It was Heatherton’s Capital Golf Club manager, Ishan Ratnam, better known as James Packer’s special assistant, whose big day in the Crown Casino inquiry witness box came on Thursday. And it didn’t start well.
Like a rabbit in the headlights, he appeared via video-link to the Patricia Bergin-chaired Sydney-based inquisition from his locked-down Melbourne bunker.
The impeccably attired billionaire’s butler got his personal address wrong, mistaking the postcode for Southgate.
A somewhat tortured-looking Ratnam dodged and weaved the barrage of questions from counsel assisting Adam Bell, including whether he had spoken that morning to Crown’s Australian resorts boss Barry Felstead, who had his stint in the stand on Wednesday.
Yes, Ratnam volunteered, he had received an SMS from Felstead telling him to be truthful to the inquiry.
Quizzed by Bergin what the text actually said, Ratnam pulled out his phone and read it: “Thinking of you today. I know you will do well,” he said. To which Bergin then asked, cryptically: “I assume that means telling the truth?”
It seemed inevitable Ratnam would trip up further and he did when he claimed he was unaware in February 2015 of a Chinese government crackdown on Chinese gamblers taking their chips abroad.
Bell took Ratnam to an email he sent that month to Packer’s former school chum and then keeper of the billionaire’s collection of planes and boats, Matthew Csidei, asking if he should remove the Crown logos from the casino company’s new collection of Global Express private jets for Chinese high-rollers because of the government crackdown.
“Great idea, get rid of them,’’ Csidei reportedly replied.
Mercifully for Ratnam he was excused from the stand well before lunch.
There was at least one former Crown executive who seemingly relishes watching the evening replay of performances on the ILGA website.
Former Crown CEO Rowen Craigie followed Ratnam in the box for the afternoon session. Asked by Bell if he had seen Ratnam’s testimony, Craigie replied with a smile: “No I didn’t. That highlight will come later tonight no doubt.”
No Epstein party
Lindsay Fox has emphatically denied a 1995 gossip column item that Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell had partied on Sydney Harbour on a 100-foot yacht with a billionaire trucking tycoon.
A newly resurfaced newspaper report cited by the New York Post had suggested the late financier and his then-girlfriend were guests of honour on a pre-Christmas cruise.
The Vice website repeated the item from The Sun-Herald by then gossip columnist Ros Reines, who stands by her report. The report was actually published ahead of the proposed party, the column advised, noting that other well-heeled invited guests were set to include tycoon James Packer and singer Deni Hines along with Rodney Adler and his wife Lindy.
“Despite the contents of the story … Lindsay has never met Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell — neither in Sydney, nor Melbourne. Indeed, at the time of the harbour cruise in Sydney, as suggested by the article, Lindsay’s diary records confirm that he was in Hawaii celebrating Christmas with family,” advised the response via text message from his senior executive Ari Suss.
Epstein had limited links with Sydney. Nicholas Barham, the first husband of Gretel Packer, appears in Epstein’s address book, which had thousands of names from across the world. The New York Times advised the names, compiled by Epstein’s staff, were likely to be a combination of aspirational connections, as well as actual ones. Indeed many have since advised they weren’t even passing acquaintances.
Epstein’s little black book recorded 10 phone numbers and two addresses for Barham, with the Darling Point address suggesting its entry came after the couple had separated.
The black book also includes Melbourne phone numbers of Linfox’s Andrew Fox.
Dan’s defender
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews is seeking a new media adviser, someone to join his overworked office. The job went up on LinkedIn Thursday, and received an initial tepid response.
There were fewer than 25 applicants to office manager and staffer since opposition, Terri Cryans, on its first day online. The advertisement seeks an experienced professional with a knowledge of the media landscape, government and parliamentary processes.
Media advisers in the Office of the Premier provide media advice across the government.
It came as Andrews was briefly at his stroppiest yet in his daily, though never quite exhaustive, press briefings.
Messara mansion
Racing industry couple John and Kristine Messara have spent $7.2m on a Clareville waterfront home. Their purchase certainly enhances the narrative of a prestige Pittwater property surge during the pandemic.
The four bedroom home on its 1051sq m holding with a private jetty, boathouse and berthing had been stuck on the market for 259 days. The home last sold in 1992 for just shy of $1m.
Margin Call didn’t know they were boaties!
Food fares well
The boss of Qantas Wines, Lisa Hudson,has quit the airline after five years to become the editor of coles & co, the online platform designed by Coles to inspire customers with stories amid great value supermarket specials.
Coles says its customers are cooking from home more than ever, with Hudson set to guide them through the latest foodie trends.
The online platform went live last week as the supermarket giant moved away from paper catalogues in a decision that is set save around 10,000 tonnes of paper every year.
Its remaining magazine is credited as the most read in Australia, and Coles radio is the most listened-to digital radio station.
Coles has 1.34 million followers on Facebook, with regular recipe updates from chefs including Curtis Stone.
Hudson certainly has extensive experience building online food and wine communities, having previously been general manager of food and wine at Fairfax Media.
At Qantas, Hudson was responsible for those emails flooding inboxes with wine offers to its frequent flyer members. Just this week Margin Call was offered deals for Jim Barry wine at $16.50 a bottle.
A few years back Qantas Loyalty added gourmet food products such as cheese, olive oil and truffles to the inventory of its epicure wine program.
Considering the international borders remain closed and Australians are limited to intrastate flights, Alan Joyce’sQantas is effectively a loyalty business for the time being. Its loyalty program was the largest contributor to profit announced on Thursday, with underlying earnings before interest and tax of $341m, down 9 per cent on 2019.
But the revenue growth in the second half for Qantas Wine was a guzzling 42 per cent. Likewise wine also proved a popular way for members to redeem points over the past six months too.
Teele departs
It might be in lockdown, but the blood still runs blue down Melbourne’s Collins Street as investment house AMCIL announced that longstanding chairman (and everyone’s favourite value investor) Bruce Teele would stand down in October, handing over to Rupert Myer.
The 82-year-old Teele, the one-time long-serving boss of the house JBWere, has been chairman of AMCIL since 2004. The exit is part of a planned retreat from corporate life as he has also stepped down as chairman of AFIC and Djerriwarrh Investments (also from the JBWere family).
Pyne leaves no stone unturned
Is there some dirty pool being played by Pyne and Partners over naval lobbying contracts, as it seems odd to approach a client’s most serious competitor to ask for a meeting.
Feeding Nomad diners the little white lies
Patrons don’t exactly line up for Nomad restaurants since its co-owner displayed a Nazi swastika at a rally, but an assurance he’s relinquished control of the rebadged eateries is hard to swallow.