The night before Dutton’s rush of blood,Liberals were in a festive mood. The party’s good and great gathered at Sydney’s Hyatt Regency for a special gala dinner,whereJohn Howardwas once again wheeled out to gee up the troops,who were busy gorging themselves on marinated eye fillet and a patriotic dessert menu of raspberry lamingtons,Anzac crumble and our favourite,Cherry Ripe cheesecake.
Meanwhile,the Moderate faction gathered around the corner at El Loco,aJustin Hemmes-owned Mexican pastiche (the name appropriately translates as “the crazy”),for their Black Hand Dinner (a steal at $60 a head,with a cash bar). Or as former defence ministerChristopher Pyneonce described it,“the winner’s circle”.
Pyne sadly couldn’t make Friday’s event,but ensured his jovial presence was felt by buying everyone drinks from afar. It was an otherwise fairly standard crowd of mods – former attorney-generalGeorge Brandis,ex-South Australian premierSteven Marshall,Victorian opposition leaderJohn Pesutto,NSW MPJames Griffinand rebellious backbencherBridget Archer,who we’re shocked to see at a Liberal event.
Most of the top dogs kicked on to El Loco after the big event at the Hyatt,with shadow ministersJane HumeandLinda Reynoldsarriving to cheers from the room. Deputy Liberal leaderSussan Ley’sspeech on nuclear energy drew a more lacklustre response.
Other speakers included moderate powerbrokerMichael Photios,Brandis and shadow foreign ministerSimon Birmingham,the faction’s leader,whose rousing address about “being competitive due to unity” was a far cry from what Dutton would deliver the next day.
As for why the dinner is called the Black Hand,that dates back to the 1980s,when Brandis and a few fellow moderates decided to name their “subversive” factional gathering after the Serbian secret society responsible for assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand and starting World War I. All in jest,obviously.
SLEEPER AGENTS
Last Thursday,a bunch of business and political types engaged in a night on the street,while raising millions for charity at the Vinnies CEO Sleepout – a priceless insight into corporate Australia’s mateship networks.
Top barristerArthur Moses SC,a sleepout regular,might not be the biggest fundraiser,with about $28,000 in donations,but he’s probably among the best-connected. Moses’ girlfriend,former NSW premier-turned-Optus executiveGladys Berejiklian,chipped in a little more than $1000. And yet again,billionaire Seven controllerKerry Stokes,who also paid for Moses to represent war criminalBen Roberts-Smithin a failed defamation suit against this masthead,put in $2002.
Business Sydney executive directorPaul Nicolaouhad raised more than $118,000 by Sunday afternoon,from donors including Stokes’ former Seven consigliereBruce McWilliam($545),vitamin kingMarcus Blackmore($2000) and Merivale pub baron Hemmes,who donated a grand.
Other high-flying sleepers include Crown bossCiaran Carruthersand House of Representatives speakerMilton Dick,who received cash from donors from across the aisle such as Labor ministersRichard MarlesandMark Dreyfus,tealsMonique RyanandZoe Daniel,andSussan Ley, Michael McCormackandDavid Littleproudfrom the Coalition.
SOUNDS OF SILENCE
When an email slid into our inboxes on Friday announcing the departure ofJessica Ducrou,one of the co-founders and co-chief executive of Splendour in the Grass,from the music festival’s Live Nation-backed parent company Secret Sounds,it came as both a shock and little surprise.
It hasn’t been a terribly festive time on the festivals circuit recently,with cancellations,confusion and outright collapses across the sector. And not even Live Nation,the world’s biggest touring company,is immune.
Falls Festival,founded in 1993 bySimon Daly,went on hiatus after its 2022 edition,and there has yet to be any indication it will come back,while Splendour in the Grass – founded in 2001 by Ducrou and former Powderfinger managerPaul Piticco – fell over in March,less than two weeks after tickets went on sale for a bill headlined by Kylie Minogue. Both are run by Secret Sounds.
There’s been much muttering about the festivals’ failure to attract the kind of talent that would drive young people to attend,and so the writing was arguably on the wall for Ducrou. (Where it leaves Piticco,who remains as chief executive of Secret Sounds for now at least,is anyone’s guess.)
The official statement painted this as a bloodless coup,with Ducrou “announcing” her own departure.
“I’m well due for an overseas summer holiday,so it’s a good time to take a break before I embark on my next chapter,” she said.
We’re not saying she was pushed,but the statement certainly deployed language straight outta the corporate assassination playbook,noting Ducrou planned to take some time out “to spend with her children” before she looks to “start her next chapter”.
We approached Secret Sounds for more details but didn’t hear back.
Intriguingly,Ducrou will retain her position – for now,at least – as chair of the state government-funded Sound NSW,and as deputy chair of the Australian Festival Association,where she will no doubt continue to lobby for government support for the beleaguered sector. She certainly knows first-hand how tough it is.
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