John Howard and a patriotic dessert menu: The Liberal Party turns 80

4 days ago 5

Fittingly, the Liberal Party’s 80th day volition beryllium champion remembered for Opposition Leader Peter Dutton going off-script and calling Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a “child successful a man’s body” during his code astatine the national assembly connected Saturday. Lord knows what Robert Menzies would’ve made of it all.

The nighttime earlier Dutton’s unreserved of blood, Liberals were successful a festive mood. The party’s bully and large gathered astatine Sydney’s Hyatt Regency for a peculiar gala dinner, wherever John Howard was erstwhile again wheeled retired to gee up the troops, who were engaged gorging themselves connected marinated oculus fillet and a patriotic dessert paper of raspberry lamingtons, Anzac crumble and our favourite, Cherry Ripe cheesecake.

Meanwhile, the Moderate faction gathered astir the country astatine El Loco, a Justin Hemmes-owned Mexican pastiche (the sanction appropriately translates arsenic “the crazy”), for their Black Hand Dinner (a bargain astatine $60 a head, with a currency bar). Or arsenic erstwhile defence curate Christopher Pyne once described it, “the winner’s circle”.

Pyne sadly couldn’t marque Friday’s event, but ensured his jovial beingness was felt by buying everyone drinks from afar. It was an different reasonably modular assemblage of mods – erstwhile attorney-general George Brandis, ex-South Australian premier Steven Marshall, Victorian absorption person John Pesutto, NSW MP James Griffin and rebellious backbencher Bridget Archer, who we’re shocked to spot astatine a Liberal event.

Most of the apical dogs kicked connected to El Loco aft the large lawsuit astatine the Hyatt, with shadiness ministers Jane Hume and Linda Reynolds arriving to cheers from the room. Deputy Liberal person Sussan Ley’s speech connected atomic vigor drew a much lacklustre response.

Other speakers included mean powerbroker Michael Photios, Brandis and shadiness overseas curate Simon Birmingham, the faction’s leader, whose rousing code astir “being competitory owed to unity” was a acold outcry from what Dutton would present the adjacent day.

As for wherefore the meal is called the Black Hand, that dates backmost to the 1980s, erstwhile Brandis and a fewer chap moderates decided to sanction their “subversive” factional gathering aft the Serbian concealed nine liable for assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand and starting World War I. All successful jest, obviously.

SLEEPER AGENTS

Last Thursday, a clump of concern and governmental types engaged successful a nighttime connected the street, portion raising millions for foundation astatine the Vinnies CEO Sleepout – a priceless penetration into firm Australia’s mateship networks.

Top barrister Arthur Moses SC, a sleepout regular, mightiness not beryllium the biggest fundraiser, with astir $28,000 successful donations, but he’s astir apt among the best-connected. Moses’ girlfriend, erstwhile NSW premier-turned-Optus enforcement Gladys Berejiklian, chipped successful a small much than $1000. And yet again, billionaire Seven controller Kerry Stokes, who besides paid for Moses to correspond warfare transgression Ben Roberts-Smith in a failed defamation suit against this masthead, enactment successful $2002.

Business Sydney enforcement manager Paul Nicolaou had raised much than $118,000 by Sunday afternoon, from donors including Stokes’ erstwhile Seven consigliere Bruce McWilliam ($545), vitamin king Marcus Blackmore ($2000) and Merivale pub baron Hemmes, who donated a grand.

Other high-flying sleepers see Crown brag Ciaran Carruthers and House of Representatives talker Milton Dick, who received currency from donors from crossed the aisle specified arsenic Labor ministers Richard Marles and Mark Dreyfus, teals Monique Ryan and Zoe Daniel, and Sussan Ley, Michael McCormack and David Littleproud from the Coalition.

SOUNDS OF SILENCE

When an email slid into our inboxes connected Friday announcing the departure of Jessica Ducrou, 1 of the co-founders and co-chief enforcement of Splendour successful the Grass, from the euphony festival’s Live Nation-backed genitor institution Secret Sounds, it came arsenic some a daze and small surprise.

It hasn’t been a terribly festive clip connected the festivals circuit recently, with cancellations, disorder and outright collapses crossed the sector. And not adjacent Live Nation, the world’s biggest touring company, is immune.

Falls Festival, founded successful 1993 by Simon Daly, went connected hiatus aft its 2022 edition, and determination has yet to beryllium immoderate denotation it volition travel back, portion Splendour successful the Grass – founded successful 2001 by Ducrou and erstwhile Powderfinger manager Paul Piticco – fell implicit successful March, little than 2 weeks aft tickets went connected merchantability for a measure headlined by Kylie Minogue. Both are tally by Secret Sounds.

There’s been overmuch muttering astir the festivals’ nonaccomplishment to pull the benignant of endowment that would thrust young radical to attend, and truthful the penning was arguably connected the partition for Ducrou. (Where it leaves Piticco, who remains arsenic main enforcement of Secret Sounds for present astatine least, is anyone’s guess.)

The authoritative connection painted this arsenic a bloodless coup, with Ducrou “announcing” her ain departure.

“I’m good owed for an overseas summertime holiday, truthful it’s a bully clip to instrumentality a interruption earlier I embark connected my adjacent chapter,” she said.

We’re not saying she was pushed, but the connection surely deployed connection consecutive outta the firm assassination playbook, noting Ducrou planned to instrumentality immoderate clip retired “to walk with her children” earlier she looks to “start her adjacent chapter”.

We approached Secret Sounds for much details but didn’t perceive back.

Intriguingly, Ducrou volition clasp her presumption – for now, astatine slightest – arsenic seat of the authorities government-funded Sound NSW, and arsenic lawman seat of the Australian Festival Association, wherever she volition nary uncertainty proceed to lobby for authorities enactment for the beleaguered sector. She surely knows first-hand however pugnacious it is.

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