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Nine will provide temporary legal support and photography to Joe Aston's Rampart for about two months as the rest of their deal is wound down, following James Chessell's resignation as Financial Review editor-in-chief.
Nine will continue to provide legal support to Joe Aston's new business publication Rampart for about two months as the rest of their deal is wound down, according to two people familiar with the situation.
The support covers pre- and post-publication legal matters and photography over the next two months or so. The rest of the deal will be wound down on that same timeline, with the exception of Aston's monthly column in the Financial Review, which is already a fixture of the past.
Chessell Departs For Rampart
Last Wednesday, staff at The Australian Financial Review were told that editor-in-chief James Chessell was leaving to reunite with Aston, the masthead's former Rear Window columnist, at his upstart business publication Rampart next month. By the end of the week, Chessell's final day at the newspaper had been brought forward to Friday, following an angry staff letter.
Over the weekend, Nine's managing director of publishing Tory Maguire and Aston agreed to end a deal giving Rampart pre- and post-publication legal support and photography in exchange for a monthly Aston column and a cut of Rampart's revenue. But the deal has not been torn up with immediate effect. Nine, which also owns this masthead, will continue to offer Aston's Rampart legal support over the next two months or so.
The divorce negotiations threw up questions in media circles on Monday. Among them, at least for some staff at the Financial Review, was how big an appetite News Corp Australia's executive chairman Michael Miller might have for offering up the support of Holt Street to the Rampart cause. Not much appetite at all, it turns out.
There has been no approach, according to a person close to the executive, and there are no plans to consider getting involved in the Nine-Rampart separation, leaving Aston to lawyer up and go it alone. Chessell's resignation last week sparked an uncharacteristic wave of backlash in the Financial Review newsroom.
A few of the newsroom's union members wrote to management late last week outraged, asking why Chessell was being allowed back into the building before heading off to work for a competitor. On Monday, Chessell's successor, Cosima Marriner, cut her holiday short to head into Nine's North Sydney headquarters for yet another staff town hall to address staff concerns. Word is the meeting went as well as it could have for Marriner, at least.
There are still strong feelings of betrayal among staff at the nation's premier business newspaper. In the town hall, Chessell was accused by some staff of not being fully straight with them. There have also been grumblings about Chessell being allowed to walk out of Nine's office and immediately into the arms of Aston, without any cooling-off period.
Former Ministers Join Industry Boards
Meanwhile, former ministers are finding life after politics looks remarkably similar to life in politics. CBD has been alerted to a number of updates to post-Parliament resumes, with former ministers sharing their expertise outside parliament's four walls. Last month DBG Health, parent company of pharmaceutical giant Arrotex, announced former federal health minister Greg Hunt will join its board as a non-executive director, touting his experience across healthcare policy, medicines access and innovation.
Former premier of Victoria Denis Napthine, who chose to retain the racing portfolio during his short stint leading the state, has taken over as independent chair of Greyhounds Australia. Former Reason Party MP and long-time drug-law reform campaigner Fiona Patten was recently announced as the new chief executive of the newly formed Medicinal Cannabis Council Australia, the industry's peak advocacy body. Patten replaced government-relations executive Gail Morgan, who had been unveiled as council's chief in June.
Bruce Billson, a former Victorian MP who served as small business minister in the federal government, has joined the Motor Trades Association as executive director. He took up the role in July. The MTAA is lobbying the government on right to repair laws and unfair trading protections. In other news, Liz Truss has been booked as the headline act of CPAC Australia, Australia's bootleg of the US political festival that birthed the MAGA movement.
Liz Truss Heads To CPAC
Truss, best known for her 49-day stint in Downing Street being outlasted by a lettuce, has been busy stacking her diary while on Australian shores. Among her appointments is a luncheon hosted by the NSW Liberals, at which she is set to appear alongside former prime minister and the party's federal president Tony Abbott.
In an invitation to lobbyists and party faithful last week, the party's state director Mark Neeham said the get-together will feature a fireside discussion on leadership, conservative politics, and the future of the west. Abbott will still be able to keep his diary commitments after a close call volunteering with the Rural Fire Service over the weekend. He was among firefighters caught up after a routine hazard reduction burn got out of control in Sydney's south-west.
A pretty hairy day, he told CBD, but luckily it was only equipment lost. Pauline Hanson last gave an address to the CPAC faithful during her whirlwind trip to the UK and Europe, where she was pictured poolside with her billionaire benefactor John Buckley. It seems it was not a good weekend for anything to do with purple in the sporting space. First, Fremantle.
theage 
smh:Nine gives Joe Aston temporary legal support while he lawyers up 
brisbanetimes:Nine gives Joe Aston temporary legal support while he lawyers upThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Nine Rampart Amanda Chessell Financial Review Nine Rampart Deal James Chessell Resignation CPAC Australia
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