By Kishor Napier-Raman and Noel Towell
ABC funnyman Shaun Micallef reckons this season of his long-running satirical half-hour Mad as Hell will be his last and it looks like the lawyer-turned-comedian is determined to go out with a bang.
Shaun MicallefCredit: John Shakespeare
Residents of the sleepy Victorian hamlet of Little River can’t say they weren’t warned last week when Micallef’s production set off explosives as the cast and crew filmed a sketch that might prove more than a little topical.
Locals were told Micallef’s crew would be filming a sketch entitled Neighbours from Hell, a parody of the geopolitical tension in the Pacific region. The script is about neighbours on two farms who have a falling out. “The tension and conflict gradually escalates between the neighbours,” according to a note dropped in letterboxes around town.
The town, where Micallef has often filmed over the years, was warned to expect a loud bang, a bit like a thunderclap, but Little River Hotel publican Kylie Trotter told CBD the take went off more with a whimper than with a bang. She didn’t hear a thing and none of her customers reported anything louder than a truck going over the town’s rail crossing.
“It was a big build-up for not much,” Trotter told us.
Besides, Little River takes brushes with fame in its stride. There’s the band, of course, Getaway presenter Catriona Rowntree is a local and the town had a memorable appearance in the 1979 Aussie classic Mad Max which launched the career of Mel Gibson.
Coal comeback
The Canavan brothers love coal. Big brother Matt Canavan – the Wiggles-baiting, climate-denying Liberal National Senator from Queensland – has been the most vocal about the black stuff over the years, speaking of little else during his political career, and once appearing to smear coal dust on his face.
But little brother John Canavan shows his coal devotion in other ways.
His last big venture – a partnership with global resources giant Glencore in the Rolleston mine in Queensland – ended in messy and unresolved litigation with each party alleging they are owed tens of millions of dollars.
But John is undeterred, joining one of the most (in)famous names in the industry, former billionaire and discharged bankrupt Nathan Tinkler, for an audacious new coal play.
Big brother Matt Canavan has been the most vocal about the black stuff over the years.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
CBD brought word last month that Tinkler was making a dramatic comeback to the corporate scene with a bid for debt-laden mining minnow Australian Pacific Coal. A search on Thursday of company documents for Tinkler’s new vehicle, Pacific Premium Coal, reveals Canavan as one of the Boganaire’s fellow directors.
Now it may seem, ahem, courageous of the younger Canavan to try another coal venture, after his recent experience and with a partner of Tinkler’s track record. But that’s love.
Player’s Ball
While the Greens were divided over whether to party at the Midwinter Ball or protest its fossil fuel sponsorship with Extinction Rebellion, there was a real note of unity at Wednesday night’s event.
By which we mean everyone wanted to make fun of Scott Morrison. The former prime minister’s self-appointment to multiple ministries was amply roasted first by ABC satirist Mark Humphries, then Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and finally, by Liberal leader Peter Dutton himself, who did not hold back.
More than one Liberal in attendance at the event was thrilled by Dutton’s savagery. It’s quite the reversal of fortunes for the Liberal Party’s miracle man. How good is Scott Morrison?
After the pleasantries, Marcia Hines belted out a set that managed to drag more than a few crusty pollies out for a boogie. CBD’s respect was won by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young (despite the slightly cringe Off-Broadway AOC look), and Liberal MP Bridget Archer, who were the last two standing on the dance floor.
On Thursday, there were more than a few signs of dustiness around Parliament House. Morning press releases were littered with typos. Paul Fletcher sounded very hoarse in question time. No rest for Treasurer Jim Chalmers, however, who was doing the media rounds from 7am on Thursday.
Fine Art
Sydney Contemporary, the country’s largest art fair, is back at Carriageworks after a two-year hiatus, and there’s not a hint of the “cost of living crisis” in sight. The city’s art aficionados are spending big – maybe they’ve been avoiding extravagances like lettuce.
Sydney gallerist Martin Browne sold two copies of an interactive work from “ultra-technologist” art collective teamLab called The World of Irreversible Change for $US300,000 ($445,000) each. The buyers, both confidential, are prominent collectors, one local, the other Hong Kong-based.
Chris Hodges, of Sydney’s Utopia gallery, sold about $400,000 worth of work on the opening day of the fair.
And Canberra-based landscape architect couple Karina Harris and Neil Hobbs, major collectors in their own right, picked up a stunning installation by Aurukun artist Alair Pambegan for $66,000.
“We were bowled over by the serendipity of seeing it,” Hobbs told CBD.
The event continues until Sunday, and there’s plenty out there. Some of it possibly affordable.
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