A private club with 5000 wines, rooftop terrace and seafood bar to open above Parliament Station
He will also instigate an oyster ageing program that will involve storing live oysters in a temperature-controlled room for two to three weeks to allow their flavour to develop.
'The food, though, is not about pushing any fine-dining boundaries. We just want the members to be happy,' he said.
The pair have been approached multiple times to open and run stand-alone restaurants in the last three years but, 'why would we? We have nothing to prove, we have done it, it's so all encompassing, we get more joy now from training up the next generation of staff,' Wild said.
With 140 staff to be employed at 67 Pall Mall, Benn said his aim is to nurture talent in Melbourne and to train chefs in the old-school basics of cooking like meat and fish butchery.
67 Pall Mall's first Club in London opened in December 2015, and has plans to open in Dubai, Shanghai, Bangkok and Tokyo. The Melbourne club will allow reciprocal membership and offers other lures such as wine storage for members, and masterclasses on subjects from chablis to wellbeing.
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Sydney Morning Herald
16-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Albanese says Taiwan ‘status quo' remains after questions on Chinese media report
'You're trying to quote a Chinese readout that I haven't seen,' Albanese said at a press conference on Wednesday in response to a question about his reported position. 'What we do is continue to support a one-China policy. We support the status quo. By definition. We don't support any unilateral action on Taiwan.' The status quo, in Australia's view, is that Taiwan should not declare independence unilaterally and China should not retake the island without negotiations. Later on Wednesday, Albanese travelled to Chengdu, a major city in Western China, that has a history of being more liberal than other parts of the country. There the prime minister met with local party officials and held a tennis event. On Thursday, Albanese will attend a medical technology industry lunch with dignitaries, including Australian Nobel laureate Professor Barry Marshall, and then tour a factory from Australian hearing implant company Cochlear. China is the world's largest manufacturer of high-tech devices, but research and technology ties between the country and the West have been strained by allegations of intellectual property theft and strategic tensions. In a speech to the lunch, Albanese will recall Bob Hawke's visit to Chengdu in 1986 when the Labor leader went to an Australian-owned circuit board factory. He will say that technology remains core to Australia's trade partnership with China and that both nations can improve by investing in research and manufacturing. 'This also depends on continuing to break down barriers by supporting the free and fair trade that enables Australian medtech companies to access the market here in China,' Albanese will say. While Albanese was touring Beijing this week, Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, was also in the city. Asked whether Australia's strategy of engaging with China through trade despite security issues was repeating Europe's approach before Russia invaded Ukraine, Albanese said the situations were different. 'I don't think you can translate one thing across some other part of the world of which Australia is not a participant,' Albanese said. He argued that Australia's ties with China went beyond trade to dialogue at summits and personal links. Loading Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin previously declared a 'no-limits' partnership between the nations, and China has been accused of assisting Russia's war effort in Ukraine. Chinese direct investment in Australia has slowed in recent years due to national security concerns about overseas influence in critical industries such as infrastructure and resources. China has been pushing to lower the barriers to entry mandated by Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board, which can block attempts at investment or reverse them, such as an order last year to push China-linked investors out of a critical minerals company in Western Australia. After the pair inspected Chinese troops dressed in immaculate dress uniforms, Li told a business roundtable attended by Albanese on Tuesday night that China was seeking fairness. Loading 'I trust that Australia will also treat Chinese enterprises fairly and also properly resolve the issues [of] market access and review,' he said. According to figures from consultancy KPMG and the University of Sydney, Chinese investment in Australia increased from $US613 million in 2023 to $US862 million in 2024. That is still significantly lower than 2008, when it reached $US16.2 billion, or even as recently as 2017, when it was $US10 billion. Against a backdrop of US President Donald Trump's mercurial tariff policies, Li positioned China as a force of stability in an unstable world. 'We hope that you will embrace openness and co-operation, no matter how the world changes,' Li said. 'The development of all countries is faced with new challenges. Given such circumstances, China and Australia, as important trade partners, should strengthen dialogue and co-operation.' Treasurer Jim Chalmers was noncommittal when asked last week about China's wish to speed up foreign investment reviews.
7NEWS
13-07-2025
- 7NEWS
Sharon left her home in California to live on a cruise ship for 15 years
When Sharon Lane stepped onto Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship in mid-June, she was flooded with feelings of joy and relief. This moment was the fulfillment of a dream a long time coming. 'I'm finally able to do what I've wanted to do for years,' she tells CNN Travel. For Lane, this is no brief cruise vacation. The 77-year-old Californian plans to be on this ship for the next 15 years, perpetually circumnavigating the world's oceans and stopping off at destinations from Japan to New Zealand. Villa Vie Odyssey is a 'residential' cruise ship, meaning passengers don't generally board for just a quick jaunt. Its cabins are sold on a permanent basis — or at least for the estimated 15-year lifetime of the Odyssey, which is a recently renovated, three-decade-old ship. 'I buy the cabin, I live in the cabin, and that's it. And then there's no end,' says Lane. Or at least that's the hope. Residential ships are still new territory for the cruise ship industry. While the Odyssey is currently sailing smoothly up the US West Coast, its initial launch was delayed by months. Meanwhile some passengers, including Lane, had already experienced the disappointment of an earlier long-term residential cruise collapsing before it even secured a boat. Living at sea Operated by cruise startup Villa Vie Residences, the Odyssey finally set sail at the end of September last year. There are still cabins available to purchase. Lane bought hers at the end of last year and boarded several months later, when the ship passed through her home port of San Diego, California. Villa Vie Residences' CEO Mikael Petterson says cabin prices start at $129,000 for an inside for 15 years, on top of which there are monthly fees — $2,000 per person per month for double occupancy, $3,000 for single. Outside cabins start at $169,000, with monthly fees rising $500 per person. These figures aren't cheap — but remain comparatively so in contrast to The World, the only other residential cruise ship experience currently at sea, which caters for a more luxury market with a starting price of $2.5 million. There are other residential ship projects in the works — such as NJORD, a self-described 'exclusive community at sea' — but they've yet to be realised. Odyssey's concept is also potentially cheaper than hopping from one shorter cruise voyage to another. Villa Vie owners can also rent their cabin out to others, which means short-term passengers can still come and go from Odyssey. But the majority of owners have purchased their cabin with the intention of living on board, according to the cruise company. 'Most of our cabins are sold to full-time or mostly full-time residents,' Petterson tells CNN Travel. 'I only know of a couple of residents who have investment cabins that they actively rent out. Most rentals come from owners who decide to stay off the ship for a period of time.' Much less expensive Lane says she used her life savings to purchase her interior cabin, but she sees this as a good deal. Food and soft drinks are included in residents' monthly fee. So is alcohol at dinner, Wi-Fi and medical visits (but not procedures or medicines). There's also 24/7 room service, weekly housekeeping and bi-weekly laundry service at no extra cost. 'I don't have to do my laundry anymore. I don't have to do grocery shopping,' says Lane. 'Living on the ship is much less expensive than living in Southern California.' Entertainment is also provided, including 'a singing duet, pianist, professional dancers,' according to Petterson. Local performers are booked at ports of call, and residents are also encouraged to host their own events at a regular 'speakers' corner'. 'Residents present every week,' Petterson says. 'We have a very diverse community including a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a White House chief of staff, an astronaut and many scientists and doctors onboard that share their knowledge and experiences.' Odyssey usually stops for a couple of days in each port, where optional shore excursions are organised for an additional fee. Throughout the course of its anticipated 15-year life span, the ship will continually circle the globe, calling at different locations with each circumnavigation. Lane says she is excited about the destinations, but being on the ship is her favourite part of cruising and she plans to spend most of her downtime on the deck. She says her windowless cabin is simply for sleeping. Her berth is 'toward the front of the ship, because I can feel the ocean more there,' she adds. 'I like the ocean motion.' The eight-deck Odyssey can 'technically' accommodate 924 people, according to Villa Vie's Petterson, but some cabins have now been combined into one, meaning 'about 450 cabins in total'. 'Given the solo rate and that residents often travel away from the ship, we don't expect more than 500 residents onboard at any given time,' he explains. 'I find that delightful,' Lane says. 'It's very roomy for the number of people.' In November 2024 Villa Vie said that 50 per cent of passengers in the first take-up were traveling solo. Today, Petterson confirms single travelers now make up 'close to 55 per cent' of those on board — Lane among them. Petterson says 80 per cent of Villa Vie Odyssey's owners are from the US and Canada, with Australia and New Zealand a close second. As a recent addition to the on-board community, Lane is enjoying meeting and mingling with her fellow residents. 'There's very, very few, if any, people on the ship who are not lifelong travelers,' she says. 'When you're with a group of people that think like you, life gets easier.' Rocky beginnings Villa Vie Odyssey was originally supposed to embark in mid-2024, but ended up stalled in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for four months, awaiting safety certification. When the vessel eventually set sail, Villa Vie contended with some cancelled ports and itinerary changes. Missed stop-offs in the Galapagos Islands, the Falklands in the South Atlantic and Antarctica led to some disappointment among passengers. 'Residents understand for the most part that we are doing something new and there will be occasional challenges but I think overall we are getting better,' says Petterson. Petterson blames cancelled ports on weather, red tape and logistical problems in destinations where smaller 'tender' vessels are needed to carry passengers ashore. 'Galapagos was not possible for us to go because you need 100 per cent Ecuadorian crew,' he says. 'Falklands was due to 50 knot winds.' Petterson says that in Antarctica, Villa Vie 'did not get the certificates in time and the weather did not allow for an exemption. We had some other missed tender ports where waves were simply not safe for tender operations.' Petterson suggests these teething problems will be overcome as Villa Vie Residences' gains more experience. He points out this is a kind of voyage never really attempted before. Villa Vie is currently building a custom walkway to link the ship and tender boats to reduce movement from waves and swell. This, says Petterson, will 'greatly reduce these missed ports'. 'We have a very capable itinerary planner who plans about a year ahead,' Petterson adds. 'It is an extremely difficult task as there is really nobody that has done this sort of itinerary before so it is challenging to understand all regulations in every region of the world. However, we are learning a tremendous amount.' To make up for the missed ports, a new segment has been added to the cruise 'which offers everything that was missed in 2024, including Antarctica, Falklands, Greenland, and northern Europe,' according to Petterson. This will involve an extended stay in the Argentine port of Ushuaia, on the southern tip of South America. 'This time we are spending an entire month in Ushuaia, giving us plenty of opportunity to work with the weather to make sure we hit the Falklands and Antarctica,' he adds. 'We learned that the weather down there is highly unpredictable so giving us this flexibility will ensure an amazing customer experience.' Lane says she's relieved to have missed much of the Odyssey's early drama and is confident that Villa Vie had enough time to 'work out the kinks' by the time she joined in mid-June. 'I don't want complications in my life, you know, I'm at a point in my life where I want simplicity,' she says. Long journey Lane has, however, experienced first-hand some of the uncertainties of the nascent years-long cruising industry. She was among hundreds of passengers who committed thousands of dollars toward a three-year-long cruise voyage planned by a start-up called Life at Sea. After repeated postponements, that project collapsed, with management company Miray Cruises never actually managing to secure a ship to host the voyage. Lane got a refund, but by then had given up her rental lease and sold many of her belongings. When the cruise dream collapsed, she moved into a retirement village in Orange County, California, where she felt stagnant. 'The whole two years I was there, I was looking for someplace else to go … I wasn't settled. I didn't feel settled. Because it wasn't the life I wanted,' says Lane. Lane explains she wasn't aware of the progress with Villa Vie Residences until the Odyssey made headlines when it finally set sail in fall 2024. She was immediately sold. Her reaction, she says, was just two words: 'Holy cow.' 'I called them up and I gave them money the same day,' recalls Lane. Petterson, who worked for Life at Sea until departing in a management schism, says about half of the passengers let down by Life at Sea have followed him to his new company. 'We have about half of them on the Odyssey,' he says. Those who purchase long-term cabins on Odyssey do have the option to sell up should circumstances change. Lane says she currently hopes to see out the full 15 years at sea, finally living her dream life. 'There's no end,' she says. 'Sure, in 15 years … but in 15 years, I'll be ready for a home … Or maybe, at the end, I'll go on their next ship … I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.' 'Being on a ship deck, that's my happy place,' Lane adds. 'Whenever the weather is good, I will be on that deck. And when the weather isn't quite good, I'll bundle up and be on that deck, because that is my happy place. You can stand there, you can sit there, you can chat with people, you can read a book. You have the ocean breeze, you have sea air.'
Sky News AU
02-07-2025
- Sky News AU
‘It's not going to happen': Labor Party criticised for costly renewable goals
One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson discusses BlueFloat Energy considering selling off its Victorian project. 'It's not going to happen, and businesses are going under, industries and manufacturing are going under, the normal household can't pay their bills,' Ms Hanson told Sky News host Danica De Giorgio. 'Is going to cost the taxpayers … huge amounts of money.'
