By Stephen Brook and Samantha Hutchinson
After three decades in the chair as the Liberal member for Menzies, no doubt it will take some time for Federal Parliament’s longest-serving MP, Kevin Andrews, to digest a weekend preselection defeat and the impending end of his political career. But Andrews’ loss to commando-turned-lawyer Keith Wolahan also means Andrews’ wife, Margie, will need to make a transition – from Australia’s longest-serving political spouse.
In a closed-door meeting after Treasurer Josh Frydenberg congratulated Wolahan, relations between the Andrews pair and the lawyer were frosty, so much so that the customary shaking of hands did not take place. Victorian Liberal president Robert Clark copped a spray from Mrs Andrews, who made her displeasure known. After 30 years, the news was never going to be easy.
Pizza victory
One day after his defeat, Andrews went to ground, while Wolahan went on Virginia Trioli. There he burnished his small “l” Liberal credentials. He also hit the ground running with visits to local businesses including a butcher, a cafe/restaurant and an IGA.
After the Sunday vote, about 200 Wolahan supporters gathered in the picturesque setting of the Olivigna Restaurant in Warrandyte South to enjoy wood-fired pizzas and fine wines personally paid for by the victor. Attendees remarked that the function had the atmosphere of a wedding, replete with children roaming about, as Liberal moderates celebrated a democratic victory long denied them. The contrast with the Andrews function/wake at the Manningham Hotel and Club couldn’t have been more marked.
The final vote was a decisive 181 to 111, despite a roll call of conservatives including Tony Abbott, Michael Sukkar, Greg Hunt and Alan Tudge phoning local members urging a vote for Andrews. Josh Frydenberg, who voted for Andrews as the Prime Minister’s delegate, must be fervently hoping his decision to host a function supporting Andrews’ candidacy does not turn out to be his “let’s give Prince Philip a knighthood” moment.
Seeing less of Albo
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has lost weight and doesn’t mind telling people about it.
The slimming down has been noticed throughout Albanese’s team, who are taking the health kick as a Charlton Heston-style pronouncement that Albo isn’t for letting go of the leadership.
And let’s be honest, nothing screams “elect me prime minister!” like a slim-down. Recall Malcolm Turnbull’s 14-kilogram weight loss under the tutelage of Bondi Chinese herbalist Shuquan Liu in 2011. Liu is currently deregistered as a doctor but Turnbull eventually got the prize he was after by overthrowing the ultrafit Tony Abbott in 2015.
Illustration: John ShakespeareCredit:
But we digress. The federal opposition leader’s health kick started in late November as he prepared for Tasmania’s ambitious Three Capes hike. He hasn’t touched a drink in 2021and has now taken up swimming twice a week, as well as upping his walking regimen with his cavoodle, Toto. The aftermath of his serious car accident temporarily stopped him playing tennis.
With Toto unavailable during sitting weeks, a treadmill stationed in the corner of his office suffices and the Grayndler MP power walks to a soundtrack including Thelma Plum, James Williamson and Deniz Tek and his favourite Sydney band, Polish Club.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison turned heads two months after taking over from Turnbull when he shrugged off the effect of the “man-pause” (the slowing metabolism of the middle-aged male) and exhibited a dramatic weight loss. In 2016, former opposition leader Kim Beazley shed 16 kilograms after cutting out fatty foods and upping his exercise but failed to defeat a power-walking John Howard for the prime ministership.
As Australia’s most assiduous journalistic chronicler of diets, the Daily Mail, observes, Tubby PMs are a rarity in these parts.
Zipping off
Philip Crutchfield, QC, chairman of Afterpay wannabe Zip Co, has decided it is time to, er, zip. Taking over effective immediately from the prominent Melbourne silk is Diane Smith-Gander, currently under lockdown in Perth, who was chair of Transfield Holdings when it was targeted by activists for its controversial management contracts to run detention services on Manus Island and Nauru.
Crutchfield got in on the ground floor of the digital lay-by phenomenon when listed gold miner Rubinna Resources decided to buy Zip Co, in effect leading to a backdoor listing. Crutchfield was sold on the digital financier when he failed to get past a Zip Co credit check due to not having a Facebook account.
His exit means he can now cash out the squillions he has made on the stock. CBD’s back-of-a-fag-packet calculations puts the sum at$27.7 million
Word is that the silk won’t be selling in a hurry. Doesn’t need to. Last year, along with Zip Co founders Peter Gray and Larry Diamond, Crutchfield sold a substantial tranche of shares, netting himself about $6 million.
Healthy advice
A letter sent out to members of Melbourne’s well-heeled Woodlands Golf Club has spelt out just how much damage the coronavirus has wrought across members’ club land.
“It is clear that on 28th December 2020, a member chose to attend the club while being unwell and having displayed symptoms consistent with Covid-19 for several days prior to that, putting the symptoms down to other factors,” Woodlands club captain and former Rio Tinto executive Michael Harvey wrote.
About 100 members, staff and close contacts were forced to quarantine until January 12, leading to the club losing about $25,000, and some members forced to quarantine were unable to work.
”I implore you not to become blase about COVID … each of us must do everything we can to avoid this sort of situation in the future,” Harvey concluded in the letter, which urged all members to take their health – and that of others – seriously. As for the member in question, he was sanctioned by the disciplinary panel.
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