Jamal Mohammad brings the fashion to his court dispute with Mick Gatto

NEW TEAM

CBD brought word on Thursday that the Australian Republic Movement had elected a few new national conveners at a snap election caused by the departures of its former co-chairs Craig Foster and Nova Peris.

That high-profile duo, picked to replace the ARM’s forever figurehead, Peter FitzSimons, in 2022, quit following a falling-out over Israel’s war in Gaza. Without a former Socceroo turned telegenic human rights advocate, and an ex-Labor senator who was Australia’s first Indigenous Olympic gold medallist, the ARM is in serious need of star power.

Or at the very least, someone to go on Sky News and debate Eric Abetz, the desiccated former Liberal senator now running the Monarchist League. With the recently concluded elections throwing up few people with much name recognition, CBD heard ABC presenter Adam Spencer was being courted as co-chair, ahead of Tuesday’s critical board meeting.

But on Monday, Spencer told us he wouldn’t be nominating for the top job. Aside from new youth convenor Yasmin Poole, there’s nobody on the new board with much of a profile, and CBD hears the next chairs are likely to be ARM stalwarts without much name recognition. That next referendum looks ever more distant.

GUESS WHO ISN’T COMING TO DINNER

The political tom-tom drums were beating loudly over the weekend that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had walked into a political nightmare – being forced into having Clive Palmer over for dinner.

It all began when Albo and fiancee Jodie Haydon generously offered themselves up as a prize for a traditional online silent auction held in the lead-up to the federal parliamentary press gallery Midwinter Ball.

“A rare opportunity to share a meal with the nation’s ‘first couple’ – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon – at The Lodge or Kirribilli House. Generous hospitality is guaranteed for up to four guests,” the rather breathless blurb for the auction stated.

Tactical bidding on the afternoon of the ball last Wednesday required Antony Green levels of psephological interpretation.

Bidding leapt late on Wednesday afternoon before the cut-off. The winning bid was from “Anonymous” for $25,432, which easily trumped the previous bid of $21,899.

Several sources told CBD that the late bidder was none other than the freedom-loving mining billionaire, backer of the United Australia Party and former federal MP for the Queensland seat of Fairfax.

“Not confirming, but Clive loves supporting charities,” Palmer’s representative initially told CBD.

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Not confirming – but not exactly denying. Event organiser Paul Donohoe from BDW Special Events would not shed any light on the matter, citing privacy agreements. Nor was the prime minister’s office keen to comment.

When CBD finally reached Palmer, who was boarding a flight, he confirmed that he attempted to secure a placemat at The Lodge only to be outbid at the last minute. We then lost reception.

Overall, late bidding pushed the charity donations from just over $50,000 to more than $63,000.

The late spree left bids for dinner with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (plus two of his colleagues, in one of Canberra’s finest restaurants) in the dust at $12,000, while the Qantas tickets to London or Los Angeles went for $16,200 and two tickets to the 2024 AFL grand final were a steal at $3725.

The Midwinter Ball, an annual event held in the Great Hall of Parliament House, raised $360,000 for charity in total.

PUBLIC SPEAKER

Senator Fatima Payman’s defection from Labor over the government’s platitudinous stance on the war in Gaza will probably keep costing the party for some time.

There’s the prospect of pro-Palestinian candidates targeting senior ministers such as Tony Burke and Jason Clare in their western Sydney seats with a sizeable Muslim vote, and plenty of disgruntlement from the more progressive end of the party’s rank and file.

Certainly, Payman is lining up her speaking engagements. She has teamed up with another of the ALP’s more rebellious members, NSW upper house MP Anthony D’Adam.

He will join Payman at an event on “Palestine and the labour movement” organised by an activist group called Stop the War on Palestine, along with union delegate Emma Dall.

We can’t imagine many of Payman’s federal parliamentary colleagues being so sympathetic.

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