By Stephen Brook, Alexandra Smith and Megan Gorrey
Follow our live coverage of the 2025 federal election here.
The federal election campaign is in full swing and the tales of stolen corflutes accumulate. It is one of the oldest of political tricks – candidate puts up campaign signs, opponent takes them down. But in the case of Bradfield teal candidate Nicolette Boele, it was not her political rivals who were being mischievous late last week. Rather, several of Boele’s signs seemed to have been swiped … by a Ku-ring-gai council worker.
It was CBD’s good fortune that a nearby dashcam managed to capture what appeared to be a council worker, arriving in a minivan outside the Turramurra home of one of Boele’s 1000-plus volunteers, pulling down some signs and departing. The volunteer was home at the time of the incident (it was 7.30am) but there was no note left explaining the reason for the removal, or even a polite knock on the door.
Unsurprisingly, Boele, who styled herself as the “shadow independent” after almost unseating (now retiring) Liberal Paul Fletcher at the last election, was none too impressed. She engaged lawyer Kiera Peacock from firm Ripple, which describes itself as specialists “sitting at the heart of politics, law and campaigning”.
Peacock sent a please explain to Ku-ring-gai Council on Monday, pointing out that the council had poor form re: election signs, having given incorrect information about council fines to Boele’s supporters earlier this year. That little problem was sorted, but now Boele, and CBD, are waiting to hear back from the council about the mysterious case of the missing corflutes.
A grand aria
Acclaimed singer Anthony Warlow has taken action after some abrupt comments appeared on a social media post in his name attacking Opera Australia.
Warlow has had a rich career, famously playing the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, and is about to star in Annie as Daddy Warbucks. He has also played Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. Hang on to that fact for a moment.
Anthony Warlow playing Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks (centre) and Dakota Chanel with choreographer Mitchell Woodcock in a rehearsal for Annie.Credit: Kate Geraghty
The intemperate comment in the singer’s name, which he denies posting, appeared on an Opera Australia post detailing Today’s visit to the company’s new Handa Opera production of Guys and Dolls. The reporter interviewed star Cody Simpson (playing Masterson) and Annie Aitken, calling her “Australia’s musical theatre royalty”.
It sent someone’s kettle, somewhere, boiling dry. “There will come a time when Opera Australia realises it should stick to Opera,” read the post in Warlow’s name, which Warlow says he did not send.
“And with all due respect, the term ‘theatre royalty’ should only be used for members of the industry who DESERVE the term and they are few and far between.”
The post quickly disappeared in a theatrical puff of smoke. When we inquired, Warlow said in a statement: “After I was informed on Saturday evening that a post was made on Opera Australia’s Instagram in my name that I didn’t write, I unfollowed OA as a precaution and I have changed my passwords. I had been hacked once before as well.”
He has also reported it to Meta.
It turns out the real-life Warlow is pretty salty himself, telling The Australian Weekend Magazine, “Well, I’ve never seen Hamilton. Rap doesn’t interest me.”
And this: “I walked out of a play on Broadway recently – Jez Butterworth’s The Hills of California, directed by Sam Mendes. I thought it was rubbish. I don’t know how the thing finished, and I don’t care.”
Annie (not produced by Opera Australia) opens on Thursday at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney and moves to Melbourne’s Princess Theatre in July.
Keeping calm in Carss Park
It’s not often a commotion disturbs the peace in the quiet suburb of Carss Park, in the heart of Premier Chris Minns’ Kogarah electorate. And that’s precisely the way locals want to keep it, if a controversy to animate the waterfront enclave in Sydney’s south is anything to go by.
Carss Park close to the heart of Kogarah MP Chris Minns, who used the venue to announce he would run for the leadership of the Labor Party.Credit: John Veage
The Minns government’s quest to make Sydney fun again means it is encouraging councils to stage more street parties and festivals, and noise complaints from NIMBY residents be damned.
But those grand ambitions hit a stumbling block when Georges River councillors last week were forced to dump a proposal to encourage local events after residents weren’t in the mood to party.
The council identified Carss Park as one of three sites – alongside spots in Kogarah and Hurstville – to trial the government’s Permit/Plug/Play scheme, designed to streamline event approval processes.
The proposal would have allowed for a maximum of 52 cultural and corporate events per year at Carss Bush Park and Carss Park Flats over a five-year period. But residents weren’t in the mood to party.
A Facebook group, dubbed “Carss Park or car park? Say no to festivals 52 times per year” urged residents to email the council “opposing this commercial motivated development”.
The social media page said the proposal was about “making profits at the expense of public recreation space and parkland and depriving our residents of the use of [the park]. The peace and tranquillity of our suburb will be greatly impacted by elevated traffic congestion and elevated noise levels.”
Councillor Kathryn Landsberry told the meeting the much-loved park was “open space for recreation” and “not designed to be the Easter Show every weekend”.
Councillor Natalie Mort said “the residents were really upset” by the development application.
Councillors unanimously voted to withdraw the application and to consider restricting events to eight to 12 events per year.
Mayor Elise Borg said council had never intended to use the park for 52 events per year but “rather sought to simplify the approval process for future events”.
In a statement, she said the backflip was “demonstrating its dedication to responsive governance and community-led decision-making”.
“Any future development application for events at Carss Bush Park will not intensify the use of the park beyond the number of events currently held there.”
Party’s over.
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