By Kishor Napier-Raman and Gemma Grant
Netball’s plan for world domination was on the agenda during a long lunch at Melbourne Park’s Centrepiece on Saturday, before the Super Netball grand final across the pavement at Rod Laver Arena. Among the 800 guests were Bridget McKenzie, Nationals senator and demon netballer, and actor Leah Purcell, who once got physical on the court with Australian netball great Vicky Wilson and hasn’t let anyone forget it.
The victorious Melbourne Vixens.Credit: Getty Images
Purcell is working on a teen TV drama about a bunch of girls gunning for the state championships, strategically timed to coincide with the 2027 World Cup in Australia. Speaking of strategic, also in the room was the Brisbane 2032 executive Brendan Keane, and Netball Australia chair Liz Ellis made no secret of the sport’s Big Ambition, to get netty into the Olympics. “We will push hard for Olympic inclusion,” said Ellis, urging everyone in the room to pledge their support for the cause. (McKenzie obliged.)
Of course, Foxtel execs were on hand, eager to capitalise on the fairytale ascent of the Melbourne Vixens with a big TV audience. But even then, Ellis was playing the long game; Seven head of sport Chris Jones was among the guests. Nothing like a bit of competitive tension with the rights deal expiring next year.
Netball Australia chair Liz Ellis.Credit: Hamish Blair
Sadly, a missed opportunity at one Brunswick pub on Saturday night, where requests to switch on the game on one of three TVs were turned down despite protestations that it was a grand final, a Melbourne team, and pinnacle women’s sport. As the decider went down to the wire, a large group of discerning female sports fans watched the thrilling finish on a mobile phone as the AFL, the rugby and the NRL played on the big TVs.
Posting Through It
Former Labor senator and Australia’s first Indigenous Olympic gold medallist Nova Peris appears to have suffered little consequence for sharing a series of deeply offensive social media posts about Muslims.
Peris was elected a director of Hockey Australia weeks after sharing a post on X (formerly Twitter) from an anonymous account calling Muslims “Satan worshipping cockroaches that need to be eradicated”.
Olympic champion and former Labor senator Nova Peris.Credit: Helen Orr
At the time, Peris told this masthead she didn’t share the views in the post, and pointed out that the account in question had been deleted.
But that post, it seemed, was the tip of the iceberg. Earlier, Peris had shared a comment arguing that an Islamic prayer service “does not belong in this country”. She also reposted material that said “Islam should be banned in the West”.
Peris’ has become known for her unflinching support of Israel during the ongoing Middle East conflict, which led to a falling out with Socceroo turned human rights activist Craig Foster while the pair were co-chairs of the Australian Republic Movement. Both left their positions, with the ARM turned over to lower-profile leadership.
The ARM likely dodged a bullet there. Still, Peris continues to have a platform despite her recent social media activity. She’s slated to appear on stage next month in the Gold Coast at the Australian Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism. Also appearing will be the Albanese government’s hand-picked antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal (you read about her appointment in this column first), who is demanding extraordinary power to strip funding from universities and cultural institutions under a contentious blueprint to fight antisemitism.
The conference counts Sydney business personality David Gonski among its organising committee members, as well as Orna Triguboff, daughter of the billionaire Meriton boss Harry Triguboff.
Would they reconsider Peris’ attendance in light of her posts? We asked, but didn’t hear back.
Stonnington speaks up
If we may indulge ourselves for a moment, let’s once again cast our eye to Victoria’s local government system.
Last month, Stonnington Mayor Melina Sehr was granted a two-year personal safety intervention order against Dean Hurlston, who runs online local government watchdog page Council Watch.
Stonnington Mayor Melina Sehr in South Yarra.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
A magistrate found that posts made by Hurlston about Sehr on the platform crossed the line from commentary to ridicule and caused harm to the Stonnington mayor.
“It was a big vindication for me after six years of unrelenting harassment,” Sehr told this masthead at the time.
Now CBD hears that Stonnington Council is sticking up for its elected leader in another arena. It’s calling on the state’s peak body to put more protections in place for councillors across the state – and ensure a similar fiasco doesn’t happen again.
An email to Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) president Jennifer Anderson from Stonnington Deputy Mayor Tom Humphries – seen by this column – takes aim at the association’s lack of action. Dozens of other Melbourne councillors are also CCd.
“What tangible actions is MAV taking to protect councillors, especially female councillors, from these type of attacks?” Humphries wrote in the email.
“Frankly it is unclear what our MAV membership fees actually deliver for Councils and our community.”
Yikes. CBD contacted the association, but didn’t hear back.
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