Australia’s winners and losers of 2016

AS WE farewell 2016, spare a thought for those whose lives tumbled into chaos, and tip our hats to those who came out on top.

Roxy Jacenko has had a horror year, but insists she’s stronger than ever.

WHAT a year it’s been for the who’s who of Australian politics, media and business.

One of the most interesting Federal Election results in ages has shaken up the Parliament, and we’ve had corporate collapses and scandals galore.

It would be impossible to list all of the spectacular falls from grace and triumphant victories, but here’s a selection of the most entertaining and newsworthy.

As you prepare to farewell 2016, spare a thought for the Australians whose lives tumbled unexpectedly into chaos, and celebrate — or commiserate — the stunning achievements of those who came out on top.

THE YEAR THEY’D RATHER FORGET

Dream Lover no more: James Packer and Mariah Carey split in 2016. Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris

JAMES PACKER

It’s been a tough year for the casino mogul with the arrest of Crown employees in China followed by a high-profile split from diva fiance Mariah Carey.

The chief executive is believed to be negotiating a multi-million dollar settlement with the Dreamlover singer, whose reported “extravagant spending” has been cited as a possible reason for the relationship breakdown.

Carey has reportedly argued that she should get a percentage of business deals she says Packer secured with her help, claiming that he dragged her along to meetings to help charm corporate leaders and foreign dignitaries.

Meanwhile, 18 Crown employees are languishing in a Chinese prison after being arrested on suspicion of breaching the nation’s strict anti-gambling laws, believed to be in connection with their marketing activities aimed at luring highrolling Chinese “whales” to Mr Packer’s casinos — a tricky grey area.

Shares in Crown dropped 12 per cent to $11.40 after news of the arrests broke in October, as the company’s expansion in Asia — and the success of its planned $2 billion Barangaroo casino in Sydney — were thrown into doubt. He also sold a $300 million stake of his operations in Macau.

But Mr Packer enjoyed a victory in the NSW Land and Environment Court on the Friday before Christmas, when a community group’s appeal of his development approval was dismissed.

Roxy Jacenko and Oliver Curtis arrive at NSW Supreme Court for his sentencing. Picture Craig Greenhill

ROXY JACENKO

While the indefatigable PR queen insists that she’s had worse years, 2016 has been a shocker for Roxy Jacenko.

With her husband Oliver Curtis locked up at Cooma prison for Christmas after an appeal court rejected his bid for freedom, Jacenko has focused on keeping up appearances, projecting an image of optimism and strength.

“Everyone around you wants to you fail, now is the time to go, ‘F—ck you. You think I’m going to fail?’” she told Who.

“It’s shown me you can conquer anything.”

As if Curtis’ June conviction and minimum one-year sentence for conspiracy to commit insider trading weren’t enough, Jacenko underwent treatment for breast cancer shortly after the trial.

And her spat with estranged father Nick Jacenko and his wife Lisa Ho played out in the papers, with The Daily Telegraph reporting that the police were called to Moncur St, Woollahra after Jacenko ran into the pair on the street outside a restaurant.

But she still described herself as “lucky”, saying “I have an incredible support network, my mum is brilliant, my children are a joy to be around and my business is thriving.”

Sam Dastyari leaves home a day after resigning from the front bench. Picture: John Grainger

SAM DASTYARI

One minute, the influential senator was one of Canberra’s rising stars; the next, he was relegated to the back bench as “Shanghai Sam”.

Sam Dastyari, who was Labor’s manager of opposition business in the Senate and spokesman for consumer affairs, famously trolled Pauline Hanson on election night, infuriating the newly re-elected One Nation leader by inviting her to join him for a halal snackpack in Sydney’s west.

But the cheeky smile was wiped from his face when it was revealed that Mr Dastyari had received payments from a Chinese-linked company.

The $1600 payment was for a travel bill that Mr Dastyari faced after going over his parliamentary allowance. The Top Education Institute footed the bill.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull queried whether the donation may have influenced Senator Dastyari’s reported divergence from Labor’s policy on the South China Sea dispute.

He maintained that no donors had asked for anything in exchange for the funds, but did not explain why he asked for the payment.

“I should have paid it myself,” Mr Dastyari said. “I made a mistake, I was in the wrong, I apologise, I’m sorry and I want to apologise more broadly to the Australian public.”

Tim Worner leaves his Manly home after news of his scandalous affair broke.

TIM WORNER

Seven West’s chief executive has ended 2016 holding onto his job by a thread, after a disgruntled ex-employee revealed their scandalous, allegedly drug-fuelled affair.

After the board declined to sack Mr Worner, the former assistant to fellow Seven exec Nick Chan, Amber Harrison, added further damaging allegations to her claim that the high-flying executive “likes a bit on the side”.

The claim that Mr Worner had carried on affairs with four other women, including two on-air stars, resulted in a Supreme Court suppression order after a website published the names of the other women.

Mr Worner, who denied the further allegations, apologised to staff by email on December 22, admitting that “what I did was wrong”.

“A lot of the allegations are factually incorrect but guess what, that doesn’t matter anymore,” he wrote. “The one thing I am not doing is making any excuses. I obviously regret it and most of all I regret the unwelcome attention it has brought to the company and my family.”

The embarrassing episode will serve as a reminder for corporate leaders of the dangers of intra-office affairs, with the damage to Seven’s brand matched by the hit taken by its share price.

Former federal MP Clive Palmer has shed a third of his body weight. Picture: Dan Peled

CLIVE PALMER

Who else could put a victorious spin on being the biggest loser of 2016?

Former MP Clive Palmer has shed a third of his body weight after adding vegetables to his diet and cutting sugar, additives and salt.

Now weighing in at just over 100kg, the billionaire businessman has focused on his health since retiring from politics at the Federal Election amid the controversy of his company Queensland Nickel’s $300 million collapse in April.

But no amount of fat-burning can erase the colossal disaster that is his corporate affairs, with his day of reckoning looming after the failure of his High Court bid to have laws compelling him to give evidence declared unconstitutional.

The company’s collapse, which left 800 workers unemployed, is the subject of an ongoing Federal Court probe by liquidators FTI Consulting, who will continue grilling Mr Palmer in the witness stand in 2017.

Mr Palmer, who faces potentially being held personally liable for unpaid workers’ entitlements, has denied any wrongdoing and says he’s not worried about the prospect of being questioned in court.

WINNERS ARE GRINNERS

Margot Robbie can do no wrong. Picture: Joel Ryan

MARGOT ROBBIE

Not only did she star in three big films in 2016, but Australia’s hottest Hollywood star wed her director beau Tom Ackerley in a private ceremony in Byron Bay in December, rounding out a stellar year for the 26-year-old actor.

The former Neighbours star, who got her big break alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street, this year starred in Suicide Squad, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and The Legend of Tarzan. She gave marriage equality a push while hosting Saturday Night Live, became the face of Calvin Klein’s new women’s fragrance Deep Euphoria and topped Maxim’s Hot 100 list.

But perhaps the most memorable moment of Robbie’s year was when she appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair.

The blonde beauty responded with a dignified silence when the US magazine published a profile so patronising that it read like a parody article.

The piece by contributing editor Rich Cohen was widely panned for its focus on the actor’s physical appearance, and its description of Australia as a nation populated by “throwback people”.

Taking the controversy in her stride, Robbie looks set for another busy year, having been cast in a long list of films including Vaughn Stein’s thriller Terminal and Gotham City Sirens, which she will also produce.

Pauline Hanson has triumphed in 2016. Picture: Colin Murty

PAULINE HANSON

After years in the political wilderness, serving only as the faded memory of a parody video in the consciousness of Australia’s youngest voters, Pauline Hanson is back and stronger than ever.

The former fish and chip shop owner still doesn’t like it — but “it” has morphed from Asian to Muslim immigration.

And, after returning to Canberra to take a seat in the Senate alongside three of her running mates (now downgraded to two after Rod Culleton quit the party), the controversial One Nation leader is gearing up to spread her influence in state elections.

Ms Hanson used her maiden speech to declare that Australia is “in danger of being swamped by Muslims who bear a culture and ideology incompatible with our own”, prompting the Greens to walk out of Parliament in protest.

And while Mr Culleton’s resignation from the party has reduced her Senate voting bloc by a quarter, Ms Hanson insisted it was no loss.

“He was not working with us as a team,” she said, describing the wayward senator was “ego driven”.

“Rod Culleton is a pain in my backside. I am glad to see the back of him,” she said.

Derryn Hinch has taken some knocks, but overall came out on top. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

DERRYN HINCH

It’s been a mixed year for The Human Headline. While being elected to the Senate in the Federal Election was a major coup, Derryn Hinch’s personal life has suffered.

The former broadcaster and anti-paedophile campaigner admitted he was facing a lonely Christmas after a messy split with former girlfriend Natasha Chadwick.

And his return to drinking alcohol — five years after quitting and receiving a lifesaving liver transplant — raised eyebrows.

Hinch, who insists that he only drinks a moderate amount of “watered-down wine”, dismissed Ms Chadwick’s claim that he was hitting the bottle hard as a “break-up beat-up”.

But we’re pretty sure the Justice Party leader will be ticking off 2016 as a successful year, having pulled off the ultimate coup: Using parliamentary privilege to publicly name child sex offenders, the same rebellious act that has seen him jailed numerous times.

Hinch used his maiden speech to name at least five men he said had been convicted of child sex offences, after saying he did not intend to “be a cowboy” during his time in the Upper House, but would expose “human vermin” when he needed to.

Now he just needs to achieve his lifelong goal of having a national register introduced, to be called “Daniel’s Law” after Daniel Morcombe.

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Originally published as Australia’s winners and losers of 2016