When CBD tracked down the work, we were surprised to see that Hanson had been painted in the style of Chinese dictator Mao Zedong<\/strong>, framed in striking Communist Party red. In fact, look closely, and you can see the chairman\u2019s silhouette lurking in the painting\u2019s background.<\/p>\n Pauline Hanson\u2019s Chairman Mao-inspired portrait<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Merry Sparks via Instagram<\/cite><\/p>\n It\u2019s an odd choice for a woman who, throughout her political career, has warned that Australia is in danger of being \u201cswamped by Asians\u201d.<\/p>\n But the portrait clearly came from a place of love. Hanson frequently goes on TV wearing Sparks\u2019 creations on T-shirts, even rocking one at an anti-vaccine-mandate rally back when that was a thing. She also posed with Sparks, who even trimmed the One Nation leader\u2019s hair for the painting because she couldn\u2019t get to a hairdresser during lockdown. The artwork was entered, unsuccessfully, into last year\u2019s Archibald Prize.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a general observation from many that the Archibald appears to be woke, lean to the left, and is biased,\u201d Sparks wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is not how I think,\u201d the artist clarified.<\/p>\n She previously listed the painting for sale on her website, and we\u2019re glad to see it\u2019s going to a loving home.<\/p>\n At last, the Mike Pezzullo<\/strong> defender has logged on. The Home Affairs boss stood aside pending an investigation last week after The Age<\/em> and 60 Minutes<\/em> revealed his attempts to become a political influencer through a barrage of encrypted messages sent to Liberal powerbroker Scott Briggs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The word around Canberra is that a comeback for Iron Mike looks unlikely.<\/p>\n But Pezzullo found a willing warrior in Robert Potter<\/strong>, the media-savvy co-founder of cyber-security start-up Internet 2.0. Now, CBD backs the right of anyone to fire off a contrarian take, even if we mightily disagree with the substance of it.<\/p>\n Michael Pezzullo may not return as the nation\u2019s Home Affairs chief.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Alex Ellinghausen<\/cite><\/p>\n And Potter\u2019s screed, published by our stablemates at The<\/em> Australian Financial Review <\/i>and titled \u201cAustralia needs more public servants like Mike Pezzullo\u201d, is certainly an interesting effort.<\/p>\n Pezzullo, the self-appointed geopolitical expert, is depicted as the kind of fixer and hard-nosed brawler we need for an impending conflict with our neighbours to the north, that sort of thing.<\/p>\n Among our favourite lines: \u201cThe Lilliputians have rallied for a good old Aussie tall poppy cut-down, a favourite and much loved sport in Canberra.\u201d<\/p>\n Potter kicks off with an anecdote about his own work with Pezzullo on ransomware, noting how the Home Affairs supremo circulated Internet 2.0\u2019s ideas in the White House and made them a good part of the government\u2019s Ransomware Disruption Taskforce.<\/p>\n What Potter neglects to mention is how his objectivity might be blurred after Internet 2.0 landed a $338,580 limited tender contract from Home Affairs for just one month\u2019s work on … a \u201cransomware targeting framework\u201d.<\/p>\n We asked Potter about that curious omission and he was good enough to tell us he had disclosed his work with Home Affairs and friendship with Pezzullo before writing the piece. But he conceded: \u201cThe only thing I left out is that we were paid a very small amount for the work. You wouldn\u2019t get a ransomware targeting framework from PwC for 300k.\u201d<\/p>\n Fair point, we guess, but seems like a lot of money to skate over.<\/p>\n It was a decent showing for fashionable Australians on Sunday as the latest iteration of the industry power index, Business of Fashion 500, was unveiled at the height of Paris Fashion Week.<\/p>\n The most interesting new local addition to the list is Sydney \u201caccessible luxury\u201d outfit (if $155 for a T-shirt counts as accessible) Aje, which was founded in 2008 by Edwina Forest<\/b> and Adrian Norris<\/b>.<\/p>\n The label has certainly had no trouble attracting attention \u2013 it was in the papers at the weekend for snagging the services of model Gemma Ward<\/b> to help launch one of its collections. It doesn\u2019t lack confidence either.<\/p>\n It was only a couple of months ago that Norris told The<\/em> Australian Financial Review<\/em> that Aje was \u201cchasing the tail\u201d of go-to Australian fashion success story and BOF regular Zimmermann.<\/p>\n Home-grown Hollywood royalty Margot Robbie<\/strong> is also a debutante on the BOF 500 this year after the success of Barbie<\/em> \u201ccemented her status as a pop culture and style icon\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
FALL POPPY<\/h3>\n
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ALL THE AJE<\/h3>\n
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