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Look Who's coming to Are Media It feels like only yesterday we reported Are Media's brutal sacking of former Who magazine editor Melissa Matheson during a staff member's baby shower. Now, Inside Mail can reveal the death-spiralling publisher has found a replacement to oversee its fading glossy. Enter Lyndsey Rodrigues – a media veteran, albeit not in magazines – who'll be steering the ship under the watchful eye of Are Media CEO Jane Huxley. We wish her a long and fruitful tenure – though we're not getting too optimistic, given whispers the company has quietly considered shuttering Who several times in recent years. And that's before we even get to the fact that Mercury Capital – the private equity firm behind Are Media – is looking to offload the company after five years. Anyway – back to Rodrigues. Millennials may remember her as an MTV host in the mid-2000s. After that gig wrapped, she spent years in New York doing red carpet reporting and holding various digital journalism roles. She returned to Australia during the pandemic, working for Val Morgan Digital and later Yahoo Lifestyle – before Park Street came calling. Our spies are grumbling about a magazine publisher bringing in someone from outside mags. They say it's never worked before – so why would it now? Still, Rodrigues promises on her voluminous LinkedIn that she has the 'proven ability to... grow audiences and develop brand strategy'. That sounds exactly like what Who needs - but will the beleaguered brand rise from the ashes under her stewardship? We're not holding our breath. Susan Armstrong, Are Media's General Manager, Entertainment, told Inside Mail: 'Lyndsey Rodrigues brings a wealth of entertainment reporting, writing and producing experience, having worked with leading outlets including The Hollywood Reporter, Popsugar and most recently as Head of Lifestyle and Entertainment at Yahoo. 'Her strong background in digital and video will be a valuable addition to lead the WHO editorial team.' P.S. Just before we hit publish on this column, we were told Rodrigues does have experience in magazines... as a cover girl. She fronted the Spring 2009 issue of Men's Style Australia ('memba them? Not us!) in a pair of underpants and a leather jacket. We take it all back! 'Carla Zampatti!' Trendy eastern suburbs restaurant Catalina was dripping in drama as the Soirée by the Sea fundraiser for the Victor Chang Cardiac Institute turned into a who's who of high society... with enough lip and face filler on display to rival the volume of Sydney Harbour. Inside Mail clocked reality TV has-beens and wannabe influencers rubbing shoulders with lobbyists and journos, each camp looking mildly baffled by the other's presence. Still, we're pleased to report it wasn't just the sparkle squad turning heads. PremierNational Chairman and seasoned political operator Michael Photios strolled in wearing a plain tee - as if fresh from brunch - breezily flouting the dress code with the swagger of someone whose firm was just bought by Google. Alex Schumann, CEO of Carla Zampatti and brother of teal MP Allegra Spender, also had a moment that could've been scripted for The Real Housewives of Sydney. During the charity auction, fashion designer and friend-to-the-stars Michael Lo Sordo, reportedly grappling with debts, dramatically shouted 'Carla Zampatti!' while grabbing Schumann's hand. Cue Schumann's swift, diplomatic sidestep. Fair enough - most of us wouldn't relish being greeted by a stranger with the impassioned invocation of our late mother's name. Also in the mix: high-profile defamation lawyer Rebekah Giles, who may have been scouting new clients given the crowd's potential for making headlines. Sky News was also well represented, with fundraiser committee member Laura Jayes and NSW Political Reporter Julia Bradley in attendance. The night pulled in a cool $267,000, thanks to $30 caviar bumps, a flurry of raffle tickets, and funds raised during a conspicuously subdued auction - proof that even Sydney's eastern suburbs aren't immune to the pinch of the cost-of-living crunch. Licence to thrill It's been all quiet on the inner-western front for Inside Mail's favourite age-gap couple Tim Blackwell and Lizzie Baxter. The pair met at Nova FM - he, a star presenter in his 40s; she, a producer in her late 20s - and started dating after the breakdown of his marriage to publicist-turned-yoga instructor Monique. Our last update came in September, when we revealed Lizzie had quietly exited her Digital Editor role at Woman's Day for 'personal reasons'. Now we've got something new to share - and it's just... amazing. One of our spies recently clocked Lizzie driving around in her older boyfriend's Range Rover - with her P-plates on display. If our journo maths are correct, Tim and Monique's daughter will be applying for her Ls not long after Lizzie graduates to a full licence. Life's got a sense of humour, doesn't it? P.S. Inside Mail notes that Are Media has finally got around to putting up a job listing to replace Lizzie’s role at Woman's Day. If you want to rearrange deckchairs on the Titanic, the deadline's November 14. Sky News in from the Christmas cold After a frosty few years, the festive ban at Sky News Australia has melted... sort of. Inside Mail can reveal the network’s TV team has finally scored an invite to the wider News Corp Christmas bash, marking the official end of its self-imposed party exile. The party freeze began in 2023, following the infamous antics of former host Chris Smith, who spectacularly torched his career at the 2022 knees-up. That year's bash at the Ivy Sunroom turned scandalous when the then-60-year-old presenter allegedly made crude remarks to a young female colleague and groped another after the group moved on to Establishment. In the aftermath, Sky News staff were relegated to a sad little lunch in their Macquarie Park offices - no music, no venue, no booze. And while the ban has technically been lifted, the party spirit hasn't quite returned. The timing aligns with Sky News Australia's consolidation of its studio and editorial operations, as the company prepares to relocate from Macquarie Park to Holt Street. As for Smith, last we heard, he was still off the drink. Probably for the best. Guess who's back We heard an alarming tip from 7News' Melbourne headquarters this week that we almost didn't believe. After trying to rally the troops into joining a class action against the network's parent company, reporter Christie Cooper is now back in the newsroom. For those new to the saga, Cooper was stood down in September over mental health concerns and reports of worrying workplace conduct, which she denied. Sources at Seven assured us at the time that the decision to put Cooper on sick leave was unrelated to the class action and made out of genuine concern for her welfare. She wasn't named in the initial reports, but later identified herself on Instagram. An insider told us: 'We have no idea how or why she is back after launching a campaign against the network. Staff are furious. They feel unsafe. 'There's a lot of anger at management for how it's all been handled.' Channel Seven declined to comment. Failed state of affairs The High Court's landmark ruling against indefinite detention has become one of the most expensive legal decisions in Australian history - and the bill just keeps climbing. What began as a constitutional principle now carries a multi-billion-dollar price tag. Labor's deal with Nauru has now seen the first person from the so-called 'NZYQ cohort' arrive on the island, costing Australian taxpayers $408million. That's a rather expensive solo detention - and it's only a down payment. The 30-year deal will end up costing $2.5billion in total - that's $70million per year. The full cohort heading to the island nation includes individuals whose visas were cancelled and who now face deportation, yet claim they cannot safely return home - leaving them in limbo. The High Court ruled they couldn't be indefinitely detained, but neither major party wants to let them settle here - which is where the new Nauru deal comes in. The deal's exact terms remain secret. Critics warn that Australia is paying a small Pacific state - a failed state at that - to take on people it can no longer legally detain here. Labor's handling of this debacle is a far cry from the days when the centre-left party opposed offshore processing. And guess who was steering Labor in that direction then? Anthony Albanese, of course, the leader of the party's left faction. What sparked his change of heart? Has he grown up or given up? Or has he decided that doing whatever it takes is the ticket to power, even if it means going against one's personal convictions? You fired me... and I quit Last month brought news that Nova's national late drive show Ben, Liam & Belle had been canned, with their final night on air scheduled for December 12. But this week, the 'long goodbye' was replaced with 'effective immediately' after two thirds of the trio told Nova top brass they'd been offered employment elsewhere. On Monday, longtime co-hosts Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton informed management they were bound for Adelaide breakfast on Mix 102.3 (which is being rebranded as KIIS in 2026). The response wasn't exactly a collegiate pat on the back from the bosses who'd already decided their services were no longer required. Things turned nasty - fast. 'They told management and had to clear out their desks. They were gone - literally marched out of the Nova building,' a well-placed radio insider told Inside Mail. News of their abrupt exit was then confirmed Nova's group programming director Brendan Taylor in an email to staff that afternoon. 'Ben, Liam and Belle will be leaving the business as of today... We wish them well in their future endeavours.' Those 'endeavours' weren't specified - but it was pretty much common knowledge by then that the boys were replacing Hayley Pearson and Max Burford, who'd just received their pink slips after less than a year waking up Adelaideans at Mix FM. The unfortunate postscript to the story is that the Ben, Liam & Belle show has been slimmed down to just Ben and Liam. Third presenter Belle Jackson won't be joining them behind the mic - she's been demoted to producer at the new station. It's sad news - and we'll tread carefully, because by all accounts, the fallout has been devastating for her. Still, she put on a brave face on Instagram last night, telling her followers that 'Producer Belle' was back after three years living her 'dream' of being on the air. 'All good things come to an end. I'm just so happy I get to keep working with my boys and doing what I love,' she added. That's the spirit. Nova publicity and Jackson's management were contacted for comment. One Nation's new era The decision to rebrand Pauline Hanson's party as simply 'One Nation' - removing her name from the title - has sparked speculation she's planning to retire sooner rather than later. At the very least, the move appears to be a strategic attempt to shift away from personality politics and reposition the party as a broader ideological force capable of enduring beyond Hanson's leadership. Hanson, 71, essentially confirmed this herself, telling journalists she wants to 'move beyond the personality'. The timing further fuels rumours that Barnaby Joyce plans to defect to One Nation - although Hanson has denied any intention to step aside for the former Deputy PM. Regardless, with polls showing rising support for the minor party, One Nation is clearly seeking to shed its protest-party image and position itself as a genuine alternative for disaffected voters on the right. Whether this rebrand has substance or is merely spin will depend on what comes next. If the party can translate its populist instincts into credible policy alternatives, it could reshape conservative politics in the long term - potentially positioning itself for a power-sharing Coalition when Labor starts to falter. Liberal League of Justice The NSW Liberals' Northern Province Convention was supposed to be a much-needed win after weeks of internal drama - and by all accounts, it delivered. Liberal members from Sydney's North Shore and Northern Beaches turned up in force, the fundraising haul was solid, and for a moment, the mood was almost… cheerful? But forget the speeches and the money. The only thing anyone's talking about is 'that f**king awful video'. As the event wrapped up, instead of ending on a triumphant note, attendees were treated to a two-minute, AI-produced slopfest. The clip - which feels like an eternity when you watch it - thanked the so-called 'League of Liberal Justice' for pulling the day together. Yes, really. The video rolled out titles with the flair of an Avengers trailer: Liberal Councillor Julia Prieston, dubbed 'Lara Croft in Heels'; Natalie Ward staffer Sinclair Hill, crowned 'Director of Literally Everything'; and Sally Betts, former Waverley Councillor, hailed as the 'patron saint of raffle donors'. The video was immediately leaked and spread across social media like wildfire. Former NSW Liberal insider and 'new right' shepherd John Macgowan shared the video, declaring 'I saw this so now you all have to'. Inside Mail hears the video was made by none other than NSW Liberals Deputy Leader Natalie Ward herself, which might explain why it shouts out her own husband and staffers. If nothing else, this proves one thing: political staffers aren't just spin doctors - they're the last line of defence against their bosses terrorising the public with AI fever dreams. One insider summed up the response from members: 'Natalie was a great Roads Minister in the former Coalition government, but please keep AI away from her!' Transparency for thee, not for me Canberra has made enough promises to rein in lobbying that we now recognise the choreography. A scandal usually results in a bout of moralising, before 'practical' reforms do very little to fix the entrenched influence of lobbying on our politicians. That's why teal MP Monique Ryan's proposal piqued our interest: she wants full transparency of ministerial diaries, a strengthened live register of lobbyists, and genuine cooling-off periods for ministers after they leave politics. Expect both major parties to nod solemnly at the principle of her proposals - before quietly negotiating away any chance of it coming into effect. Ministers and senior advisers build up valuable connections while in office, then cash it in when they leave. It's a time-honoured tradition. Industry buys 'certainty' and calls it engagement, while the public gets disclosures so vague they border on a parody. It's no wonder most Aussies just switch off the shenanigans of Canberra. Of course, the irony of a teal lecturing others about disclosure provisions shouldn’t be lost on anyone. The influence of Simon Holmes à Court's Climate 200 fund is opaque at best. Finding out who donates what and when is sometimes hard to do and usually only surfaces with delays. When media outlets question the teals' lack of transparency, they often respond by saying they're following the rules - the same rules they think are suboptimal and need changing! That's hardly leading by example.
