By Kishor Napier-Raman and Noel Towell
NSW Governor Margaret Beazley’s official biography describes her excellency as bringing a “deep commitment to ... human rights and social justice” to her role. And as the first female president of the NSW Court of Appeal, she blazed a trail for women in the legal profession.
Which is why CBD was surprised to hear Beazley will host senior government officials from Saudi Arabia, a regime well known for its deep commitment to the suppression of social justice, human rights, and gender equality.
On Tuesday, Saudi Industry and Mineral Resources Minister Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef and his entourage will make a courtesy visit to Government House. As CBD reported on Monday, the minister recently spoke at a mining conference and is in Australia meeting to discuss “investment opportunities”, part of the Kingdom’s desperate PR offensive to convince the world it’s more than just a repressive, cartoonishly evil autocracy.
The governor’s media team didn’t respond to CBD’s requests for comment about the meeting. Perhaps they’re embarrassed about it.
A Melbourne Cup field
If the guest list at the Australian Hotels Association annual pre-Melbourne Cup luncheon on Monday is anything to go by, there will be plenty of political and business star power at Flemington on Tuesday for the big race.
Illustration: John ShakespeareCredit: Illustration: John Shakespeare
The hoteliers and pokies operators had Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sat at the top table where Sydney pub mogul Arthur Laundy – father of former federal Liberal MP Craig Laundy – as well the associations’ South Australian supremo David Basheer had the chance to get in Albo’s ear.
The PM received an enthusiastic gee-up from AHA chief executive Stephen Ferguson before Albanese launched into his speech. But there was no sign of Ferguson’s good mate, Victorian Premier Dan Andrews, once so close to the pubs lobby and who often appeared at the luncheon in the past. We guess he’s got an election to win in just four weeks.
Across the “new-and-improved” marquee that housed the luncheon in Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens, there would have been much to talk about on table 18 where Clive Palmer’s $100 million Senator Ralph Babet was joined by Liberal Senator Jane Hume and newbie MP Keith Wolahan.
We’re also intrigued about what passed over table 19, where former Labor leader Bill Shorten and wife Chloe Shorten sat down with Shaun D’Cruz, Crown Hotels’ Melbourne executive manager.
The Nationals have never much liked Melbourne as a concept, but a few still made the trip – notably former leader Michael McCormack, AFL-coach-turned-MP Damian Drum and his successor as member for Nicholls, Sam Birrell.
Mic Mac was joined on table four by ex-trade minister Dan Tehan and NSW Liberal powerbroker Michael Photios.
Table 21 was one for the backroom operators. Scott Morrison’s old principal private secretary Yaron Finkelstein, who’s setting up his own advisory firm while moonlighting as “special counsel” to NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, had a bit to chew over with former Kelly O’Dwyer staffer Julian Sheezel, now general manager of corporate affairs with Asahi beverages and Queensland LNP state director Lincoln Folo.
And former Liberal education minister Alan Tudge was out of hiding, listening in with Victorian Liberal Senator David Van.
Quite the field.
Show time
ABC’s Q&A hasn’t been relevant for a while. With ratings falling since it moved to a Thursday night, a rotating cast of stale hosts, senior pollies no longer interested in appearing, and no more shoe-throwing, it seems like the only thing keeping the former flagship show going is ABC management’s notorious risk aversion.
While the show struggles to find a way forward (A return to Mondays? More Stan Grant monologues?), its creator Peter McEvoy, who finished up in 2019, has found a new gig spinning for teal independent MP Allegra Spender.
Aunty meanwhile, has hired Alice Workman, who wrote The Australian’s strewth column before parting ways after the recent federal election, as Q&A’s senior producer. As a journo, she’s best known for landing herself in a 2018 defamation battle with Emma Husar, over articles the former Labor MP alleged “slut-shamed” her. The matter was settled out of court.
So Emma shouldn’t hold her breath for an invite back onto the ailing show.
Dear Johns
Controversial former Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commissioner Gary Johns didn’t last long in his $332,550 role after the change of government. A Keating-era Labor minister turned right-wing talking head, his appointment by the Turnbull government in 2017 caused plenty of anger on the opposition benches.
Gary Johns resigned as Charities Commissioner weeks after the electionCredit: Paul Jeffers
Johns has been busy since resigning, pumping out a 500-page tome, The Burden of Culture, which takes aim at “the Aboriginal industry” and is published by Quadrant, a conservative literary magazine that publishes the kind of screeds the News Corp tabloids won’t.
Johns criticises elements of Aboriginal culture for preventing “integration”, calls for an end to acknowledgements of country, and argues “inter-marriage” between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people should be celebrated, all while using the term “Aborigine”, disliked by many First Nations people.
It’s all a fair bit of work for Johns to have done in the months since his term expired in July, but the ACNC didn’t confirm whether he’d been writing while still on the public purse. We’re just glad he’s living his best life, unshackled by oppressive APS employment policies.
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