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The Albanese government’s languid gambling advertising reforms don’t have many fans. But it would appear that not even the perception of gambling industry bootlicking has been enough for Labor MPs to resist Sportsbet’s hospitality.
Step up Dan Repacholi, Labor’s member for Hunter, who has been doing the gambling industry kowtowing. As first reported by CBD this month, Repacholi and his wife, Alex Repacholi, attended the Midwinter Ball in Canberra as guests of Sportsbet.
At the time, we were so stunned by the move that part of us wondered if our sources were wrong. But on Friday, Repacholi confirmed his witlessness to the Parliamentary Register of Interests, where he disclosed two Midwinter Ball tickets courtesy of Sportsbet.
We tried asking Repacholi’s office why he accepted Sportsbet’s hospitality, or whether the government’s proposed gambling ad reforms were discussed over dinner, but it was crickets. No word either on whether Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was alerted to the Sportsbet seance ahead of time. The PM’s office didn’t get back to us by deadline.
Sportsbet’s hospitality has long proved irresistible to members of the Albanese government. Just ask Attorney-General Michelle Rowland, who, as communications minister, faced calls to resign her portfolio after it emerged she’d accepted $19,000 in donations from the company on the eve of the 2022 election. But at the ball, Rowland was a guest of the lobby group Free TV, the attorney-general disclosed last week.
The trickle of Midwinter Ball disclosures that have come in the weeks since Canberra’s night of nights otherwise didn’t contain many surprises. Teal MP Allegra Spender went along courtesy of the big four consulting firm EY, and in her disclosure noted she’d made a $200 donation to the ball’s supported charities, “equivalent to the cost of an MP ticket”.
Former Nationals leader Michael McCormack and Environment Minister Murray Watt both went along as guests of Sky News, while Labor MP Susan Templeman was a guest of Foxtel; Health Minister Mark Butler went as a guest of The Australian newspaper; Finance Minister Katy Gallagher went with The Canberra Times; and Liberal Senator James Paterson was a guest of News Corp.
Deputy Opposition Leader Jane Hume and Labor’s Josh Burns, meanwhile, sat with our Herald and Age colleagues, along with Andrew Hastie, Zali Steggall and her husband, and the Japanese ambassador, Kazuhiro Suzuki.
Spotted: Kim Williams’ metro ride
There’s something endearing about seeing public servants on public transport. Last week, it was Attorney-General Michelle Rowland who was catching the light rail through Sydney’s CBD, where we were told she was dashing between some pre-conference events.
This week it’s ABC chairman Kim Williams, who was spotted descending the escalator to the metro at Central Station on Monday, just after midday. No word on where he was headed or what he was up to, other than that Williams was seen with a bundle of documents in hand. He declined to comment.
One of the ABC chairman’s more recent cameos in this column was, of course, also travel-related. That was back in February, when CBD revealed he and ABC managing director Hugh Marks had notched some $56,000 in travel expenses in the six months to December 31 last year. Of that, $26,168 was clocked by Williams.
At least now we can assume the travel was booked prudently.
Mark Taylor’s next act
Last week, the relatively anonymous NSW Liberal backbencher Mark Taylor announced he would not recontest his seat at next year’s state election.
And it looks like he has wasted no time thinking about life after politics. The member for Winston Hills has been quietly building a website for his new legal practice offering “criminal defence and strategic legal solutions”. On his website, you’ll find no mention of the fact that Taylor is a sitting member of parliament, or of the fact he’s been wandering the halls of Macquarie Street since 2015.
In a statement announcing his departure, Taylor said he remains “fully committed to serving the people of Winston Hills” for the remainder of his term. But looking at his new website, it’s hard to figure how he’ll find the time, given his business hours are listed as “24/7”. If only his constituents got to enjoy that level of attention!
Naturally curious, we tried asking Taylor’s office whether he has already started offering his legal services and whether he’s taken on any clients, but we didn’t hear back.
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John Buckley is a CBD columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.
Fiona Byrne is the CBD columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.From our partners
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