Julie Bishop steps out with new beau at F1 event she won’t attend

As the team that broke the global exclusive a couple of years ago now of former foreign minister Julie Bishop’s break-up with her long-term handbag David Panton, CBD is delighted to bring news that things are seemingly looking up again for Bishop on the romantic front.

The guest list sent to media for the Australian Grand Prix’s Glamour on the Grid event – the race organisers are really leaning into the woman-friendly thing this year – features Bishop and “partner” Steve Gray.

A picture of Julie Bishop and Steve Gray on holiday from her social media.Credit: Instagram

Now, this Steve Gray fellow is something of an enigma. We were able to turn up little on the man – turns out there are quite a few Steve Grays in the world – and Bishop was certainly in no mood on Tuesday to put us in the picture. Although she does appear to have put him in a few pictures of her own on Instagram lately.

But if you were thinking of traipsing along to Albert Park on Wednesday evening to find out more, you should a) get a life and b) save your tram fare as the former minister and Liberal leadership aspirant tells us that she’s in her home town, Perth, that evening and won’t be attending the grand prix event.

Bishop’s name stood out among the list of fashion influencers and sporting stars including Olympians Peter Bol and Harry Garside, model Rebecca Judd, designer Pip Edwards and nightclub entrepreneur/influencer pairing Nick Russian and wife Rozalia.

We were a little surprised to see Collingwood footy club premiership captain Darcy Moore, his teammate Josh Daicos and predecessor Scott Pendlebury listed as down to attend too.

That’s because those lads are due to turn out for the Magpies the following evening against St Kilda in a game that Collingwood, which has made a losing start to its flag defence, really needs to win or else its horde of fans will turn even uglier.

Former Pie Jack Ginnivan courted controversy before last year’s grand final for going to the races on the eve of the big game, even copping a dishonourable mention from coach Craig McRae in his post-match interview.

So you’d think quiet nights in with your streaming service might be standard practice now for the Pies before a big game, especially because young Jack, well, he doesn’t work there any more.

We asked Collingwood’s mighty spin machine on Tuesday if the players were still planning to attend.

They didn’t answer, but given the accuracy of the Bishop “attendance”, who can really say where they’ll be.

Here’s to Dick Smith, he’s True Blue

Folksy entrepreneur Dick Smith celebrated 80 years around the sun with about 200 of his closest friends at a posh Sydney function centre on Monday.

Once upon a time, a celebration of Dick might’ve been a hotter ticket for political and business elite. But Smith’s grumblings about immigration have made him a little unfashionable in some quarters.

True blue Dick Smith celebrates his 80th trip around the sun.Credit: SMH

Those who did make it were treated to a celebration of two things close to Smith’s heart – adventure and cheesy Australiana. So a crowd of mountaineers and aviators toasted Smith’s passion for flying, while country singer John Williamson provided entertainment, with his hit True Blue, the same song he played at Steve Irwin’s funeral. Make of that what you will.

Friends of Dick at the party included racing and media bloke’s bloke John Singleton, fresh from calling it quits with his seventh wife.

“He’s been a good friend to me,” Smith told CBD.

Also in the mix – Peter Ritchie, the man who brought Maccas to these shores, and Ian “Macca” McNamara, host of Dick’s favourite radio show, Australia All Over on the ABC, who recently received a complaint at the public broadcaster for airing views on immigration oddly similar to Smith’s.

NAT’S ENOUGH

Canberra’s press gallery smelled beer in the water this week when word spread through Parliament House that there were to be drinks in the Nationals party room on Wednesday evening.

The last thing the junior coalition partner – with the hard-drinking reputation – needs right now is more stories featuring their MPs and alcoholic beverages, not after the recent exploits of Barnaby Joyce and Perin Davey.

But it fell to one of the party’s newbies, Nicholls MP Sam Birrell, to call for calm, explaining that the Nats had let the Grain Producers Australia industry group use the room for the evening for a perfectly respectable function.

And if we detected the slightest hint of exasperation from Birrell about the coverage his party has received of late, that’s perhaps understandable.

But they might just have to suck it up for a little while yet.