Sayers ain't so

The defamation battle between Luke Sayers and his estranged wife Cate was already unpleasant enough for those of us who've seen the uncensored photo of the former Carlton president's flaccid penis.

It got even grimmer this week.

The adult daughters of the erstwhile PwC Australia CEO threw their support behind their dad in a big way. Bronte Sayers was first out of the gate, posting an image of a cake with 'F*** them all' written in icing to Instagram on Monday night.

The post appeared shortly after lawyers for her parents clashed in Melbourne's Supreme Court over the future of the high-profile case.

Soon after, Bronte's sister Claudia shared a screenshot of a newspaper story about the cake post, adding the caption: 'Thanks dad for always being in our corner.' Bronte reposted it.

The growing evidence that Sayers' daughters have sided with their father against their mother adds an undeniably sad edge to the already messy family soap opera.

It's a deeply sensitive subject that Cate may never be drawn into discussing, although it is understood that she loves her girls deeply.

Still, Inside Mail can't help but wonder whether proximity to a father whose power and influence bring access, connections and perks might be shaping those loyalties - at least for now.

You may consider that uncharitable. But consider what we know already.

Sayers' daughters have willingly inserted themselves into this saga, putting their name to an extraordinary joint statement in January backing their father.

Now they're taking potshots that seem to be directed at their dad's enemies and it doesn't sit well with us. We're not family counsellors, but here's a basic rule: don't say anything you might one day wish you could take back.

Meanwhile, a legal source tells Inside Mail that while the Sayers girls may not be publicly rallying behind their mother, the women of corporate Australia are.

'This case has struck a chord with so many women,' they said.

'Think of what's being alleged here: gaslighting and the destruction of a woman's reputation to protect a man. That whole boys' club thing.

'You go to any function or conference and corporate women are talking about this. The hope is it will be a reckoning.'

It comes after Rachel Griffiths was spotted walking out of the Supreme Court beside Sayers and defamation supremo Sue Chrysanthou on Monday.

She has taken keen interest in the case as a producer and talks are already said to have begun about who might play snap-happy Sayers...

'Objectively a good interview'

There was some soul‑searching this week in Em Rusciano's household after she realised other podcasts weren't exactly lining up to interview her.

Rusciano has a new book and a tour to promote - the comedy cabaret Addicted to Love - and, in ordinary circumstances, she would be doing the rounds on the usual podcasts.

But lately she's been getting a lot of 'no's' from producers.

'It's been genuinely eye‑opening watching who has said no to having me on their podcasts to promote the tour,' she said on Instagram.

'And before anyone assumes - it's not the male hosts! In fact, most of the men have been incredibly supportive. It's the women. Women I thought I was friendly with.

'I understand not every show is the right fit. I'm not entitled to anyone's platform, but some of these 'producer declines' have been fascinating, especially considering: I bring a fairly large audience with me, I'm objectively a very good interview, and I'd also promote the episodes heavily across my socials and my own podcast.'

Talented and humble!

As always, Inside Mail took the bait and asked around to see which podcasts said no to Rusciano. But it's a small industry and few wanted to speak. Presumably neither did Rusciano - her representative didn't respond to our email on Wednesday.

Still, a glance at Rusciano's career history offers a few clues - particularly given there are only so many female‑fronted podcasts with the sort of reach she would be pitching to.

Let's start with Life Uncut, hosted by Laura Byrne and Brittany Hockley, and No. 7 on the podcast charts. They were very likely among the 'no's' - if Rusciano even asked.

Why? Rusciano famously sided with Abbie Chatfield in her 2022 'slut-shaming' feud with Hockley - and, in doing so, was labelled 'thirsty' by fellow podcaster Meshel Laurie. Ouch.

Then there's the Mamamia stable of podcasts - namely Out Loud and No Filter.

In many ways, Rusciano - successful, outspoken, recently divorced - seems a natural fit. But, from what we can tell, she hasn't featured on the network since late 2016.

It's unclear whether there's a specific reason for the distance, though political differences on certain issues are always a possibility.

The deeper answer to Rusciano's dilemma, however, may lie in 2018, when she left Southern Cross Austereo under a cloud. Her 2DayFM breakfast show struggled in the ratings, there were reports of internal friction with co‑host Ed Kavalee, accusations of workplace tensions, and a steady stream of tabloid leaks.

Oh, and that persistent rumour of a blow‑up between Rusciano and the head of the Hit Network (and now Jackie O's manager) Gemma O'Neill during an ill‑fated Las Vegas bonding trip. If only we could tell the full story…

SCA, which has since merged with Seven West Media, oversees the digital audio platform LiSTNR - home to many podcasts in the Triton Podcast Ranker. Three LiSTNR shows are currently in the top 10.

While we're not suggesting for a moment that Rusciano is blacklisted by LiSTNR due to her time at 2DayFM, if Em is looking for answers as to why producers are politely declining, it might not be a bad place to start.

Tapt out 

Anyone who lives in Melbourne knows there is an ancient feud with Sydney. Those living in Sydney might not be aware of it, but it’s a very real thing.

So, how do you think the people of Melbourne took the news that 3AW – the No. 1 radio station – would be getting its news from north of the border?

As you would expect, it went down like a lead balloon.

The Herald Sun reports the change will affect Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening shifts, with Sydney's 2GB supplying national news, instead of local updates.

When will executives in Sydney learn?

While efficiencies must be found in these troubled financial times, it would have been a smarter move to have Melbourne supply the national updates into Sydney.

It’s all about perception.

People living in Sydney don't care where things are made. That’s because just about everything comes from Sydney.

Melbourne was the last state to continue to add 'Made in Melbourne' to any TV show made in the city because executives knew that could add ratings – even if the program wasn’t very good.

And it was always going to leak that Tapt Media - the new owners of 2GB, 3AW, 4BC and 6PR - was making this change.

These kinds of leaks happen when staff are annoyed - and the people working at 3AW are very, very annoyed by this decision.

Even though it’s just a few weekend shifts, any perception that Sydney is taking jobs away from Melbourne is bound to cause controversy.

And the people of Melbourne believe those living in Sydney don’t understand their town, so what would they know about covering news? Especially when the AFL is often a lead story.

Melbourne is a special place, and its animosity towards Sydney should never be underestimated by executives making cost-cutting decisions.

The Bank of Jones?

His head is constantly on the verge of exploding with amazing ideas - but in the end all it took was a Federal Budget to push Karl Stefanovic over the edge.

In a post-Budget debrief with portfolio manager Christopher Joye, Stefanovic said he was going to 'lose my s***' if he heard anyone mention 'intergenerational fairness' again.

Of course, Stefanovic didn't need a government handout to get his foot on the property ladder as a young go-getter in the Harbour City.

According to media myth, that handout instead came from... Alan Jones!

It is a well-established rumour that Jones provided Stefanovic with a $100,000 interest-free loan towards a deposit so that he could buy his first house.

This claim dates back to at least 2011 - the year Stefanovic won the Gold Logie - and, as far as we can tell, has never been publicly disputed by either party.

We contacted Karl's manager Sharon Finnegan to set the record straight, but she did not wish to comment on the record; however, a source close to the Today host said that previous reporting of his financial arrangement with Jones contained 'inaccuracies'.

As is so often the case when Inside Mail goes searching for a straight answer, exactly what those inaccuracies were remained frustratingly unclear. Ah well. 

Email reminders 

The Albanese government is scrambling to contain growing backlash over its Budget, firing off a flurry of emails to journalists as criticism ramps up.

On Wednesday, right before Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson was set to take aim at the Budget and proposed capital gains tax changes in a National Press Club speech, Jim Chalmers' office sent not one, but two 'clarifying' emails just hours apart. 

The first, dispatched around 9am, struck a defensive tone.

'It is very important to note that the four existing small business CGT carve-outs and concessions are not changing,' said a spokesperson for the Treasurer.

'Our opponents are intentionally misleading Australians and small business owners.'

But the follow-up email, sent shortly after, upped the ante, this time singling out Nationals leader Matt Canavan by name.

'We are not changing the CGT concessions that already exist for farms, and we are exempting farm income from the minimum tax on discretionary trusts,' it read.

'This is nothing but fearmongering from Matt Canavan, who is trying to scare farmers for his own political benefit.'

From Inside Mail's view, the government has let the horse bolt on its Budget, following an onslaught of criticism from small businesses and the start-up sector.

Albanese's first term was defined by a reluctance to pick fights, a strategy that helped Labor peel off disaffected Liberal voters.

Now, the politics is hardening.

It feels increasingly reminiscent of the 2019 election, with Wilson, a key figure behind the franking credits campaign that brought down Bill Shorten, once again stepping forward to spearhead the Coalition's economic attack.

'Woke capitalists' backlash 

Speaking of the Budget, Inside Mail notes that some of Albanese's strongest foot soldiers - progressive influencers - have turned on his economic agenda. 

The Real Housewives of Sydney star Dr Kate Adams - the other Bondi vet who isn't Dr Chris Brown - slammed the changes in a fiery video shared to social media. 

'Why would anyone start a business in Australia right now?' she asked. 

'I built a vet hospital and, like lots of business owners, I went without. I did not pay myself super because I felt like taking the risk and backing myself and building this amazing vet hospital was at some point going to pay off.'

'Knowing full well that four out of five businesses go broke, and now the government has just come along and said we're gonna take 50 per cent of that.'

She then took aim directly at Chalmers and Albanese. 

'And if that's where entrepreneurs and business owners are being pushed, Albo and Jim Chalmers need to ask themselves what this Budget is actually doing to the people that create jobs. 

'You can kiss goodbye to your local hairdressers, your local coffee shops, your local bakeries, and your local vet clinics, because all of them will be corporatised, and you will be drinking coffee from Starbucks or taking your pet to a multinational corporation.'

Another presumed leftie, Life Uncut podcast host and jewellery business owner Laura Byrne, slammed the changes in an Instagram rant.

'For many small business owners this isn't just numbers on a spreadsheet. It's sleepless nights. It's delaying your own pay cheque so your staff get paid first. It's wondering whether you can keep hiring, whether you can give someone more hours, whether you can keep investing in the future of something you've spent years building,' she wrote.

'The question isn't whether small business got something in the Budget.'

'It's whether the people creating jobs and building businesses are being supported at the same scale they're being relied on.'

Still no word from Abbie Chatfield... 

Bring-your-husband-to-work day 

Sarah Hanson-Young might have slipped through the summer expenses storm while attention was fixed on Anika Wells, but Inside Mail hasn't forgotten.

The Greens senator came under scrutiny after a watchdog examined nearly $50,000 in taxpayer-funded flights regularly used to fly her husband, lobbyist Ben Oquist, to Canberra under the family reunion allowance.

The Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority signed off on the claims as within the rules, but naturally that didn't stop the backlash. When does it ever?

Hanson-Young swiftly vowed to stop claiming taxpayer-funded flights for her husband's travel shortly after the claims surfaced.

During Budget week, Inside Mail spotted Hanson-Young and Oquist more than once around Parliament House. On Wednesday, the pair lingered over coffee in Aussies café, making no effort to keep a low profile.

By Thursday, they were side by side again, joining a group of Greens MPs and staffers making a notably early exit from Canberra ahead of the Budget reply.

In true Canberra fashion, it seems not even the end of taxpayer-funded perks could keep the pair apart.

One Nation: Help wanted 

Pauline Hanson has spent a political lifetime warning Australians about big government. This week she discovered the only thing worse than big government is not enough taxpayer-funded staff working for Pauline Hanson.

One Nation's leader has complained that her office had been 'inundated' and that she had only five electorate officers and two parliamentary advisers - compared with Greens leader Larissa Waters, who has 15 advisers, and the Prime Minister's 59 personal advisers. She called it 'pure, bloody-minded politics'.

There is something almost touching about the anti-Canberra machine that is One Nation now wanting Canberra to send reinforcements its way.

It's the political equivalent of railing against welfare dependency before lodging an urgent claim for Jobseeker. Hanson wants smaller government in principle, except in the precise corner of the Commonwealth where someone has to answer her emails.

Still, she may have a point.

If One Nation keeps growing, someone will need to explain its policies to voters. Let's hope they pay well - even if they'll be paid with our tax dollars.

Bruce's Grok slop

Sometimes some things are better left unsaid. 

Case in point, courtroom personality and on-the-balance-of-probabilities rapist Bruce Lehrmann, who made our stomachs churn last week while having a crack at Mark Di Stefano of the Australian Financial Review's Rear Window column.

Poor Mark. He sure does cop it. Working at BuzzFeed. His misadventures at the FT in England. Forever being told he's scribbling under the long shadow of Joe Aston...

Lehrmann joined the chorus of trolls with this seemingly random outburst, which has since been deleted - and you'll soon see why:

'He's the failed "political editor" for the old slop called BuzzFeed. Remember them? Now a gossip columnist for the FAILING SMH. He'd have to use Grok to find the cl*t.'

Even a passing mention of women’s genitalia from Lehrmann - tweet or otherwise - is a step too far for us. Perhaps he had a similar realisation himself, as he removed the post.

Di Stefano was not rattled whatsoever. 

'It's fun the characters you find are still posting,' he responded. 

'Bro, you're on $300k a year' 

An Albanese government minister has copped flak online, not for what he did, but for what he didn't pay for.

Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury Andrew Leigh shared photos of himself completing the gruelling Ultra‑Trail Australia 2026, proudly posting:

'UTA100: 100km, 4000m of elevation, a few thousand stairs, and fabulous volunteers. Huge thanks to everyone who made it such a terrific event. Finished in 15hrs.'

And to be fair, that's no small feat.

But eagle‑eyed followers quickly noticed something a little off.

Every image Leigh posted still had the photographer's watermark splashed across it.

While Inside Mail applauds the endurance effort, it's hard to ignore the irony, especially given the price tag. 

The official race photos cost just $49.99 for the full set, or $19.99 for a single shot.

For a federal minister on a six‑figure salary, critics weren't impressed.

The backlash was swift, and brutal.

'Bro you're on north of $300k a year and you couldn't even buy the event photos. I've run those races and those photographers work for 24hrs to get those photos and hike the entire track, and you couldn't even muster up the moral compass to buy the photos ?? Instead you just ripped them off and screenshot them ?? Aren't you the minister for productivity ??' one commenter wrote.

'100km, 4000m elevation, stealing 4 photos, priceless.... Just another day in Albo's Australia.'

For a minister tasked with productivity, Inside Mail would put this on the cheap side than productive. 

The ladies are back

Get ready for Foxtel to announce the return of The Real Housewives of Melbourne.

Inside Mail got the scoop a few weeks ago that the reality show would be coming back, and we can now reveal production company ITV has won the contract.

Insiders say we shouldn’t expect a new season soon though, as plans are still at very early stages.

The Melbourne version has been the most successful take on the international franchise here in Australia, with the Sydney version never quite hitting the same highs.

The big question now turns to casting.

Will Gina Liano, Jackie Gillies, Gamble Breaux and the like return, or will producers introduce a whole new cast?

Despite the lavish look, the show has always been relatively cheap to produce as participants don’t get paid. As one housewife previously said: 'You won’t get rich by doing this show. You have to be rich.'

The reboot of RHOM comes at the expense of The Great Australian Bake Off, which has been put on the shelf for the time being.

Foxtel doesn’t release its ratings so we can only assume the last season didn’t bring in the numbers. That’s not surprising after the death of former host Cal Wilson.

There’s no doubt Foxtel will have plenty of people putting their hands up to take part. It’ll be interesting to see who they reject.

We’ll keep you posted.

ABC off X

The ABC has come under fire this week over a puzzling post on X (formerly Twitter) urging its own audience to leave the platform.

'Not seeing as many ABC News updates here as you used to? Find us on Bluesky,' the broadcaster posted.

The message was quickly mocked, with users questioning why the national broadcaster couldn't simply post content across both platforms instead of nudging followers elsewhere.

Shadow Communications Minister Sarah Henderson was among those to criticise the move.

'ABC News' decision to move to Bluesky is curious to say the least, given the platform is well known for favouring an activist left perspective,' Henderson told Inside Mail.

'The ABC is required to disseminate news and information impartially and should explain how publishing on Bluesky, an ideological echo chamber, is consistent with this obligation.'

Communications Minister Anika Wells declined to weigh in directly.

'The Albanese Government respects the independence of the ABC. As is appropriate, operational decisions are taken within the organisation,' she told Inside Mail. 

The ABC defended its approach, despite the confusion of promoting another platform from within X.

'The ABC is on a range of social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, WhatsApp and Reddit. Last month the ABC also began providing automated distribution of key news stories to audiences on Bluesky,' a spokesperson said.

'Our social media approach is based on meeting audience demand across the platforms they use.'

Despite that, the broadcaster has been posting far more frequently on Bluesky than on X, which Inside Mail thinks is doing nothing to help the 'Their ABC' perception of our great national broadcaster.

Growing pains at Mamamia

• This item was first published on Monday, May 18

It says a lot about today's media landscape that you can be number one and still need to slash jobs.

In April, Mamamia reached an all-time high for monthly audience with its flagship series Out Loud - now in its eleventh year - and yet a handful of staff members were quietly let go in recent weeks.

We know of four, but there are believed to be more.

One axed staff member, Claire Murphy, wrote frankly about her redundancy and funereal last days at the women's media company in a blog that has been widely shared among current and former staff.

In her post, Murphy wrote of her initial shock at being laid off, only to note the usual warning signs were there: falling advertising revenue, cuts to the radio business, AI being pushed 'like it was life or death'.

Murphy was no faceless junior writer. She was a known Mamamia personality with a fanbase, having hosted The Quicky, Well. and True Crime Conversations - the latter being maternity leave cover for Gemma Bath.

Her exit came as a shock internally, as well as to fans of the podcast network, with many 'Out Louders' expressing their disappointment.

We note that listener comments acknowledging Murphy's exit appeared to be deleted from the Out Loud Facebook group.

Staff noted it was strange and a bit sad seeing leadership pay tribute to Murphy in the past tense on her last day. Founder Mia Freedman was said to have been apologetic.

But despite the solemnity of her exit, it's understood that Murphy was glad to receive a proper send-off.

Other staff cut during the same round of layoffs included Leah Porges, Jacob Round and Kersherka Sivakumaran.

Why the bloodletting when the numbers are looking rosy? An advertising downturn, obviously - which is an industry-wide issue and far from unique to Mamamia.

Another is the pivot from traditional podcasting to video-led podcasts.

Mamamia is going through the same teething process as many podcast companies right now in response to Apple's structural change to go video-first, and as YouTube emerges as a leading podcast platform.

Inevitably, audio jobs are going and video specialists are being hired in their place. 

However, we have heard rumblings within. Not everyone wants established podcasts with deep-rooted listener relationships being reborn as shiny-lights-and-makeup productions, with the best bits hacked and repackaged for TikTok.

The fact that one of Mamamia's biggest podcasts is called 'No Filter' is now seen as a little ironic given that its output is becoming more filtered than ever.

Tellingly, Freedman herself expressed some regret over the direction of podcasting last year, writing on her Substack that podcasts' viability depends on the whims of tech platforms that now prefer short-form video.

'The cost of it, the time it takes, the way it can change the fundamentals of what you're doing… We try exceptionally hard not to let it impact the essence of the show but I'd be lying if I tried to say the landscape hasn't changed and we want to always be ahead of those changes,' she wrote. 

Meanwhile, there has also been an aggressive push for artificial intelligence within the walls of Mamamia's Fenton & Fenton-designed new digs in Woolloomooloo.

It is being spearheaded by chief operating officer Natalie Harvey, who is said to be enamoured with its potential.

This puts her in the same club as Are Media CEO Sally Eagle and Nine's managing director of publishing Tory Maguire, who are similarly enthusiastic about our future robot overlords and casting a jaundiced eye on reporters who aren't using AI enough.

Chief operating officer Luca Lavigne, the 30-ish son of founder Freedman, is by all accounts an AI true believer, too. That was always to be expected; staff say he has long had an air of Silicon Valley about him.

One former Mamamia staffer told Inside Mail that the laid-off employees are unsure if AI played a role in their redundancies, and we note that Lavigne previously told Mediaweek it wasn't meant to replace human creativity.

However, months of senior leadership urging staff to use the tech wherever possible has left some with the sinking feeling they might be training their replacements.

Speaking of artificial intelligence, we are told that the publisher's internal generative-AI copilot 'Mai' seems to have been quietly mothballed a while ago.

Instead, staff are using the usual programs - Gemini, Perplexity and the like - to streamline processes, depending on the department.

Of course, the safest jobs in the company presumably belong to Freedman's family. 

The hiring of Freedman's children has drawn some scrutiny in the past, but inside the bunker we're told the vibe isn't negative. Quite the opposite, in fact.

One source told us: 'If I ran a media company, I'd have my family on the payroll too. The Packers and the Murdochs did it.

'I've never understood the obsession with her hiring family - it's a family-run company. The fact is, she's doing what men in business have been doing for centuries, so you have to assume there's some sexism in that [the criticism].' 

With Luca now occupying a senior business role - having progressed from a Merivale bartender to writer to business development manager to head of product and chief operating officer - attention has more recently shifted to his younger sister Coco, who is also on the rise.

A Mamamia staffer we spoke to on the condition of anonymity said that Coco, a graduate of SCEGGS Darlinghurst, is 'very switched-on' and acutely aware of her position in the company.

'She knows there is a perception of why she's there, so she puts the work in,' they said.

'She even changed seats in the office once to avoid the perception that she was 'head of the table'.

'The kids [Luca and Coco] do make a real contribution.'

Mamamia was contacted for comment.

'Stand with small'

The government's capital gains tax changes have produced the most modern form of policy debate there is: AI-generated memes.

Business owners have been posting images of Anthony Albanese as their new '47 per cent silent partner', turning up in pizza shops, check-outs and concrete jobs. One tax expert called the campaign misleading, and Labor says the online claims distort the actual changes. Albo says he's flattered by it all. Bizarre.

Naturally, the Coalition has responded with a campaign of its own, called 'Stand with Small', and they are talking about businesses just to be clear, not their own ever-shrinking primary vote.

This is modern politics in a nutshell: a tax reform nobody can explain, a meme war nobody can stop, an opposition slogan not worthy of a five-year-old, and a PM with a response that makes him sound like a child.

Labor's problem is that being technically correct doesn't beat simple outrage. The Coalition's problem is that it keeps mistaking outrage for policy. Meanwhile taxes just keep going up….