By Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
Italians might have taught the world how to eat, but it was Martha Stewart who taught Americans how to cook. And garden. And entertain.
Stewart, the OG lifestyle influencer, the United States’ first female self-made billionaire, convicted felon and octogenarian social media star was on stage at Darling Harbour on Wednesday night, interviewed by writer Benjamin Law as part of Vivid Sydney.
Martha Stewart proves a Vivid presence in Sydney.Credit: Wolter Peeters
Her appearance, fresh on the heels of a hit Netflix documentary, was quite a coup for the festival that has seen its sheen dim in recent years. Lately, it’s become better known for annoying crowds and price hikes since the novelty value of “bright lights in city” wore off.
On stage, Stewart weighed into the ongoing recipe feud between Nagi Maehashi (aka RecipeTin Eats) and TikToker Brooke Bellamy (aka Brooki Bakehouse), but wisely chose not to definitively pick a side.
She also had a few words on the state of dining in Sydney, revealing that she’d eaten at Totti’s Bondi, Justin Hemmes’ influencer-friendly long lunch hotspot.
But in true Sydney fashion, Stewart had been made to wait outside for a table. The height of disrespect, in our book. Martha Stewart walked so Totti’s, and its famous bread, could run.
That said, Stewart did wax lyrical about said bread and the bottarga.
And no other Sydney establishments got a shoutout on stage – the kind of good PR not even Hemmes’ billions could buy.
Turnbull tells all
Poor Malcolm Turnbull. While other ex-prime ministers circle the globe and/or are reformatted in a hologram to dazzle executive women alongside Hillary Clinton, PM29 was reduced to hosting former Labor minister Barry Jones’ book launch at the State Library of Victoria.
Well, sort of. The two brainiacs were on stage at the 2025 Redmond Barry Society Lunch for a wide-ranging conversation that did serve as a launch of sorts for the 92-year-old Jones’ 10th and final edition of his Dictionary of World Biography at the State Library of Victoria.
The first Auspol joke lobbed about one minute and 25 seconds into proceedings, a zinger delivered by Maxine McKew, the former ABC presenter and Labor MP (yes, there is a difference) who spoke of former ALP figures in the crowd to support Jones before noting the collapse of the Liberal vote in Victoria at the federal election. “We did send out invitations to many Liberals, it’s just that the search party has not returned.”
Jones delicately guided Turnbull towards commenting on his former political colleagues, but not before their chat ranged over serendipitous encounters, Charles III … Chekhov’s funeral, loss of trust in public life … Jack Lang … Donald Trump … “flooding the zone with shit”.
Turnbull was in an expansive mood, the tone gently chiding rather than condemning. Referencing his own Catholic religion, he said: “I’m always incredibly suspicious of politicians who love their own religiosity.”
Better days behind: Then-PM Malcolm Turnbull and Barnaby Joyce during the 2017 New England byelection.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Turning to former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, Turnbull said he “got on well with Barnaby a lot of the time”.
“He’s a mercurial character,” he paused, before adding, “Better in the morning”.
Joyce gave up alcohol last year after footage emerged of him lying on a Canberra footpath swearing into his phone.
Finally, Jones steered Turnbull onto the controversial turf of climate change and carbon reduction.
“Are the climate wars going to revive?” Jones asked with faux innocence. For once in his life, Turnbull appeared flummoxed, before answering: “Who the hell knows?”
Bubbling along
A frantic few weeks for new Liberal leader Sussan Ley, who has had to deal with the Nationals tearing up the Coalition agreement only to come crawling back, before purging shadow cabinet of deadwood. A hard feat when the opposition’s numbers are at a record low.
Up next, the task of filling key personnel in the leader’s office, which hasn’t begun because Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hasn’t given the Liberals their staffing allocation yet, after which there will be a standard committee process involving both Coalition parties ... provided they’re still together then.
So far, CBD hears Ley will retain all the staff she had before becoming leader, in the same roles. That means chief of staff duties will remain with former Scott Morrison and Michael McCormack media flack Dean Shachar.
Shachar’s University of Sydney student politics buddy Dom Bondar is second in command, leading to a bit of grumbling among the broad church about an unprecedented lack of experience in the party leader’s office.
Getting wise Canberra heads to return for what could be a long period of opposition is a hard ask, though CBD hears plenty of senior and experienced operatives have expressed interest in coming on board.
One prominent Liberal who won’t be running Ley’s office is outgoing senator Hollie Hughes, dumped at preselection after some nasty factional manoeuvring. Despite her robust support for Ley in the recent leadership tussle with Angus Taylor, Hughes says red-hot rumours that she would take on the chief of staff job were just that. We’re sure she’s got better, more relaxing things to do after six years in the Canberra circus after all.
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