Christian Porter’s new girlfriend Karen Espiner to set up Canberra law shop
Who knew there was so much appeal and opportunity in our nation’s chilly capital?
Margin Call hears that newly notable Sydney criminal lawyer Karen Espiner just might be spending a little more time in Canberra – and not just thanks to her stepping out with former attorney-general turned Industry MinisterChristian Porter.
The new couple confirmed their status as an item at the start of this month, and now we hear that more change is on the horizon for the 34-year-old Sydney-based criminal lawyer, who is a founding partner at law firm Younes and Espiner.
Moves are afoot for Espiner’s firm to join forces with a well-established and respected law firm in, you guessed it, Canberra, with an announcement on the venture to be unveiled to clients in coming weeks.
Espiner and her fellow partner Carol Younes will each be 25 per cent shareholders in the new firm, with the remaining half share to be divided between their new partners at the Canberra shop.
Twice-married Porter, 50, who has two children with his second wife Jennifer Negus and is a one-time Cleo bachelor of the year finalist, and Espiner confirmed their relationship to the media in the first week of June, but have said it remains a private matter.
Porter has been in the headlines this year after the ABC published a story stating a senior cabinet minister was the subject of a 1988 rape allegation.
He has only recently returned to work in his new role as Industry, Science and Technology Minister after some weeks off after he held a harrowing press conference at which he identified himself as the cabinet minister facing the historical allegation.
Espiner has said she was not involved in Porter’s recently discontinued defamation action against the ABC over the controversial report.
Indeed, the year is bringing much change for Porter and Espiner. On the day Porter’s legal action against the national broadcaster was dropped, the Member for Pearce in Perth said he would contest the next federal election, now expected to be held next year.
Whether Espiner is along for the ride, we shall see.
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McNee keeping busy
One Nation chief Pauline Hanson’sold friend and millionaire property developer Bill McNee is getting on with changing the face of the Toorak strip.
McNee, who a few years ago was famously at the heart of a political scandal around a light plane bought for Senator Hanson’s One Nation, set a new record for the prestigious Melbourne suburb when a couple of years ago he paid $80m for the Village Way shopping arcade.
He has now knocked down the building, creating a gaping hole in the busy shopping strip, in favour of constructing a $600m, eight-level retail and office development.
At the same time, McNee is seeking to offload his prior development on Wilson St in South Yarra, expressions of interest for which were set to close on Thursday.
McNee has had approval for his new Toorak building, but has now asked for permission from Stonnington Council to change some components of the plans, in particular in relation to the ground-floor layout, which will house some of the retail components of the building that Toorak shoppers will be most interested in, as well as the rooftop layout – unlikely with space to land a light plane.
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King shifts court
Three years is a long time when it comes to retail, and even more so when you’re ailing department store Myer, so it is no wonder that boss John King is in need of a little change of scenery.
We refer of course to the 59-year-old UK retail veteran’s digs in the group’s home city of Melbourne, where he has swapped his Port Melbourne rental for a serviced apartment overlooking the Yarra in Southbank.
It’s the same area he first settled in after moving from Fort Lauderdale and joining the group in 2018 and, on the eve of his third anniversary, has Margin Call pondering whether the reversion of his residence is any hint at a move closer to home.
Recall it was King and his former House of Fraser merchandising mate Allan Winstanley who were drafted in by now-departed chair Gary Hounsell to reboot the retailer, both set to bring a little of the magic they’d instilled on Myer’s UK equivalent (which is also now fighting to stay afloat).
While there’s not too much either of the men can show for their time, at least they’ve both pocketed a fair swath of share rights, the value of which unfortunately has been eroded as the group’s shares trade around 32c.
King’s last update to the market in November included a $54,000 on-market purchase of shares to take his holdings to 1.15 million, along with 2.4 million rights, many of which were granted upon his appointment and which have vested in equal tranches monthly up until earlier this month.
The same goes for Winstanley, who’s not-so-golden goose of monthly rights runs out on his three-year anniversary on June 25.
Which leaves them both to simply cash in their base salaries, with most long-term performance rights out the window due to rough trade in the wake of the pandemic.
All this while Myer continues its search to secure a permanent chairman, after Hounsell made a surprise exit from the board ahead of the group’s AGM in October last year. Acting chair JoAnne Stephenson is holding the fort, with rumour mills remarkably silent on any potential contenders for the role.
Margin Call hears even the usually vocal major shareholder Solomon Lew and his camp haven’t heard a peep.
King’s predecessor Richard Umbers has also been keeping a low profile, after jumping ship to German hypermarket chain Kaufland, only for the whole Aussie expansion to be called off.
He is listed as a board member of Advance.org, which bills itself as a professional network for global Australians, but other than that his LinkedIn activity has been rather non-existent.
Like King however, he’s making moves closer to the river, selling up in Armadale for $6m after calling time at Myer, and instead taking up a luxury penthouse apartment in South Yarra for $4m.
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