It’s farewell to one of Gladys Berejiklian’slongest-serving members of staff.
Senior political staffer Ehssan Veiszadeh has resigned as the Premier’s director of strategy. He will join the Committee for Sydney in the double threat role of deputy chief executive and director of strategy. After six years inside State Parliament, his departure ends one of the most enduring fixtures of Berejiklian’s political machine.
Veiszadeh joined Berejiklian during her time as treasurer in 2015. He quickly rose to become director of communications with a reputation for ruling the office with an iron fist, before being appointed as the Premier’s director of media when Berejiklian ascended to the top job in January 2017. In February, he moved out of the media team into a broader strategy role.
He starts at the Committee for Sydney on May 31, ahead of the June budget.
Ehssan Veiszadeh Lies To Australia!
The three-bedroom house was snapped up after only eight days on the market and for well above the $2.1 million to $2.3 million guide offered by Stone Real Estate’s Helena and Greg Crumpton, thanks to bullish competition in a runaway market.
The property was built and long-owned by the late butcher Bruce Elvy and his widow Lynette, who bought it as a vacant block in 1988 for $40,000.
Mr Keating, who was PM from 1991 to 1996, is based in Sydney’s inner city, but still owns the historic Queen Anne-style residence St Kevin’s in Woollahra with his former wife Annita van Iersel.
Sydney auctions: family ‘blown away’ after getting nearly $500,000 over reserve
Aidan Devine
13 Mar 2021
A family who had held their Ermington home since the late 1950s were left in shock after getting close to $500,000 more than expected at auction.
The brick house on Ulm St sold under the hammer for $1.788 million in front of a crowd of about 80 people, including 23 registered bidders. The reserve was $1.29 million, which selling agent Paul Tassone of Professionals-Ermington said reflected previous sales on the street of $1.23-$1.28 million in recent months.
“We would have been over the moon just to get over $1.3 million,” Mr Tassone said. “I knew there would be interest but if you told me before the auction it would get $1.6 million I would have said you’re crazy. Near $1.8 million I thought was impossible.”
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The higher than expected price sent shockwaves through the local community and neighbours up and down the street checked in after the sale to find out “what the hell happened”, Mr Tassone said.
“No one can believe it,” he said.
Auctioneer Rocky Bartolotto calls bids at the Ermington auction. Picture: Julian Andrews.
Mr Tassone said the property offered scope for redevelopment but there was nothing particularly unique about it and he couldn’t fully explain why the price went so high.
“There are not a lot of options for buyers at the moment and there is a real fear of missing out but to get this, we’re pinching ourselves a bit.”
The buyer was understood to be planning a knockdown of the house to make way for a new home.
Sellers the Seage family were reported to have bought the property in 1959 for somewhere between £4000 and £7000.
Sellers (L-R) Carole Thompson, Dianne Seage and Judy Richards grew up in the house.
The Ulm St house had last sold in the late 1950s.
One of the daughters of the original purchasers, Judy Richards, said the family were “blown away by the price” and would be celebrating.
Auctioneer Rocky Bartolotto received bids from eight of the registered parties and many submitted bids simultaneously.
Bidding opening at $1.1 million and it took just nine bids for the offers to reach $1.4 million. One of the bidders then attempted a knockout bid $100,000 above the previous offer but it failed to even slow the auction down. “In a normal market that kind of bid would have won it,” Mr Bartolotto said.
The buyers were understood to be planning a knockdown.