Auerbach hasn’t been far from the courts. In March, he kicked off defamation proceedings against Seven over allegedly disparaging comments made by the network before his appearance in the witness box.
Meanwhile, the part-time tenor has been busy studying for a law degree, which he started at Macquarie University last year before transferring to UTS after a semester.
Auerbach has also picked up a new casual job on the side, working as a paralegal for Giles George, the firm run by in-demand defamation solicitor Rebekah Giles, who’s been ably representing Auerbach in all his various legal matters.
Taylor declined to comment, but we hear he’s been killing it at work and is much loved around the Giles George office. It’s a gig that will no doubt be the envy of his law school classmates.
It sure beats acting as Lehrmann’s “babysitter”, as Justice Lee described Auerbach’s role in that sorry saga during his epic judgment last year.
The big sleep
Paul Nicolaou, the one-time Liberal Party fundraising boss turned executive director of Business Sydney has one of the best contact books in town. We’re glad he’s putting it to a good cause.
Nicolaou took part in last week’s Vinnies CEO sleepout to raise money for homelessness. So far, he’s managed to bring in nearly $116,000. And his public list of donors reads like a cast of Sydney’s biggest power-players.
Paul Nicolaou has raised nearly $116,000 for the Vinnies CEO sleepout.Credit: Brook Mitchell
Most prominent among them is billionaire pub baron Justin Hemmes, who chipped in $10,000. His Merivale empire has been the subject of some pretty unsavoury allegations, which doesn’t seem to have dulled Hemmes’ appetite for domination over Australia’s dining scene.
Nicolaou’s sleepout efforts also got a $520 donation from Aussie Home Loans founder “Aussie” John Symond, he of Point Piper mansion fame. Former Seven commercial director, storied corporate fixer and nasty email connoisseur Bruce McWilliam also came up with $505. Vitamin mogul Marcus Blackmore coughed up $2000.
Former NRL stars Cooper Cronk and Anthony Minichiello both donated a few hundred. Among the political types who chipped in were former Liberal minister Bruce Baird, ex-NSW Nationals leader George Souris and Scott Morrison’s old principal private secretary Yaron Finkelsein.
Nicolaou told CBD his donations pull showed that Sydney was a philanthropic city.
“I’m not doing this to become mayor or a Member of Parliament, I’m doing it because of the people in need, the 346 people who sleep rough in our city every night,” he said.
He told CBD he hoped the state government would appoint a “homelessness commissioner” to help co-ordinate efforts to help those sleeping rough. The Vinnies CEO sleepout, which has been happening since 2006, has so far raised $8.7 million this year.
Fungal frolic
A global media circus has descended on the unassuming Victorian town of Morwell to cover the triple murder trial of Erin Patterson, accused of poisoning three relatives to death by allegedly serving them beef wellington laced with death cap mushrooms.
The “mushroom trial” is coming to an end soon, but will live on in the imagination for generations, no doubt, so it’s no surprise that some of Australia’s best-known writers have been spotted in chilly Gippsland. Among them have been Chloe Hooper, Sarah Krasnostein and Helen Garner. The latter, we’re told, was in town “for fun” rather than any specific projects.
Death, taxes and OnlyFans
The end of financial year approaches, for all those who celebrate. And few celebrate EOFY harder than the Australian Taxation Office and accounting body CPA Australia.
CPA Australia has a message for gig economy workers who put their bodies on the line to deliver hot food (for Uber) or spicy content (via OnlyFans).
CPA Australia is warning OnlyFans content creators they could be in a shock tax bill this financial year as income generated from “side-hustles” becomes a major focus for the tax office.
Bjorn Olsen, of “talent agency” Your OnlyFans Empire, says creators are becoming aware of the new reporting requirements.
“The learning curve in the OF creator space is still steep relative to the nature of the platform. Many people dive into platforms like OF without fully understanding the business side of it, especially tax.”
Olsen says his business helps creators with setting up an ABN, paying tax and “then collabing with an accountant as they scale”.
The good news is content creators can still claim for tools of the trade, such as video cameras, editing software and professional lighting.
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