‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop with the smart words!’
Former prime minister Scott Morrison is currently on a press tour for his post-tenure memoir, Plans For Your Good: A Prime Minister’s Testimony of God’s Faithfulness. Fitting then, that Morrison took to the pious microphones of The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Tuesday to spruik his new read.
He also gave the program a free plug, reminding potential listeners that the duo were now blessing the Melbourne airwaves with their presence (to much fanfare and many, many millions of dollars.)
Crikey reluctantly tuned in and was greeted with an interview that might explain the general demeanour of Sydney, where Sandilands and Henderson reign supreme on the breakfast airwaves.
The mental health revelations were addressed first, with Sandilands asking whether Morrison was ever prescribed marijuana for his depression diagnosis, and being thoroughly disappointed Morrison wouldn’t “share a joint” with him.
The AUKUS deal was covered off on — “Oh yeah, the submarine stuff right?” — as was the prime minister’s well-documented faith. Jackie O described Sandilands as an “agnostic”, to which he responded, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop with the smart words!”
Bipartisanship after life in the Lodge also came up, with former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd launching Morrison’s book in the US alongside former CIA director Mike Pompeo.
“Hang on, isn’t he a Labor dude?” Sandilands asked. Good to see the king of Sydney breakfast radio is acquainted with the party that his company was contracted to consult for ahead of the 2023 NSW state election.
On international relations, Morrison was asked his view on overnight news that Chinese fighter jets had dropped flares close to Australian aircraft over international waters — “Why are they being aggressive-y?”
Somehow this saw a segue into Morrison being asked about the existence of UFOs and “Area 56” with Sandilands insisting the ex-PM “forget[s] all [his] NDAs and stuff” on the matter.
There’s a baby at the Dore
The Australian media industry has long been known as a small and tight-knit one; indeed, this humble publication has a long history of covering the various romantic connections between members of the fourth estate. We now have another to add to the list: newly promoted interim head of Seven West Media’s newspaper division Chris Dore and The Australian’s associate editor Jenna Clarke are expecting a baby. Congratulations!
The pair worked together at the national broadsheet in 2022 while Dore was editor in chief. Dore left the company in November that year after reportedly making lewd remarks towards a woman at The Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference in Laguna Beach the previous month.
Clarke’s baby shower over the weekend was hosted by high-profile defamation lawyer Rebekah Giles and Sky News host Sharri Markson, and included a litany of names from across politics, media and business. Giles’ partner, property developer Tim Price, was also present, as was high-profile PR consultant Sally Branson, Weekend Australian Magazine editor Elizabeth Colman, HerCanberra associate editor Emma Macdonald and media stylist Nadia Benussi. And spotted behind the cupcakes in the many photos posted to social media appears to be former House of Representatives speaker, Sky News stalwart and helicopter aficionado Bronwyn Bishop.
Clarke and Dore were contacted for comment but did not respond in time for publication.
Subtweeting taken to a new level
This is one creative way of sending feedback to your employer. The humble Illawarra Mercury, one of independent publisher ACM’s flagship mastheads, came under fire this week from regular critic (and rival Illawarra Star reporter) Dylan Arvela, after the Mercury ran a story published on Friday as the splash on its Tuesday front page.
“The print product seems to be an afterthought, a second-rate experience,” Arvela wrote on X.
“Sad.”
While blaming the social media guy is in vogue these days, it seems whoever runs the Mercury’s Twitter agrees, liking Arvela’s post.
The flight logs you really want to see
A tipster put us onto a notable set of flight logs unearthed under a Freedom of Information request last year. A request made to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority resulted in the disclosure of documents that showed flights booked for Victorian UAP Senator Ralph Babet through 2023, including a curious weekend away in Adelaide.
The logs show Babet took Virgin Australia flight VA227 from Melbourne to Adelaide on Friday July 7 last year, returning on the Monday following on VA212, at a total listed cost of $819.07.
Babet was also photographed at the Love Adelaide Winter Ball that weekend, held on the Saturday night at the Playford Hotel. Tables at the black-tie pro-life event cost $1,300 a pop, and included a “sumptuous” three-course meal according to organisers.
Parliamentarian expenditure after March 2023 via the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority’s reports is not publicly available currently, so Crikey put questions to the senator as to whether he attended the Winter Ball at taxpayer expense, and whether it was the sole purpose of his trip to Adelaide. He did not respond in time for publication.
