One of the key talking points in the wash-up of the South Australian state election at the weekend was the merciless flogging of the Liberal Party and the rise of One Nation. Then there was the chit-chat over Alexander Downer’s hair.
The former foreign affairs minister set tongues wagging on Saturday evening after he appeared on TV as part of Sky News’ election coverage, sporting a new hair colour, markedly darker than his natural locks. Just one week earlier, Downer was among the guests who attended former prime minister John Howard’s 30th election anniversary function, where his hair was white.
So we were curious to learn whether Downer sought the help of a professional, or if he handled it himself. Downer generously told us it was neither. “It was all my wife’s work who thought I looked too old and a bit of colour would spruce me up,” Downer told CBD. “I’m not sure I like it though, but I can’t get it out of my hair!”
But not everyone could be so lucky. Another familiar face who has been seen sporting a new look in recent weeks is none other than One Nation-turned-independent firebrand Mark Latham. The one-time federal Labor leader was spotted rocking the Trump tint at NSW budget estimates late last month, while audibly gnawing at his sandwich.
Unlike Downer, though, Latham’s new look was a little patchy around his ears, recalling in our mind Rudy Giuliani’s Republican National Committee press conference in 2021, where what appeared to be hair dye infamously dripped down his face as he fronted reporters. Latham did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
Lachlan Murdoch’s son makes directorial debut
The Murdoch family succession drama that captivated an intercontinental audience last year has barely receded into the rearview mirror. So it was difficult not to view the premiere of a fourth-generation Murdoch’s film foray in Sydney on Monday evening in the context of his place in the family media empire.
The film foray in question belonged to Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch’s first-born son, Kalan Murdoch, who directed the racing film JMAC, a tribute to decorated jockey James McDonald, which showed to a room of select guests at the IMAX in Darling Harbour, including his parents.
The 21-year-old Kalan Murdoch, of course, could still do whatever he wants. But we were intrigued to see his first public career outing come in the world of arts and entertainment, rather than in the ink-stained newsrooms synonymous with his family name.
It wasn’t that long ago that Kalan’s brother, Aidan Murdoch, was spotted on the tools at News Corp Australia’s Holt Street headquarters, for an internship in 2024 at the company’s tabloid-style news website, news.com.au, according to the Australian Financial Review. Kalan, by contrast, appears more taken with the world of Hollywood his father previously dabbled in.
And, as you would expect, the young Murdoch had no trouble drawing a crowd of his parents’ friends and some of the most influential names in business and sport. Among them, CBD hears, was Racing NSW chief and Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys, along with NRL boss Andrew Abdo.
The media contingent was represented by News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller, who even posed for a photo on the red carpet. Foxtel chief Patrick Delaney was also there, CBD hears, as was TV personality Richard Wilkins.
Who knows, maybe the next premiere will take place on the Fox lot.
Anthropic calls in the troops
Well that hasn’t taken long. Anthropic, one of the world’s three largest artificial intelligence labs, has wasted no time calling in lobbying reinforcements as the government advances work on its national AI plan.
Anthropic makes the AI model Claude, which along with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini are thought of as the three leading models in the market. The Claude maker has added SEC Newgate, which is run by the firm’s Australian chairman Brian Tyson, and Carolyn Hough’s Policy Australia to its books, according to disclosures made to the Attorney-General’s Lobbyist Register. Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment. Tyson and Hough declined to comment.
The firms become the second and third lobbying shops brought in by Anthropic after it hired Labor-aligned Anacta to work the government on its behalf this month.
The government’s national AI plan is expected to include expectations around energy and water sustainability, as the world’s largest tech companies look to Australia to rapidly expand their global data centre build-out. We can only guess Anthropic has its hired guns giving Labor the full court press on making the policy as sympathetic to their efforts as possible.
John Buckley is a CBD columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.