Prime Minister Update

 We like to keep tabs on the Prime Ministers of the world. They're very busy. In the above snap former Oz PM Kevin Rudd interviewed- as he called him..the Comeback Kid of Malaysian politics, 93 year old PM Mahathir Mohamad.

In New York where New Zealand PM Jacinta Arden is wowing the United Nations, former Australian PM Julia Gillard interviewed her for the New York Times.

Ms Gillard gets about- she was in Berlin yesterday meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

 And last but not least, our newly minted Oz PM Scott Morrison partied this week with celebrity hairdresser Joh Bailey at the beautiful Southern Highlands' property of David & Skye Leckie.
And Malcolm Turnbull?. We'll let you know shortly as we are sure to encounter him next week somewhere around the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney.

Hollywood comes to The Rescue

Lord of The Rings star Hugo Weaving joined Whispers on the floor of the Teacher's Federation Theatre  in Surry Hills at a rally by the Friends of the ABC to protest funding cuts to the national broadcaster. Under the current conservative government over $300M this year alone has been slashed from the ABC budget by PM Malcolm Turnbull leading to the loss of 800 jobs (despite promising no cuts previously).

It was standing (or seated on the floor) room only as Weaving spread his legs out to enthusiastically applaud the various speakers. They included top selling author  Tom Keneally of Schindler's List fame, Magda Szubanski, star of the ABC'S Kath & Kim and "red" Kerry O'Brien , the retired broadcaster who fronted the 7.30 Report and 4 Corners for many years.

Kerry O'Brien, Magda Szubanski and Tom Keneally at the Save the ABC Rally

Often criticized as being too "left wing" O'Brien read out many of the 100s of letters he would receive after hosting ABC political broadcasts during election days. Most attacked him as being too favourable to the Liberal Party and too tough on the Labor Party.
Szubanski compared the recent same sex marriage survey that found a 62% positive result for LGBT marriage rights with the Aussie public and quoted credible surveys that say 68% of Australians love their ABC.
One speaker pointed out that after slashing ABC TV & radio broadcasts to our South Pacific neighbours which received audiences the UK's BBC would envy,  China has quickly filled the void snapping up 300 of the Australian broadcast wavelengths and now dominate our nearest neighbours.
The rally, which was followed by one in Melbourne and will be repeated around the country are in response to a recent Liberal Party conference where delegates voted to privatize the ABC.

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Out and about canvassing today in the Longman bi-election with the Labor Party candidate Susan Lamb was Hollywood star Danny Glover.
Glover is making quite a splash around Australia and appears to have become an activist for several local matters including Indigenous affairs.

Launching a frog

  Pictured left: artist John Olsen, his frog sculpture and Lucy & Malcolm Turnbull.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and "First Lady" Lucy Turnbull did the honours as artist John Olsen's "frog" sculpture was launched outside the uber harbour-side restaurant Catalina in Rose Bay this morning.
And what a gorgeous sunny Winter day for the event.
Hosts Michael & Judy McMahon, owners of Catalina laid on a superb lunch, as is their wont, and it's difficult to image how better to spend a lazy Sunday in Sydney. Catalina has an afinity with the water. It's superb balcony that extends over the harbour is often visited by two pelicans. Nearby are Sydney's famous seaplanes that deliver the well-heeled to their Palm Beach weekenders.

Locals join the PM: L-R Suzanne Dougall * Glen Marie Frost * Malcolm & Lucy* Victoria Morish

Left to Right : artist John Olsen * PM Malcolm Turnbull * Lucy Turnbull * the Frog* Catalina owners Michale & Judy McMahon

Malcolm's beach party

Whispers has been privileged to attend a shindig at Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull's exclusive Point Piper mansion (pictured above) . It was charity fundraising event and well before Malcolm was Prime  Minister, merely the local MP.

It's a splendorous house with magnificent harbor views and it's own tiny beach at the base of the garden. Now a small group of protestors have taken up residence on that beach to agitate about the controversial proposed Adani coal mine in Queensland which it's claimed will do untold damage to the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef.
The freezing weather has driven off the protestors for the moment but I'm reliably informed that they have more plans to enliven life in genteel Point Piper- the most exclusive and expensive suburb in Australia. Meanwhile Mal & Lucy are residing at The Lodge (above right) in Canberra. It's freezing there as well. Not in the Lodge itself but Canberra. Winter in Canberra is something else. Life is just tough sometimes.

exclusive: Cher hits town

The annual Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras is in full swing for it's 40th anniversary. Here is our exclusive 'selfie' sent poste haste to Whispers from the PM himself, Malcolm Turnbull. Pictured is Malcolm, Cher, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Lucy Turnbull. What fun !

a message from the PM

Cartoonist Bill Leak farewelled

The late News Ltd cartoonist Bill Leak (left) who died suddenly at the age of 61 was farewelled in a memorial service today at Sydney's Town Hall. 

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and wife Lucy were there along with former PM John Howard. Media personalities who attended included broadcasters Richard Fidler and Wendy Harmer, dozens of Leak's former News' colleagues and comedian Barry Humphries who was a long time pal of Leaks.

Humphries drew a round of applause when he claimed the only memorial service he'd like to attend was one for the Human Right's Commission which had been locked in a battle over some of Leak's more controversial cartoons. President of the Commission Gillian Triggs (pictured above) has held her ground while under a sustained attack by the right side of politics.

Whispers found Leak's cartoons a tad on the old fashioned side but we enjoyed his many Archibald portraits which we have included below. Leak never won the main prize but he did win the Packer's Prize once.
All part of life's rich tapestry in Sydney's never dull social life.

arriving at the memorial: Barry Humphries & Lizzie Spender * Malcolm & Lucy Turnbull

Bill Leak Archibald portraits : Sir Les Patterson * Paul LePetit *  Bob Hawke * Graham Richardson * Dame Edna Everage

Popular Posts

The statistics don't lie as internet surfers flock to Careless Whispers in their thousands. Is it because of our superb and unique take on society? Or are they simply bored. We'll never know but who cares as long as they keep visiting this distant corner of the internet.

Left is a screenshot of Blogger's 'stats' for this website and interestingly topics with a 'conservative' bent were all almost equally popular. Of the 'views ' of out little tale on Republican candidate Donald Trump, nearly three quarters came from the USA. Have we influenced the American election?.

Friends in High Places

Michael and Judy McMahon are stalwarts of the Sydney restaurant scene and their harbourside eatery Catalina in Rose Bay is right at the top of the very best spots for a bite to eat in the Eastern Suburbs. It even has it's own tame pelicans to charm diners and next door is the base for the quaint flying boats that deliver passengers to ritzy Palm Beach.

Judy has just turned 60 so that's as good a reason as any to hold a shindig so she gathered some old pals at Catalina for lunch which included our esteemed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his lovely wife Lucy as our snap shows with birthday girl Judy. And the menu? : glazed Toothfish and braised octopus with couscous to start with followed by roast lamb with roasted baby beetroots washed down with Pommery Rosé Champagne. We reckon Malcolm needed a spot of relaxation. For Tuesday & The Census was just around the corner.

The Yartz Party

 The Federal Election is almost upon us and while arguably the most artistically inclined
prime minister Malcolm Turnbull will be fighting for his political life a new party has been launched and is hoping to pick up one million votes.
The Arts Party "exists to encourage a more creative, cultural, educated and prosperous life for every Australian.". The first candidate will be Lou Pollard who will be standing for the North Sydney seat.
And the party is now crowd-funding to raise money for the coming election. You can read more or join the party at their official website here.
And there are some real heavy weight show biz names already spruiking for the campaign including Bryan Brown, Geraldine Turner and Lex Marinos. The only thing missing is a word from Australia's Cultural Attache to the Court of St James Sir Les Patterson.

Selfies at a Chinese New Year dinner

First Lady Lucy Turnbull with Joanna & Edmund Capon

When Sydney businessman Simon Chan announced that the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull would be the guest of honour at his Haymarket Chinese New Year Banquet, the event sold out that day. Simon has had this dinner many years (in association with various organisations) and usually he presents the guest of honour to the various tables to drink a toast. That's a traditional thing to do. So it was well behaved pandemonium when Simon took Malcolm around and 500 guests wanted to have a selfie taken with him. (you need to search Instagram for those selfies)

actor Jack Thompson & Malcolm Turnbull       William Yang & Shen Jiawei     Simon Chan & the PM

Lord Mayor Clover Moore points at something..and finds it's Chinese Dragon

One guest at Simon Chan's NY dinner was the prolific Sydney photographer William Yang (left) who has been documenting Sydney's nightlife for 40 years now. 
ABC TV just screened his documentary Friends Of Dorothy, a history of the Sydney Gay &Lesbian Mardi Gras.  Yang's current exhibition Stories of Love & Death is currently on show at Stills Gallery in Paddington as part of the Mardi Gras season.  Stills Gallery : 36 Gosbell St, Paddington NSW 2021 Phone:(02) 9331 7775

G'day USA

It's that time of the year when the Gum Leaf Mafia gather in Los Angeles for a series of Australian themed events, fashion shows and so on. Last night it was the gala dinner and of course, another opportunity for casino billionaire James Packer to show off his fiancee Mariah Carey, and of course that ring. Here are a couple of short films from the events. And aren't the LA paparazzi just delightful?



And an Only In Australia moment : 2 Weeks ago he was in Washington meeting with US president Barack Obama...just yesterday our newly minted Prime Minster Malcolm Turnbull was in Melbourne catching a tram. No police, flashing lights or bodyguards. And no-one noticed.

Away from the drama in Canberra, former PM Julia Gillard dines with pals in New York

Rupert Noffs* Julia Gillard* Matty Bennett

While Tony Abbott was being removed by his own MPs in Canberra and replaced by Malcolm Turnbull, former prime minister Julia Gillard dined with friends in New York as our exclusive snap shows. Pictured above with Julia are comedian Mark Trevorrow and Gideon Shoes' boss Rupert Noffs. The trio joined friends from the "gumleaf mafia" and Noffs partner Matty Bennett for dinner at Noff's & Bennett's apartment.
Noffs and Bennett are soon to open their own eatery, Lucky Bee in Soho's Broome Street (the street only had factories when Whispers lived there) specialising in South East Asian food and they have the New York Times buzzing with excitement. Ironically Malcolm Turnbull's first act as PM was to sign the two most populous states Victoria and NSW up to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) considered one of Gillard's most important pieces of legislation and one which she is justly proud of.

Taking Over

Judy & Michael McMahon                   Cristian & Jane King    

The popular Eastern Suburb's newspaper Latte Life continues in it's campaign to become the area's most read newspaper now distributing over 50,000 copies from Watsons Bay to Surry Hills, outstripping it's Fairfax rival. And it's only taken 3 short years.

Shari Lee Hitchcock & Dallen Nickols,Aaron Zerefos and pal

Under the stewardship of publisher Jane King, Latte Life began as a newsletter and quickly morphed into a newspaper which breaks stories- the latest issue with an exclusive tale on a security lapse during the recent visit of HRH Prince Harry and a shocking expose about foreign students being forced to clean offices for no pay. Plus a few ruffled feathers with Wentworth MP Malcolm Turnbull a bit miffed about a story from the last issue.
 All this success was a good reason to throw a birthday bash at the exclusive Hugo's Lounge in Kings Cross and naturally the Shuttle was only too happy to celebrate along with friends, staff and advertisers. Joining the throng, Watson Bay party gal Shari Lee Hitchcock, Theo Onosforou, Rose Bay restaurant owners Michael & Judy McMahon, Fiji Water honcho Aaron Zerefos and cartoonist Mike Lodge.
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Lord Mayor Clover Moore hosted and SBS presenter Lee Lin Chin officiated at a party to launch the City of Sydney's Asia On Your Doorstep, a celebration of the amazing and inviting variety of Asian restaurants on offer in the Emerald City.
In the recently decorated and very grand Lord Mayor’s Reception Room at Sydney Town Hall, Consuls and Ambassadors from a number of our Asian neighbours joined locals like Kerri Anne Kennerly , PR powerhouse Deidre O'Loghlin, Glen Marie Frost, NSW Tourism Minister George Souris MP and Masterchef winner Adam Liaw, along with top foodies Joanna Savill, Maeve O'Meara, some media types like Susie Elelman and Indira Naidoo and one of Sydney's nicest couples, Sir James & Lady Hardy.

Susie Elelman & Adam Liau           Clover Moore & George Souris MP      Sir James & Lady Hardy, Di Hamill

                                                                                 

 Lee Lin Chin must be the most elegantly dressed newsreader on Australian TV as you can see from our pic here with Indira Naidoo- and note  her superb Jimmy Choo pumps.


Go to the official Asia On Your Doorstep website to find participating venues and you could win a trip to Thailand. 

Man of The People

Actor Russell Crowe has thrown his celebrity weight behind Anthony Albanese MP as leader of the Labor Party.
Albanese sat with Crowe and his sons at the Friday South Sydney Vs Melbourne footie match at the ANZ Stadium and were often deep in conversation. Russell has previously tweeted his support for PM Julia Gillard when she was under a media attack.

Both Crowe and Albanese have been life long South Sydney supporters. But will Albanese have a challenge for the leadership on his hands with the MP for the South Sydney area, former health minister the very popular Tanya Plibersek ?. The Shuttle's political spy disguised as a polling booth says Labor are reluctant to take on another female leader at present after the "Gillard experiment" which they believe demonstrated that the media wasn't ready for a female leader.
Meanwhile on Facebook, twitter and much of the social media, Liberal Party supporters, having had their dream fulfilled are actively pondering upon whether Malcolm Turnbull can be drafted into the top job.

Gladiators For Gillard !

She may be taking flak left right and centre but Prime Minister Julia Gillard has a new hero in her corner : Russell Crowe. Crowe hasn't minced words and while he Tweeted today that he admired Malcolm Turnbull MP he said : Julia G is my choice though...Leader through tough times. And cricketing legend Allan Border said on ABC radio today that he admired Gillard as a strong leader. So there!


    

Distant Cousins # 5

Are they perchance related ?

Bert & Ernie who live in the fantasy land
           of Sesame Street

 Malcolm Turnbull &  Tony Abbot on Monday
    releasing their NBN Policy and explaining
that fast speed broadband is Not For The Likes Of You

Miss Daisy's Cousin

Saturday night saw the opening of Driving Miss Daisy at the Theatre Royal. The play stars Hollywood greats Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones. The pair are joined on stage by Broadway actor Boyd Gaines.

And at the opening night party as our exclusive pic shows it was a chance for Angela to meet her famous Australian cousin, Parliamentarian Malcolm Turnbull MP. Incidentally, Malcolm and wife Lucy's daughter is named Daisy.
 Malcolm's mother was  radio actor, writer and academic Carol Lansbury although he was brought up by his father when his parents separated.

No Dramas at Bill's Show

Ros Oxley & Bill Henson

David Wenhem & Kate Agnew

 The last time the Shuttle attended a Bill Henson show at Ros Oxley's Gallery in Paddington we encountered the State wallopers barring entry and piling the exhibits into a large paddy wagon. Oh for the publicity!.
It spread around the world and even had then PM Kevin Rudd proclaiming the photographs-some of teens - 'disgusting' (although he said hadn't actually seen them) while the Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull declared them to be art (and as he owned a Henson I guess he would).

SBS TV's Jenny Brockie

Thursday night's opening was a rather sedate affair but all the better for seeing Henson's latest works which really are quite beautiful. The new exhibition  marks the return of Henson’s fascination with the human form, after a 2010 show of landscape photography. In an interview for the Sydney Morning Herald, Henson told art critic John McDonald the exhibition : “will focus more on the body, and less on landscape”. There are 18 works in total and editions of 5 of each at a cool $30,000 a go which makes around $2,500,000 worth of art on the walls. Get out those Box Brownies now and start snapping away.

John Moriarty admires the art

Watch the video below of the 2008 police raid on the gallery.
Bill Henson : 20 Sep-13 Oct Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 8 Soudan Ln, Paddington 2021