According to Hancock,the Gallery had first approached Rinehart about sitting for a portrait with one of their chosen artists. Ever the proud Sandgroper,Rinehart preferred having a West Australian artist paint her. The portrait was given to the gallery in 2019,after Korte had spent six months working on two or three paintings of her subject.
“Mrs Rinehart does not currently know which portrait created by this talented WA artist is held by the National Portrait Gallery,but does recall the portraits were very carefully done and captured in detail her appearance at that time,” the spokesperson said.
AYRES SPARED
CBD reported recently that former state Liberal deputy leaderStuart Ayres’appointment as chief executive of the Urban Development Institute of Australia NSW has caused concern within the ranks of the lobby group over how it will work with the Minns Labor government.
Ayres kicked off his new role last week,a little earlier than anticipated,but not before the board had held an emergency meeting to discuss a series of snubs from Minns’ ministry. Ahead of his start date,the institute had sought meetings with Labor figures including Planning MinisterPaul Scully,Corrections MinisterAnoulack Chanthivongand Housing MinisterRose Jackson.
All respectfully declined – not because of the Ayres effect per se,but because cabinet ministers tend to have busy schedules and plenty of people from various pressure groups keen to chew their ears off.
Ayres,meanwhile,appears to have started quietly in the new role. At a Western Sydney luncheon last Thursday with planning secretaryKiersten Fishburnat Sydney’s Olympic Park,former Coalition ministerial adviserGavin Melvin,who’d been acting in the CEO role,took the stage for the question and answer session rather than Ayres.
But we’re sure the training wheels will come off soon.
OFF COURT
As Wimbledon approaches,aspiring amateur tennis champions were bemused to find burly,suited security types guarding the doors at Tennis Ranch in Sydney’s Gladesville on Friday afternoon.
After a week of being grand slammed over the issue of criminal detainees in Canberra,none other than Prime MinisterAnthony Albanese had stopped in to pick up two pairs of new tennis shoes.
His preferred brand could not be confirmed,but it seems he’s come a long way from Dunlop Volleys. As recently revealed by our colleaguePeter FitzSimons,the PM is a keen amateur player,regularly taking the court for doubles matches for Marrickville Tennis Club. The PM was happy to pose for selfies with fellow racquet enthusiasts and seemed relieved not to be copping a serve fromPeter Dutton during the quick stopover.
HOCK AND ROLL
CBD recently reported that former federal treasurer and ambassador to the United StatesJoe Hockeyis living his best life,charging up to $20,000 for virtual speeches while running his booming strategic advisory firm Bondi Partners from Washington,DC.
Now,Hockey’s firm,which operates here and in the States,has a wide remit,but now seems to be honing in more closely on that most common of post-parliamentary business:lobbying.
Pacific Partners,the lobbying subsidiary of the firm,just registered on the federal lobbyists register,counting a handful of clients,mostly in the resources sector,including RZ Resources and Tamboran.