The secrets of ordinary women who 'married up' and now live the high society dream - and the loopy methods wannabes can use to attract rich husbands
There's nothing better than marrying for love... apart from marrying somebody for love who also happens to be quite wealthy.
For many young women on Sydney's social circuit, marrying well is the unspoken endgame - even if they'd never say so out loud.
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The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
In Bradfield, the election is not yet over. What happens when a seat count is ultra close?
Election day was over four weeks ago. Yet the outcome in one House of Representatives seat remains unclear. That is the formerly Liberal Sydney electorate of Bradfield. In real time, you can watch the lead tilt between Liberal hopeful, Gisele Kapterian and her teal independent rival, Nicolette Boele. The difference between them has been as small as one vote. As of Monday, that had shifted to 15 votes in the teal's favour. Still too close even for Antony Green to call. What are the processes for resolving ultra-marginal results? And, more broadly, what accountability is there for problems in campaigning or the running of the election, such as the allegation that voters in one New South Wales town were misled about how to vote? First, to the Bradfield saga. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has until 9 July to declare the result. It then certifies a list of successful candidates, which it 'returns', attached to the original writ the governor general used to formally begin the election. Within 40 days of the writ being returned, any candidate or elector from the seat can 'petition' its result. That's not a petition calling for parliament to handle the matter. It means a formal pleading to the court of disputed returns. For national elections, that means the high court. Remarkably few seats are challenged in Australia. On the happy side, this is because our election agencies are very professional. It's also a matter of legal principle, arithmetic and resources. To succeed in a challenge, you must show the outcome was likely to have been affected, by errors or breaches of the Electoral Act. With more than 100,000 voting in House of Representatives electorates, even a 0.5% margin means convincing a judge that a 500-vote lead was uncertain. The last successful petition nationally was 12 years ago. The AEC admitted some lost ballots meant that the last couple of Western Australian Senate seats could have been different. The whole race had to be re-run. In Bradfield, there's no suggestion of impropriety. So it's not like the last unsuccessful petition, from 2019, where the Liberals survived claims that misleading how-to-vote posters, directed at Chinese language speakers, might have affected the result. Instead, the Bradfield loser would focus on disputed ballots. That would mean, for example, votes where their scrutineers noted some uncertainty. Such as whether a '1' was a '7'. A judge can then give a binding ruling on the intent of the ballot. The loser might also try to find evidence of people being wrongly denied a ballot or wrongly issued one. The 40-day period to marshal evidence is strict. Besides time limits, a challenger needs lawyers and risks paying the other side's (and perhaps the AEC's) legal costs if they lose the hearing. Australian election counts are very thorough. This is in contrast to the United Kingdom, where local officials literally rush to be the first to declare, in the wee hours of Friday morning after voting closes at 10pm on a Thursday. The figures we see on election night are 'indicative' only, drawing on counts in thousands of polling places. Every ballot is transferred to a more central location, for official tallying. Ballots for weaker candidates are reviewed multiple times, as they pass on according to each elector's preferences. When a seat is ultra-close, the law permits a complete recount. AEC policy is to conduct one whenever the result is within 100 votes: in Bradfield, the initial result was a mere eight votes. A losing candidate can also request a recount. Teal independent Zoe Daniel did that in her Melbourne seat of Goldstein, where Liberal Tim Wilson finished 260 votes ahead. Recounts are resource intensive. So the AEC agreed to review all '1' votes for those candidates, and ballots put in the 'informal' or invalid pile. Wilson finally won by 175 votes. A challenge to a margin of that size seems very unlikely. What of votes that couldn't be counted? We call these 'informal'. Given turning-out to vote is compulsory – and the requirement to give preferences – Australia has long had a lot of informal ballots. Upwards of half tend to be accidental, caused by people misnumbering the ballot or not understanding the rules. The highest rates are in seats with many new citizens from overseas, especially as long ballots of many of candidates is becoming common. Maybe more than half, however, are deliberate, intended as protests against the system or parties. These include blanks and those scribbled with (sometimes obscene) comments. As faith in parties has declined, informals have risen. Also, due to 'automatic enrolment', more people are enrolled than ever, including some who'd rather not be. Informal ballots this year reached 5.6% of turnout. For perspective, that's up just 0.4%. Voters in the small town of Missabotti in the NSW seat of Cowper, however, were miffed to find their polling booth had a 45% informal rate. That's quite an outlier, even for a seat where electors had to rank a dizzying 11 candidates. There are allegations a polling official misled some electors, by telling them they only had to number '6' candidates for the House. That is the rule for the Senate, not the House. As preferences are not mandatory at NSW state elections, it's understandable voters may have heeded such advice rather than the actual rule on the ballot. Such an error would be embarrassing for the AEC. But it could hardly be grounds for an election challenge: the Nationals held Cowper by almost 5,500 votes. Does that mean there's no accountability? Anyone affected does not get to vote again. But the AEC is investigating. And after every election, it is grilled by a parliamentary inquiry that the public can contribute to. In the end, every vote should be sacred. In reality, elections are huge logistical events and nothing is perfect. But there are courts and inquiries to offer remedies and improve things for the future. Graeme Orr is a professor of law at the University of Queensland. This article was first published in the Conversation.
Daily Mail
39 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Dramatic twist emerges after Aussie was deported from the US under Trump's tough immigration policy - as Homeland Security 'fact checks' real reason she was stopped at the airport
Homeland Security has defended its actions for deporting an an Aussie woman after she was detained, stripped and held overnight in a federal prison while trying to visit her American husband. Former NSW police officer Nikki Saroukos, 25, was detained by US border officials upon entering the country via Honolulu, Hawaii on May 17. The 25-year-old thought it would be a routine visit to see her husband who has been stationed as a US Army lieutenant on the Pacific island and US state since August, 2023. Mrs Saroukos had successfully visited the Hawaii three times in recent months an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) under the Visa Waiver Program. At no point was she given a reason for her detention, beyond the fact that border officials did not believe her story that she was visiting her husband. Mrs Saroukos said she was 'treated like a criminal' as she was denied her rights, subject to invasive searches, humiliating treatment and a night in a federal detention facility before being deported back to Australia. However, The US Department of Homeland Security has fired back at Mrs Sourokos' claims in a post shared to X on Saturday. The department described the post as a 'fact check' and defended its officers who determined Mrs Saroukos was 'travelling for more than just tourism'. 'Nicolle Saroukos's recent long-term trips to the United States and suspicious luggage resulted in her being reasonably selected for secondary screening by CBP,' it read. Officials did not believe her story that she was visiting her husband after claiming she had packed more clothing than was necessary for a three-week stay. 'Officers determined that she was traveling for more than just tourism. She was unable to remember her wedding date just four months prior,' the post read. Saroukos met her now-husband during a trip on December 13, 2024, the same day her ex-partner left her. The two spent only eight days together before she returned to Australia on December 21. 'Saroukos then got married on January 24, 2025, after only knowing her husband for just over a month.' The department also accused her of having 'unusual activity on her phone' and making false claims about her husband's military service. 'During screening, CBP (Customs and Border Protection) noted there was unusual activity on her phone, including 1000 deleted text messages from her husband because she claimed they caused her "anxiety",' the post read. 'Saroukos even claimed that her husband was going to leave the US military, despite him telling CBP he was adding her to his military documents. 'If you attempt to enter the United States under false pretenses, there are consequences.'
Daily Mail
39 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Celebrity chef Neil Perry announces shock closure of his popular bar: 'Absolutely devastated'
Celebrity chef Neil Perry has called last drinks at his luxe Double Bay cocktail bar Bobbie's, just under 12 months after opening it. The stylish basement bar in Sydney 's eastern suburbs, is tucked beneath his popular Cantonese restaurant Song Bird inside Gaden House. The nine-month-old establishment was a passion project Perry launched in partnership with New York-based hospitality heavyweight Linden Pride, co-owner of Dante and Caffe Dante - two of Manhattan's most acclaimed bars. The team from the swanky jazz bar broke the news of the sudden closure on May 29 - leaving customers devastated. 'Last drinks at Bobbie's. Tonight we raise a glass one final time - to the memories, the music, the cocktails, the team and the incredible guests who made Bobbie's so special,' a Bobbie's spokesperson said on social media. 'A heartfelt thank you to everyone who sipped, danced, and shared all the good times. Your support meant the world. 'And today we remember and honour the man who inspired it all - the legendary Bob Rogers. Bobbie's was named for you, and you will always be in our hearts. With love and gratitude, The Bobbie's Team.' Perry revealed the decision was made jointly as his business partner shifts focus to his booming business overseas. 'Linden's US-based hospitality group, Dante, is expanding rapidly, with multiple new venues planned across America in the next 18 months,' the top chef said in a statement, according to Hospitality Magazine. 'Our landlords are in discussions with prospective operators interested in taking over the space.' The restaurateur opened both Bobbie's and Song Bird in August 2024, with Bobbie's cocktail bar occupying the basement, and Song Bird just above on street level. With an ambitious vision of delivering world-class cocktails to Sydney's eastern suburbs, Bobbie's dream was short-lived, with operations winding up quietly amid behind-the-scenes reshuffling at Gaden House. Locals were quick to comment last week at their dismay of the popular bar closing, with many referring to it as an 'institution'. 'So sad to see you go. An institution. Thanks for the great memories. Thinking of all the beautiful thoughtful staff who worked there,' one wrote. 'So sad - fantastic cocktails and such amazing bartenders and service. You will all be missed,' another added. 'This is heartbreaking - we love you Bobbie's,' one shared. 'My favourite bar - such great shame,' another revealed. 'Absolutely devastated - Sydney needed this,' one said. While the bar's closure has sparked speculation around the future of Song Bird upstairs, Perry was quick to quash rumours that his multi-level Cantonese restaurant is also shutting up shop. 'Song Bird is absolutely not closing,' he told Hospitality Magazine, clarifying that recent reports in the Australian Financial Review referred to a strategic review of the restaurant's footprint - not its demise. Instead, Perry revealed he's scaling back from four floors to three, with the top level - originally set to house an event space and a la carte dining - now being handed over to become private offices. 'Managing three levels as part of the restaurant proved more complex than we anticipated. Streamlining our footprint will greatly enhance our operations,' he explained. With the changes, Song Bird will now seat 140 diners, including outdoor tables, and introduce a new menu inspired by Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese flavours. Perry described the revised layout as 'the ideal size to manage and a key part of the Margaret Family Precinct moving forward.' The closure of Bobbie's marks a rare misstep for Perry, whose dining empire includes restaurant's Rockpool, Spice Temple, Margaret, and Next Door located in Sydney, as well as Rockpool and Rosetta in Melbourne. 'Running Bobbie's has been a fantastic experience. While we're disappointed to see it go, this move allows Linden to focus on Dante's growth and gives me the opportunity to concentrate fully on Song Bird, Margaret, Next Door, and our bakery,' Perry said.
