This year’s King’s Birthday Honours,the first time they’ve been called that in more than half a century,provided plenty of nearly forgotten ex-politicians a shiny new suffix.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore has been named in the King’s Birthday Honours.Wolter Peeters
Leading the pack is former Liberal West Australian premierColin Barnett,and ex-Labor ministerJenny Macklin,both made Companions of the Order of Australia.
Journalist turnedJohn Howard-slaying former Labor MPMaxine McKewwas another political headliner,appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). Sydney Lord MayorClover Mooreis now an AO – and given her endless reign,we’re surprised it’s taken this long.
We also noticed a few lesser lights among this year’s throng of ACs,OAMs,and AMs. There was former Labor senator for the Northern TerritoryTrish Crossin and a couple of former ALP state ministers,Kevin Greene from NSW,Ken Hayward from Queensland andJudy Jackson from Tasmania.
Across the aisle the Nationals are curiously well-represented this year with the party’s former Victorian leader and deputy premierPat McNamara making the list along with ex-NSW senatorDavid Brownhill,and former NSW ministerDuncan Gay.
The King’s Birthday Honours has a new name for the first time in decades.AP
Former Queensland Liberal senatorIan MacDonaldalso made the AM list,for services to the people and Parliament of Australia.
MacDonald’s parliamentary career was best known for comparing activist group GetUp! to the Hitler Youth (he apologised),Labor ministerStephen Conroy to Nazi propagandistJoseph Goebbels (he later withdrew) and telling Scottish-born ALP senatorDoug Cameron to “learn to speak Australian”.
UNDER THE SEA
Fans of HBO juggernautThe White Lotus would know that its starJennifer Coolidge (spoiler alert) doesn’t have the happiest relationship with the ocean.
So it was ironic that one of Coolidge’s first outings in Sydney,before she drew thousands to a Vivid event on Saturday,was a gala dinner for ocean conservation society the Sapphire Project,with an “underwater world” theme.
Coolidge,who to be fair did recently say her dream role was to play a dolphin,was spotted posing with former foreign ministerJulie Bishopduring the event celebrating World Ocean Day at Carriageworks last Thursday.
Perhaps she could take swimming tips fromIan Thorpe,who is on the Sapphire Project’s committee and had MC duties on the night.
CBD’s spies also spotted former Australian Workers’ Union national secretaryPaul Howes,now a KPMG consulting rainmaker,accompanied by his partner,high-flying Qantas executiveOlivia Wirth.
White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge visited Australia for the Vivid festival.Dion Georgopolous
Other Sapphire Project committee members working the crowds includedAndrew “Twiggy” Forrest’sdaughterSophia Forrest,Woollahra MayorSusan Wynneand socialiteEllie Aitken,who’s recently been spotted stepping out with Bahamas-based fundieMark Holowesko.
Wynne’s fellow Liberal,Manly MP and former NSW environment ministerJames Griffinwas also in attendance,at the Tiffany&Co-sponsored event,which brought in hundreds of thousands in donations for marine charities.
ZOO’S COMPANY
While nobody should feel too sorry for the partners remaining at PwC,the embattled consulting giant’s acting bossKristin Stubbins really can’t catch a break right now.
Stubbins,who’s in the top job after former chief executiveTom Seymour took the fall over the neverending tax leak saga,is also on the board of the Taronga Conservation Society,which runs the famous zoos. And on Friday,the zoo announced it had managed to underpay casual workers to the tune of a whopping $2.6 million – all thanks to a “payroll systems” error.
That big error was identified by an audit undertaken by one of PwC’s main rivals KPMG,who are no doubt relishing this whole tax scandal debacle.
The use of KPMG,brought in to examine the books after workers at Western Plains Zoo held a snap strike last year might have been awkward at the time for Stubbins,given she chairs Taronga’s performance,audit risk and safety committee.
But in retrospect,had the Zoo retained PwC,the whole underpayment might have gotten a whole lot more attention,given even the most tangential mention of the firm invites a plethora of rage-clicks.
Stubbins was appointed to the board in 2021 by NSW treasurerMatt Kean,himself a PwC alumnus who regarded the acting boss as a mentor during his pre-parliamentary days.
A recent report inThe Australiansuggested she was getting $125,000 per year for the privilege – which prompted a hasty statement from the Society clarifying that Stubbins’ work was done in a voluntary capacity.
GUEST WHO
We brought word on Thursday of the 18-strong entourage Prime MinisterAnthony Albanese brought to King Charles’ coronation and their lavish digs at London’s $740-a-night Great Scotland Yard Hotel.
But it turns out that Albanese and partnerJodie Haydon were not among the Australian contingent bunking in the swanky digs.
Instead,the first couple crashed over the other side of the palace at High Commissioner and former Labor cabinet colleagueStephen Smith’s official residence Stokes House in the swish diplomatic quarter of Kensington,just around the corner from the Royal Albert Hall.
The residence is valued at about $45 million,owned by the people of Australia and by all accounts very nice inside.
Another Australian tradition – lobbing up in London and crashing at your mate’s house – observed.
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