That's how many words Nolan typed out in a statement to theTelegraph on Monday before publication expanding on her criticisms,not one suggesting the story should not run.
She even supplied a photograph and a collation of her online output according to an email exchange we managed to obtain.
And there was the suggestion on how to make sure the story would inflict the most damage on Steggall,pointedly on her birthday (Tuesday).
Posting an inappropriate hashtag for political gain is one thing,dragging someone through the mud and pretending it had nothing to do with you is quite another. Especially for a lawyer who claims to be able to “carry matters from inception to completion,regardless of the direction”.
A Packer payday
James Packer remains a man of the world,even if plans to sell his stake in Crown Resorts toAmerican giant Wynn have been (temporarily) derailed.
Between nights at his Argentine polo ranch,days on Aspen’s Red Mountain,and soon,months of leisurely cruising on his superyacht,the Crown Resorts billionaire has little time for his hometown of Sydney or his casino in Melbourne.
But he has not lost his interest in a very local cause — the push to cut sovereign ties with Britain,one which may become a reality with Labor leaderBill Shorten proposing to hold another referendum on the matter if elected.
Packer donated about $250,000 to the Australian Republican Movement earlier this year,bringing his total gift to the cause up to $500,000 since 2016.
We’re told it was in February or March. We hear ARM bossMichael Cooney is thrilled although he won’t be around to enjoy the results,given he’s poised to depart the organisation within weeks.
Nice'n'easy for Lacaze
Here we are thinking rare earths miner and controversial $1.5 billion takeover target Lynas didn’t have any better friend than the scribes at theFinancial Review.
Well,they’ve got nothing on the punters who convened on Tuesday to pay their respects to glorious leader,Lynas chief executiveAmanda Lacaze,as she delivered the company’s quarterly update.
The market for Lynas’ main product,Neodymium and Praseodymium,has been falling off a cliff.
The corporate regulator is making inquiries about the Wesfarmers takeover proposal.
And the Malaysian government is asking a few of its own questions about the mountain of radioactive waste barely covered by a tarpaulin at its processing plant.
And yet,not one question on any of that from our four contestants:Foster Stockbroking’sMatthew Chen,Curran&Co’sAndrew Whyte,some bloke namedTim Ainsworth who seems to have once signed a petition to “support Lynas” and CLSA equities analystDylan Kelly.
Even the most basic of their questions seemed to go unanswered.
Size of stockpile? A secret.
Cost base? We have a strong track record.
Inputs into the plant? Don’t know the answer.
Meanwhile,Kelly was telling his clients this month the market price of the company’s main product would rise more than 80 per cent…
We’ve heard of a glass half full,but this one has overflowed and leached into the river.