Former NSW Liberal MP facing child sex charges pours beers at Leichhardt Oval
Beckett attended the Pope's funeral along with Mostyn, who represented Australia at an event thrumming with world leaders and swiftly overshadowed, in geopolitical terms, by a brief meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, their first since their heated exchange in the White House this year.
Party poopers
Three years ago, former Liberal state executive member Matt Camenzuli was working hard toward the party's re-election effort by taking then-prime minister Scott Morrison to the High Court over preselection delays.
Camenzuli lost, was subsequently expelled from the party, and is now running as an independent in the south-west Sydney seat of McMahon where, if you believe some dodgy push-polling, he has a shot at taking down Energy Minister Chris Bowen in the deep red electorate.
Despite his exile, Camenzuli has maintained a degree of (steadily waning) influence over the Liberal Party's grumpy hard-right flank, with his ally Ben Britton preselected in the seat of Whitlam before being dumped once his icky views on women in the military resurfaced.
On the weekend, our spies spotted former NSW upper house MP Lou Amato campaigning in a Camenzuli T-shirt. Amato is still a Liberal member, for now, and the party has its own candidate, former Labor councillor Carmen Lazar contesting the seat.
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Emphasis is on the 'for now'. Amato told us he strongly supports Camenzuli.
'He has always stood up for what he believes in – democracy and Australian values. There is a reason why people are disillusioned and sick of politicians,' the former politician said.
'We need strong advocates in parliament who will stand up in the best interests of our nation and its people'.
Amato isn't the only Liberal defector backing Camenzuli. Last week, CBD reported that NSW Liberal Vice-President Geoff Pearson had torn up his party membership and started campaigning for Britton. Now we can reveal he's also out campaigning for Camenzuli.
Infinite jest
Following the Anzac Day Welcome to Country neo-Nazi booing controversy, there was consensus the issue was not the place for glib remarks.
But Zoe McKenzie, the federal Liberal MP for Flinders, has gone her own way.
As detailed in CBD, McKenzie, the first-term MP for Flinders in the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne, attended the private invite-only sunset garden talk hosted by Josephine and James Baillieu, of the prominent Melbourne family, in their clifftop garden on Saturday night.
An unofficial breakaway event from the Sorrento Writers Festival run, speakers at the gabfest included former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Qantas tormentor Joe Aston, fresh from their official sessions.
In a marked difference to many writers' festivals, there was no Welcome to Country.
Instead, soprano Rebecca Gulinello sang Advance Australia Fair as attendees munched on chicken and cucumber sandwiches and scones with cream and jam.
McKenzie gave an impromptu vote of thanks to all speakers and praised Gulinello's singing of the national anthem.
'Rebecca, thank you for the best Welcome to Country that I am sure has been delivered,' McKenzie said, to laughter. But while the aside landed successfully on the night, such gags won't travel well beyond Portsea.
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McKenzie, a former industrial lawyer and Australia Council for the Arts board member, is facing a stiff challenge from local teal independent Ben Smith, who is swamping the area with volunteers and corflutes.
One McKenzie supporter at the garden event told CBD: 'I think Zoe has a fight on her hands.'
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