Despite serving just two largely forgettable years as treasurer, Joe Hockey has enjoyed a fruitful post-political life. During a stint in Washington DC as ambassador, Hockey golfed his way into becoming Australia’s foremost Donald Trump-whisperer, and his insights have never been in higher demand since the president’s second coming.
The ex-treasurer has parlayed those good relations with the MAGA-verse into a successful business career with his lobbying shop Bondi Partners, operating in Australia and the US (where Hockey lives), adding numerous former pollies to its payroll.
And the man clearly still has many friends in high places back home if the turnout at his Sunday afternoon garden party, hosted at the Hockeys’ luxe Hunters Hill mansion, is anything to go by. CBD’s spies spotted a vibrant cross-section of political, business and media heavies scoffing hors d’oeuvres and being serenaded by an eight-piece brass band.
The media contingent included News Corp’s local executive chairman Michael Miller, newly confirmed Nine CEO Matt Stanton, his managing director (radio) Tom Malone, Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delany, Seven West media’s news and current affairs director Anthony DeCeglie, Herald columnist Peter FitzSimons and his TV presenter wife Lisa Wilkinson.
Australia’s foremost Donald Trump-whisperer is Joe Hockey.Credit: Peter Rae
Her lawyer in Bruce Lehrmann’s failed defamation case against Wilkinson and Network 10, Sue Chrysanthou, SC, was also around. Even the ABC was represented at that true-blue Liberal gathering by Annabel Crabb. So was one of Aunty’s loudest haters, columnist Gerard Henderson, wandering around the joint looking like he’d lost his dog, Ellie.
Other power-players included NRL and Racing NSW head honcho Peter “Showbags” V’landys, Venues NSW boss and Tabcorp director David Gallop, former Sunrise host and Port Adelaide president David Koch and ex-premier Barry O’Farrell. Hopefully nobody was pouring Grange.
Former governor-general Sir Peter Cosgrove did the rounds, as did one-time ABC chair and Abbott government business adviser Maurice Newman. Political types included former Labor minister Joel Fitzgibbon, retiring Liberal frontbencher Paul Fletcher (whose seat could be the next to go teal) and the party’s candidate in Warringah, Jaimee Rogers.
Hockey was in a joyous mood as he made a speech, and the light rain that started around the 7pm finishing time didn’t dampen the spirits.
Tucking in
CBD brought word last week that Ralph Babet, Clive Palmer’s $110 million senator, would be skipping Tuesday night’s federal budget to play MC at an event in Newcastle with a live stream of former Fox News fire-breather Tucker Carlson.
Tucker Carlson with Clive Palmer last year.Credit: Glenn Hunt
Palmer, meanwhile, will be in Canberra watching Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ speech from the public gallery because he loves budget night, apparently. Don’t we all?
Carlson will also be beaming into an event in Melbourne next weekend, where it’s been a bit of a challenge getting bums on seats. Just 265 tickets have been sold for the $45 event, to be held at Plenary at Jeff’s Shed, a soulless exhibition centre with capacity for 5500 guests.
To help build momentum, Palmer has been running more annoying newspaper ads for the Saturday event, claiming that Carlson was only appearing from the States because of a delay in securing an Australian visa. The irony of a figure such as Carlson, known for his anti-immigrant screeds, getting caught under the wheels of another country’s border bureaucracy wasn’t lost on us.
But we’d never heard a whisper of Tucker showing up on these shores in person, especially so soon after his 2024 tour, for which he flew in on Palmer’s private jet. And government sources told CBD that rather than struggling with a visa delay, the Florida man had never actually applied for one in the first place. Perhaps Clive was just trying to drum up a bit of publicity for the event.
We put all this to Palmer’s people but never got a response.
Higher realm
In Senator Babet’s defence, just a few weeks ago, nobody thought Tuesday night’s budget would be going ahead.
Then ex-tropical cyclone Alfred had other ideas, hitting southern Queensland and northern NSW with just enough force to make it bad optics for Anthony Albanese to head off to Yarralumla and call an election.
That meant it was a mad scramble among lobbyists and fundraisers to get things ready for the week, when both parties are hoping for a hefty dose of pre-election cash. On Tuesday night, Labor will be holding two main fundraisers – a $5000-a-head sit down dinner at Hotel Realm for the big dogs, plus more casual drinks at the National Press Club, hosted by booze giants Endeavour Group.
Realm, just down the hill from Parliament House and a regular sitting week watering hole, will also host the Liberal Party’s main fundraiser after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s reply speech on Thursday night. He’s not taking any chances with Vaucluse mansions.
Meanwhile, CBD will have its boots on the ground during the budget to keep you updated on the Canberra bubble’s biggest week.
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