In both real estate and politics, timing is everything. For Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, he of once-impeccable political judgment, that timing has gone a little awry of late. Albanese’s decision to buy a $4.3 million clifftop home in the Central Coast amid a housing and cost-of-living crisis left several of his Labor colleagues scratching their heads. It meant the government wasted another week defending the prime minister from the “out of touch” allegations rather than prosecuting its agenda. Tough market... Anthony Albanese is struggling to sell his Dulwich Hill investment property. Those allegations had been furnished by news in May that a Sydney man who had lived as a tenant in Albanese’s Dulwich Hill investment property was left blindsided after receiving an eviction notice. That too left the prime minister on the defensive, forced to waste time discussing his record as a landlord. That property was set to go under the hammer with a $1.9 million price guide last month. Not a bad return given Albanese bought it in 2015 for $1.175 million. But the property was abruptly pulled from auction, and the asking price lowered to $1.85 million. Now, the asking price has fallen to $1.75 million, with Albo’s real estate agent Shad Hassen telling us it was the victim of a changing market. “I think the reason for it is quite simple. There’s been a slight change in the market, and the PM’s property is not immune to that change,” he said, adding that he anticipates the property will be sold soon. When it does, it’ll still leave a tidy profit for the former housing commission boy made good. And the fact that a three-bedroom red brick townhouse in Dulwich Hill is pushing the $2 million mark says it all about the housing challenges the Albanese government faces. You can get a French chateau for less. Pistols at dawn On Friday, Australia’s politicians finally got a chance to return fire against the country’s journalists. It didn’t end well for them. About a dozen MPs had gathered at the Canberra International Clay Target Club for the pollies versus press gallery shoot-out, organised by former Olympic shooter turned Labor’s man mountain member for Hunter Dan Repacholi and Coalition frontbencher Bridget McKenzie. Co-chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Shooting, the pair had worked hard to get the tournament together. Attending MPs included Regional Development Minister Kristy McBain, Labor’s Alison Byrnes, and Perin Davey, Colin Boyce and Ian Goodenough from the Coalition. But the might of that bipartisanship was no match for the journos, not usually the most athletic bunch. In just his second time shooting, Channel Nine cameraman Luke Nicolaou had a blinder, with both sides finishing on equal points. Things then proceeded to a tiebreaker between Repacholi and a ring-in from the National Press Club. The big man was the first to miss, giving the journos bragging rights. Lovely Rita “On social media, bad behaviour is good for business.” Rita Panahi’s controversial Instagram story. Credit: Instagram So spoke News Corp executive chair Michael Miller at a National Press Club address earlier this year, where he laid into the big tech giants. But we wonder who exactly the online behaviour of some of News Corp’s highest profile opinionators is good for. Take Rita Panahi, the Herald Sun columnist who also co-hosts the Outsiders show on Sky News for one of the world’s biggest multinational media companies. Last week, Panahi’s Instagram story featured the Appeal to Heaven Flag, or Pine Tree Flag, an American Revolutionary War symbol popularised by the rioters who tried to storm the United States Capitol in 2021, inspired by the conspiracy theory that the previous year’s presidential election was “stolen” from Donald Trump . US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito caused a bit of a storm when the flag was seen flying at his Virginia beach house earlier this year. Panahi’s flag went even better, and was captioned with: “AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN TO SEND THE JOURNOS TO GITMO,” accompanied by the caption “fair”. So, does Panahi really reckon her hardworking colleagues at the Hun and Sky ought to be shipped off to an offshore military prison synonymous with torture and other nastiness? Perhaps it was an off-colour attempt at trolling. Either way, neither Herald Sun editor Sam Weir nor Sky News’ representatives responded to our questions. And Rita didn’t take up our offer to clarify things either. No doubt, we’ll get a scolding in her other Sky News after-dark show, Lefties Losing It. Bush Boutique In Gina Rinehart’s evolution from Australia’s richest person to art aficionado and wannabe fashion mogul, the billionaire has bought up bushwear brands, including coat maker Driza-Bone and RM Williams’ challenger Rossi Boots, managing to get the likes of Peter Dutton and Barnaby Joyce to play influencer . Now, the mining magnate’s S Kidman & Co has opened a bricks-and-mortar store in Tamworth, “bringing country style to the heart of fashion”. No, we’ve never heard anybody talk about Tamworth like that either. Rinehart, who we last encountered at Mar-a-Lago toasting Donald Trump’s election victory and hanging out with Elon Musk, was in town for the ribbon-cutting, along with former Northern Territory chief minister Adam Giles (who is chief executive of her Hancock Agriculture) and Joyce, decked out in his custom Gina-sponsored bush hat. Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter .Google Pixel Tablet 2 key details leaked after its cancellation
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Marianne Williamson, who ran in the 2024 Democratic presidential primary against President Joe Biden, launched a bid on Dec. 26 to chair the Democratic National Committee (DNC) amid a growing field of candidates who are looking to rebrand the party after it lost control of the Senate and White House this year. Williamson’s candidacy is among others who have indicated their intentions of leading the DNC after current Chair Jaime Harrison’s term expires early next year. New York state Sen. James Skoufis (D), Minnesota Democratic Party Chair Ken Martin, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, and former Homeland Security official Nate Snyder have expressed interest in the party leadership position. Williamson, who also ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, said, “My experience of what went wrong has given me insight into what needs doing to make things right.” She suspended her 2020 campaign before Iowa’s Democratic caucus and then suspended her 2024 campaign in February before unsuspending it shortly thereafter. “MAGA is a distinctly 21st century political movement and it will not be defeated by a 20th century tool kit,” Williamson wrote. “Data analysis, fundraising, field organizing, and beefed-up technology—while all are important—will not be enough to prepare the way for Democratic victory in 2024 and beyond. That’s why I have decided to run for DNC Chair this year.” After losing control of the Senate and the presidential race this year, the Democratic Party is trying to chart a new path forward for the 2026 midterms and beyond. Many of the DNC chair candidates have made promises of rebuilding and rebranding the party so that it can chip away at the Republican’s trifecta—its control of the White House and both chambers of Congress—in the coming years. There will be four candidate forums throughout January, including in-person and virtual events at which candidates can engage with grassroots party members nationwide. Williamson suggested she has the right experience to lead the Democratic Party to future victory. “As chairwoman, I will work to reinvent the party from the inside out. For if we want a new president in four years, and a new Congress in two, then we must immediately get about the task of creating a new party,” Williamson wrote.ISLAMABAD: A District and Sessions Court granted interim bail to former first lady Bushra Bibi until January 13, in four cases related to the November 26th protests. District and Sessions Judge Shabbir Bhatti heard the interim bail applications filed by Bushra Bibi in the Nov 26 protest cases. The court granted her interim bail till January 13 against bonds of Rs50,000. The PTI founder’s wife, Bushra Bibi appeared before court along with her lawyers for interim bail in four cases registered against her at Tarnol police station, and three at Ramana police station. On December 21, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi approved interim bail of Bushra Bibi in 32 cases till January 13, her counsel said. According to details, PTI founder’s wife appeared before the ATC along with her counsel and sought bail in total of 32 cases, including 23 pertaining to May 9 violence. The former first lady has been grated interim bail in 32 cases registered in Rawalpindi, Attock and Chakwal. She appeared in court at the hearing and provided the necessary surety bonds to obtain interim bail. Former first lady Bushra Bibi left the court premises after the bail was granted, and her next court appearance is set for mid-January. Her counsel, Faisal Malik argued that the cases registered against Bushra Bibi are ‘politically motivated and aimed at vengeance’. On Nov 13, Imran issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on Nov 24, demanding the restoration of the PTI’s electoral mandate, the release of detained party members, and the reversal of the 26th Amendment which he said had strengthened a “dictatorial regime”. At least six lives were lost in the three days of protests, which included a policeman and three Rangers officials who were knocked down by a speeding vehicle, officials and hospital sources said. Claims and counter-claims over deaths purportedly caused by law-enforcement action against the PTI marchers remain a major bone of contention between the government and the opposition party. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );Andre Onana gives honest assessment of Ruben Amorim's first game in charge of Manchester United