Opinion

The Australians who got a seat at Donald Trump’s victory party

ByKishor Napier-Raman andStephen Brook

November 8,2024 — 5.00am

For Democrats,it’s mourning again in America.

But the mood was jubilant in West Palm Beach,Florida,for the gathering of some of the 72 million supporters of president-electDonald Trump,the man whose fondness for crude,undemocratic misogynistic,racist utterances and the odd impeachment and conviction proved no barrier for his stunning election victory.

Among the crowd of MAGA-verse influencers and Republican campaign staff were a few Australians who made the pilgrimage to South Florida for Trump’s political comeback. As this mastheadreported,Australia’s richest personGina Rinehart,a long-term,fervent fan of Trump,had a spot at a VVIP event at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate,the new seat of American political power. Former Liberal Party vice presidentTeena McQueenwas also there.

At the Republican victory party at the nearby Palm Beach Convention Centre,Sam Bjelke-Peterson,grandson of former Queensland premierSir Joh Bjelke-Petersen,scored an invite. Sir Joh,known affectionately as The Hillbilly Dictator,would’ve loved Trump.

Also present was PR consultantJames Radford,who told CBD:”The mood was nervous but confident. Once Pennsylvania was called,the crowd was electric and burst into excitement. President Trump spoke at 2.30 and after weeks of rallies and no sleep,he didn’t miss a mark.”

In Sydney,NSW Libertarian Party MPJohn Ruddickheld an election watch party for the Harbour City’s Trump-sympathetic at Parliament House,which kicked on at North Sydney’s Firehouse Hotel. Ruddick told us he didn’t get home until 3am.

Fishy business

Things are not going swimmingly for the Sydney Fish Market despite the construction of a flashy new site in Pyrmont which has been touted as like the Opera House but for seafood.

After months of cost blowouts (the new digs are set to cost $836 million),legal battles and the grievances of subtenants at the current location unhappy with moving to new digs,CBD recentlyreported that Sydney Fish Market chief executive (and former Australian Test wicketkeeper)Greg Dyerhad abruptly called it quits in September. Chief financial officerStephen Groomhas since been acting in the top job.

Amid all that,the fish market still hasn’t lodged its audited financial results for 2023-24 with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The company had until four months after the end of the financial year,a deadline which it has met every other year.

Company insiders suspect those financials won’t be pretty and are braced for a loss in the vicinity of $10 million. Last year,the Fish Market recorded a $6.2 million loss.

In response to questions about the missing numbers,the fish market told us it was “still in the process of finalising the company’s end-of-year accounts which will be included in the annual report.”

It’s all sounding rather fishy to us.

Silent treatment

The Victoria Racing Club has hired more ambassadors than you’ll find on a Friday wine and cheese night in the Canberra suburb of Yarralumla.

They include Hall of Fame trainer and icon of Australian sportGai Waterhouse,AO,champion jockeyJamie Kah,two-time Australian ParalympianEmma Booth,equestrian riderAmanda Ross and national icon and Melbourne Cup-winning jockeyMichelle Payne,OAM.

Then we come to the star attraction. She came,she saw,she looked glamorous – but she said not a word. Guests of the Victoria Racing Club for this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival,Elizabeth Hurleyand sonDamian Hurleyhave proved to be a picturesque but silent addition to the Birdcage.

Hurley and son have been happy to pose briefly for photographs but have constantly refused to talk to the media,apart from one brief interview with rights holder Nine. Hurley and son attended the races on Cup Day,the Oaks club lunch at Crown and Oaks Day;however a planned question and answer session at the Oaks club lunch was cancelled when Hurley made an early exit from the venue.

As one journalist said “she literally grimaced in disgust when asked by the VRC representative to speak to media on the red carpet”. CBD contacted the VRC for comment,which galloped away faster than Knight’s Choice at 3pm on Tuesday. The goss was that Hurley had no commercial media arrangements for her cup gigs so did what interviews she felt like,which turns out to be barely any.

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The Sydney Morning Herald