Inside Family Law:a'conduit for ruthless execution of vendettas'

Just when we thought the Warringah election campaign couldn’t get any weirder than a Colombian bloke in a cosplay outfit twerking at Manly Wharf we were introduced to the “devastatingly experienced” Phillip Street barristerBridie Nolan and her thoughts onZali Steggall,the independent candidate running against former prime ministerTony Abbott.

Despite collating her online content and sending it toTheDaily Telegraph along with photographs and an extensive statement redoubling her criticisms of Steggall — her husband’s former partner and mother of her two step-children —Nolan reckoned she was really trying to stop the tabloid.

When we asked about her Twitter denials,she deleted her account.

Nolan and Steggall are both prolific barristers,with practices covering family law at 12th Floor Wentworth Selbourne and the Family Law Chambers respectively.

So having marched up the hill of misrepresentation,it came as no surprise to us to discover Nolan really should have planted her flag at the top of the mountain of hypocrisy.

For withinInside Family Law,a collection of “rare and candid conversations” released last year,Nolan decided to speak out against the “belligerent and unintelligent approach” of other family law barristers who she said were willing to act as a “conduit for ruthless execution of vendettas”.

We look forward to reading further insights from our learned friend.

In 2015 she informed us a mere $6500 was expended every week for an army of assistants,au pairs,nannies and cleaners simply to allow her a chance to get on with important work.

No wonder she had so much time to put toward tweeting her running commentary at Steggall,and for what … we can’t even remember.

Revealed:Inside Canberra

Here we were thinking Keating Media’s Parliament House bureau was all hot air,just a coordination point for“networking” events,a war room in which tostrategise about securing entry to Prime MinisterScott Morrison’s Christmas event,and somewhere tostore Liberal Party election corflutes.

But Keating Media,headed byMichael Keating,remains the publisher of the venerableInside Canberra newsletter,which since 1947 has been a go-to source of Capital Hill information for lobbyists,politicians and public servants alike.

This week,our attention was drawn to the most recent edition and to a thoroughly amusing contribution headlined “SenatorBrian Burston Revealed!”

“Having been labelled by the dominant fake news outlets in Australia as unreasonable and far right of centre,Senator Burston ... explained details many other political household names would struggle with,” our correspondent reported about Burston,Pauline Hanson’s one-time One Nation sidekick turnedClive Palmer’s United Australia Party Senate candidate.

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Letting the rats in the ranks of the Fourth Estate

“Senator Burston has particularly savvy views on economic development and social cohesion,” our writer,Roger Hausmann,continues.

This,apparently reported with a straight face,about a manwho called for a “moratorium” on Muslim migration because he wanted “our grandchildren and their children to be safe”.

And to conclude this ultimate trompe-l’oeil of journalism?

“Let’s hope that will be the case should Senator Brian Burston and the (United Australia Party) be given that chance,opportunity!”

Nonsense,but this stuff should still come with an Australian Electoral Commission authorisation.

Easy money over East

Jobs MinisterKelly O’Dwyer,due to leave the building come the federal election,may no longer be revenue and financial services minister,but one of her pet projects is starting to cut some cheques.

TheEnid Lyons Fighting Fund,set up last March by Liberal HQ to help the party's female candidates get elected and keep them in their jobs,has started to distribute donations,including $15,000 a piece to Boothby MPNicolle Flint in Adelaide,Robertson MPLucy Wicks on the Central Coast and Corangamite MPSarah Henderson south of Melbourne.

And we hear the biggest donors,apart from O’Dwyer’s $50,000,were organised by former foreign ministerJulie Bishop and former prime ministerMalcolm Turnbull.

Back in Sydney,Toga Hospitality bossAllan Vidor welcomed the party faithful into his Watsons Bay manor on Tuesday night as part of a fundraiser thrown by carpet scionYosi Tal and his Liberal Friends of Israel committee.

Headlining the event was Assistant TreasurerStuart Robert and Liberal Senate candidateAndrew Bragg,a one-time Business Council staffer and the party’s former acting director.

Also spotted:upper house MPNatalie Ward,Australian Banking Association corporate affairs chiefNat Samia and former long-standing Allens partnerZeke Solomon.