There was plenty of hype attracting local influencers to Karrinyup for Perth’s biggest event of 2025, the opening of a lingerie shop.
But many walked out of the new Victoria’s Secret store in the beachside postcode empty handed.
Marketers for the luxury brand had been doing their best to pump up hopes famed supermodel Candice Swanepoel would grace our shores for promotional purposes.
Ever fascinated by entrepreneurial success stories, The Bull would have happily been at the front of the queue to interview the angel about her fashion company, Tropic of C.
But alas Swanepoel was not available.
Neither apparently were the gift bags promised to attendees. Sad! Victoria’s Secret must be getting into the swing of Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ budget cutting season — although at least the American chain is probably more effective.
Despite the austerity, some of the most prominent Insta glam attendees secured $150 gift vouchers, which The Bull suspects would not cover much. Neither, of course, does the lacey underwear.
Among the Perthonalities who did make the attendance list were City of Stirling mayor Mark Irwin and Insta famous Grace Piscopo, with local models Stella Mayne and Sarsha Chisholm walking the cat walk.
The ASX’s post-slap siesta
One might think minions at the ASX would be on red alert for compliance boo boos one day after ASIC slapped the share market operator with an unprecedented $150 million fine for repeated failures in carrying out its responsibilities.
One of its main responsibilities is ensuring a company lodges material (i.e. makes its share price move) announcements to the ASX platform prior to being inscribed on fish and chips wrapping.
That wasn’t the case on Tuesday, when intricate details of Alicanto Minerals’ $65m purchase of the Mt Henry gold mine from Westgold Resources appeared in the AFR’s Street Talk before an ASX announcement had been lodged.
Alicanto was in a trading halt when the news hit, but Westgold wasn’t.
Westgold belatedly submitted the news to the exchange the next day and its share price gains outpaced all its peers, usually a sure-fire sign the news was material.
But executives at the St Georges Terrace-based miner need not lose any sleep because an ASX lackey didn’t think there were any problems when contacted by a HOTT operative.
Righto then.
More leaves than a tree
If the looming new year has any avid HOTT readers itching for a change, have we got a vacant job posting for you.
With Adam Haynes off to perform the dark arts of spin for model corporate citizen Commonwealth Bank, the family office of separated billionaires Andrew and Nicola Forrest is seeking a new chief fla — sorry, communications director.
Ideal applicant must be prepared to field questions about romantic dalliances in Paris.
Preference will be given to candidates bedecked in RM Williams and Akubra.
But don’t drive a petrol car to the interview or you’ll end up with your head on a spike.
Cook-ing the books
Buried deep in the State Government’s Thursday budget update was the shock revelation that inflation is on the way up. Who would have thought?
Not Premier Roger Cook, who spent last summer with ink pot and quill in hand writing missives to Reserve Bank boss Michele Bullock urging interest rate cuts. Grist for the mill and fuel for the cost of living fire.
At least he can count, however, which is more than we might say for some opposition members.
Fresh projections now show consumer prices will rise 3.25 per cent in Perth this financial year, up from 2.75 per cent at budget time.
It all seemed a little on the low side to The Bull, given the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics number was 4.3 per cent.
Fear not, it came with a foot note. The forecasts are “excluding the electricity sub-index as a result of the Household Electricity Credit provided across the State”.
Those are the same credits which the government previously feted for their role reducing headline inflation, so we guess they’ll claim the effect when it suits them.
Fascinating mindsets.
Heart to heart
A bitter blue between two elite medicos is shifting from the operating room to the (Supreme) court room.
Cardiothoracic surgeon Kaushalendra Rathore lodged the claim against fellow medical maestro Pragnesh Joshi on Tuesday alleging defamation since December 2024.
Both doctors are specialists in operating on hearts, lungs an other chest organs. The Bull winces at the thought.
The dispute centres on allegations that Joshi said and wrote negative things about Rathore’s skills and professionalism as a surgeon, and he’s seeking damages plus a ruling to stop future republishing of the material.
Joshi could not be reached for comment on Friday.
It’s all out war in theatre! You can expect this battle to be a modern mash between 90s smash ER — which starred George Clooney — and beloved court drama Boston Legal — featuring William Shatner and James Spader.
Or it’ll just be settled and you’ll never hear of it again. The Bull bets on the latter.
