Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, October 17, 2012 - Page 19
www.MelbourneObserver.com.au
Confidential Melbourne
Talk is cheap, gossip is priceless
INSURANCE BROKER ACCUSED OF THEFTS TOTALLING $675,000
Bitch Melbourne’s Secrets
Hilarity at rehearsals
● Tracy Harvey and Michael Veitch ■ With a cast including Jane Clifton, Mark Mitchell, Tracy Harvey and Michael Veitch, the fourth week of rehearsals for More Sex Please, We’re Seniors started on Monday this week. Jane Clifton has been juggling rehearsals, along with her nightly appearances at The Athenaeum Theatre in Barassi, which closed on Sunday. Our spy at The Comedy Theatre says the cast, which also includes Matt Quartermaine and Judith Roberts, are having a hilarious time.
● Matt Quartermaine, Jane Clifton, Tracy Harvey, Michael Veitch, Mark Mitchell, Judith Roberts and Mike Bishop.
Win a trip ... to here!
● Last Friday’s edition of The Australian ■ Melbourne buyers of The Australian were last Friday tempted with a lure of ‘Win An Escape To Melbourne’. We knew there were budget cuts at Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited ... put the picture of the City Circle tram says it all.
■ A Melbourne insurance broker has appeared in court,charged with stealing more than $675,000 of clients’ money over a seven month period. Bruce Wickett of Carnegie appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court charged with three counts of theft totalling $675,120.78 between August 2010 and March last year.. It is alleged by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission that Wickett stole the money, which represented insurance premiums being held on behalf of 228 clients. This money was to be forwarded to various insurance companies representing insurance premiums due to those insurers, for insurance cover they had provided to those clients of Wickett. At the time of the alleged offences Wickett was the sole director of Wickett Investments Pty Ltd and Wickett Insurance Broking Pty Ltd through which he operated his insurance broking Wickett is to appear again in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on December 20.. The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions is prosecuting the matter. The charges under the Victorian Crimes Act carry a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment for each offence.
Still waiting? ■ Has 3AW Nightline co-host Bruce Mansfield been called into boss Shane Healy’s office for 2013 contract negotiations. The whisper is ‘no’ ... although Bruce is already slated to host the Queen Mary II Transatlantic cruise in July-August.
Hear It Here First
Cash unlikely for creditors ■ Glenn Anthony Crisp, joint and several liquidator of New Dimension Homes (Victoria) Pty Ltd, formerly trading as Icon Designer Homes, has written to unsecured creditors, says it appears “at this stage unlikely that any dividend will be paid” to them. Mr Crisp, of Hirsch Sutherland, says he and Trajan John Kukulovski were appointed as Joint and Several Administrators of the company on August 28.
Lewd sites on record ■ Which Melbourne commercial radio station staffer’s Facebook page has had numerous references to raunchy websites? The single man seems unbothered that his online friends, numbering more than 200, have been able to follow his trolling through the openminded internet pages. But would his radio station agree with such an image?
■ The Director of Public Prosecutions is appealing sentences of 12month good behaviour bonds and $800 fines against Brett Saunders, 19, and Zachary Hunter, 23, after attacks on a joey being hunted down in Tallarook, caught by a dog, put in a car boot, and released in the Seymour shopping area. The kangaroo was hit by a car, and repeatedly kicked until it died. The County Court is due to hear the appeal next month.
Confirmed
■ The DMG Radio group, now wholly owned by Lachlan Murdoch, is rumoured to be undergoing a name change. DMG - named after the Daily Mail Group in the UK - operates Nova 100 and Smooth 91.5 in Mel● Lachlan Murdoch bourne.
COMPANIES, DIRECTOR FINED $78,000 OVER UNDERPAYMENTS
■ Two companies and their director have been fined a total of $78,600 over the underpayment of two staff at two Melbourne take-away food outlets. Turbo Cafe Watergardens Pty Ltd, which operates a Turbo Cafe at the Watergardens shoping centre at Taylors Lakes, as been fined $29,400. Turbo Cafe Point Cook Pty Ltd, which operated a cafe at the Point Cook Town Centre, was fined $39,000. Essendon North man Domenic Versace, owner-manager of both outlets at the time, was fined $13,200. The penalties, imposed by the Federal Magistrates’ Court, came about after an investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Appeal
Rumour Mill
Name change for radio co
● Bruce Mansfield
Whispers
Versace admitted being involved in underpaying two Turbo Cafe staff a total of $10,458 between November, 2008 and August, 2010. A full time counter-hand at the Point Cook outlet was underpaid $5682 and a casual waitress at the Taylors Lakes outlet was underpaid $4776. Both employees were aged in their early 20s at the time of the contraventions. Federal Magistrate Daniel O’Dwyer noted that companies op-
erated by Versace had previously been the subject of other substantiated underpayment complaints. “In my view the conduct, in all of the circumstances of this case, amounts to something more than reckless,” Federal Magistrate O’Dwyer said. “General deterrents are important in the present case as it is important to publicly denounce repeated contravening conduct. “There is a need, in my view, to send a message to the community at large, including small employers, that the correct entitlements of employees must be paid.” Fair Work inspectors discovered the underpayments when they investigated complaints lodged by the employees.
E-Mail: Confidential@MelbourneObserver.com.au
● Angela Lansbury ■ Two weeks ago, the Whispers column hinted that Angela Lansbury will be in Melbourne to play Driving Miss Daisy. It is being confirmed this week that the fiveweek season will begin at The Comedy Theatre on April 5. Publicity is being handled by JP Bolton.
88 charges ■ Haydn Young, 20, of Berwick, has pleaded guilty to 8 charges relating to arson and $30,000 criminal damage. Young has been placed on a community corrections order, after using amphetamines and cannabis. He must pay $21,111 compensation.