Another Cosmo, please?

In a quiet and rather unceremonious fashion, Cosmopolitan Australia has closed its doors once more. This comes less than two years after its relaunch, leaving many nostalgic for the days when the magazine’s sealed sections were a staple of youthful curiosity and exploration.

Businesswoman Katarina Kroslakova, at the helm of KK Press, entered into a partnership with Hearst Magazines in 2024 to bring back the iconic women’s magazine in Australia. KK Press is also known for publishing the local edition of T: The New York Times Style Magazine, among other niche publications. However, this venture came to an abrupt halt recently when the licensing agreement dissolved.

The end of this partnership slipped by without public acknowledgment from either party. Industry insiders only realized the closure when attempts to visit the Cosmo Australia website led them straight to the U.S. version. It was a digital disappearance, marked only by a quiet redirection.

On New Year’s Day, a notice surfaced, stating: “Looking for Cosmopolitan Australia? Our time working with KK Press has come to a close, but our commitment to Australia hasn’t changed.” These words serve as a bittersweet farewell, hinting at the magazine’s enduring legacy.

Since its inception in 1965, Cosmopolitan has been a guiding force for readers, delving into themes of love, relationships, style, and pop culture. It has been a companion in helping individuals uncover their identities and passions. Despite the closure of its Australian edition, the brand’s influence remains a testament to its lasting impact.

‘Since 1965, Cosmopolitan has been a trusted guide on love, relationships, style, and pop culture, helping readers discover who they are and what they love.

‘As we work to find a new partner, you can continue to enjoy Cosmopolitan’s U.S. content – with the same trusted voice and cultural perspective – and we look forward to sharing what’s next.’

So, what went wrong? We can’t say for sure, but what we do know is that Cosmo didn’t exactly have a stellar reputation for paying freelance contributors on time – which isn’t usually a sign of a healthy operation.

Inside Mail understands that one journalist who wrote for multiple issues in 2024 wasn’t paid for her work for more than six months, and was owed close to $12,000.

It wasn’t until she threatened to take KK Press to the small claims court that one payment was made – which came directly from Ms Kroslakova’s personal account.

When the freelancer sent another email to say there was a large amount of money still outstanding, an assistant claimed she’d had a ‘personal emergency’. The reporter again followed up by saying she would seek legal recourse and – lo and behold – the final amount was swiftly paid from the same personal bank account within an hour.

So how deep were the money troubles? Inside Mail understands that Cosmo was selling well, but the commercial demand from brands just wasn’t there.

The only silver lining is there have been no redundancies with the magazine’s closure as the five full-time employees at KK Press work across its various profitable titles.

As for whispers of tension between Hearst and KK Press over the mag’s editorial direction – we heard there were a few less‑than‑loved covers – an insider shrugged it off, saying there’s always friction between licensors and licensees in publishing. 

Previously part of Bauer Media Australia (RIP), Cosmopolitan shuttered in 2018 after 45 years in Australia, only to have its corpse reanimated by KK after a six-year hiatus.

Previous Cosmo editors include a Who’s Who of media, such as magazine legend Pat Ingram, Mamamia founder Mia Freedman, and Sarah ‘I Quit Sugar’ Wilson.

Ms Kroslakova told Inside Mail on Wednesday: ‘We have ceased publishing Cosmopolitan Magazine in Australia and will continue to focus on creating premium lifestyle content and expanding our growing custom publishing division.

‘While the team produced high-quality content and strong readership, advertising support for this brand did not reach the level required for long-term commercial sustainability.

‘This decision reflects the growing opportunity in premium and custom publishing, where brands are increasingly investing in deeper, more meaningful audience engagement. We are well-positioned to capitalise on this momentum and drive growth in 2026.’

Made to be broken

What’s that old saying about rules?

Inside Mail has heard staff grumblings within Are Media about Who magazine launching a pop-culture podcast titled The WHO Group Chat, co-hosted by the outlet’s new editor Lyndsey Rodrigues.

You see, long-suffering Park Street staff have vivid memories of a ‘no podcast rule’ being imposed during an all-hands staff meeting a year or so ago.

One complaint was ‘they’re too expensive’ – a curious argument given that most pods these days start in bedrooms with a pair of cheap Amazon microphones.

We understand that weary journos have been pitching podcasts to management for years – including during the previous leadership under Bauer Media – only for their ideas to fall on deaf ears.

They were also told they couldn’t start their own personal podcasts – although exceptions were made on occasion.

CEO Jane Huxley, who previously worked for Spotify and Pandora, ‘always said podcasts are a waste of time,’ sighed one ex-staffer.

But much like the rest of the media industry waking up to the potential of podcasts, the company has shifted strategies in recent months.

Not only have they launched The WHO Group Chat, but they now have a significant partnership with ARN to create cross-platform podcasts. What a difference a year makes!

An Are Media spokesperson told Inside Mail: ‘As Australia’s podcasting audience has grown and matured, Are Media has pivoted into the space and in November we were proud to announce a number of new podcasts from our leading brands including: Marie Claire, The Australian Women’s Weekly, Home Beautiful and WHO.

‘We see this as a natural extension of the conversation that readers, and now listeners, come to us for each and every week.’

Settling scores

Speaking of Are Media, an anonymous poison-pen email has been doing the rounds this week, painting a grim picture of the alleged goings-on at the publisher behind titles such as Woman’s Day, New Idea and TV Week as its parent company, Mercury Capital, tries to find a buyer. 

The email – the content of which has been corroborated by our Park Street sources and whose author shows extremely deep insider knowledge – sketches a bleak scene.

A revolving door of execs, failed digital projects, a newsroom exodus, and disastrous acquisitions like the abandoned e-commerce platform ‘Hard to Find’ have reportedly seen millions of dollars evaporate and key talent rush for the exit.

The letter leaves few senior staff spared, but to name them here or list their alleged professional missteps would be an invitation to be sued, so we’ll hold our tongue.

However, the insider did optimistically single out a few members of the ‘old guard’ who they claim are just about holding the business together after years of upheaval.

They include finance chief Marena Paul, Director of Operations Ian McHutchison, technology lead Daniel Tisi and content boss Sally Eagle (who Inside Mail readers may remember for her stirring speech to the working mothers on staff during a town hall meeting: ‘I’m a mum of four and I get up at 4am every day!’)

Still, the source believes that despite these veterans’ best efforts, Huxley just can’t lead the company out of its death spiral. While she is undeniably impressive as a keynote speaker, they say the firm’s fading fortunes speak for themselves.

They also lamented the seasoned talent at Park Street – people with decades of institutional knowledge – who might have spoken inconvenient truths and helped steer Are Media into calmer waters, had they not left or been pushed out. They include the likes of Sarah‑Belle Murphy, Nicole Byers, Lisa Green, Fiona Connolly, and Fiona Baker. 

The author also stated that director of sales Andrew Cook chose to resign last year instead of staying aboard what he apparently saw as a ‘sinking ship’. His departure reportedly followed a review of the ad sales team by a consultant known to staff as French Alex (ooh-la-la), whose restructuring recommendations Cook disagreed with but who is said to have the enthusiastic support of Huxley.

Meanwhile, the looming sale of Are Media’s titles has inspired much speculation, both in and outside the business.

The company maintains its wish to sell its entire stable of magazines as a package, but the email’s author predicts a ‘garage sale’ of individual brands in 2026.

Are Media wouldn’t dignify the anonymous email with a response, but did, again, emphasise that the titles are for sale as a package, not individually. 

‘As previously stated, the company is currently exploring options for the business as a whole and has no plans to sell individual assets,’ a spokesperson said.

Shaking with regret

Crikey’s annual list of media Movers and Shakers is our guilty pleasure at Inside Mail.

It’s a great opportunity for Australia’s most prominent journalists to air grievances and wax lyrical about the stories they claim ‘matter’ – which are almost always the opposite of the stories they commission in their newsrooms!

Still, one flash of raw, unpretentious honesty stopped us in our tracks.

Asked which 2025 story deserved more attention, News.com.au’s star columnist Mary Madigan nominated a Daily Mail piece on the Erin Patterson trial, which concluded with a candid admission from the reporter about his personal life.

‘Incredible. No notes,’ she told Crikey’s Daanyal Saeed. We agree!

It was only after Saeed’s article was published – stacked with solemn responses from the industry’s most noble voices – that Madigan realised she’d ‘misread the vibe’.

What other yarns did her colleagues suggest deserved more eyeballs? The AEC. Welfare. The Gaza crisis. Fossil fuel industry lobbyists. The South Australian algal bloom. Australia’s F-35 exports to Israel.

All worthy sagas, for sure – but clearly with none of the drama of Daily Mail’s peerless mushroom murders coverage.

We know you love the Mail, Mary. You don’t have to feel embarrassed.

The day the music died 

It was a black Christmas for Australia’s music industry professionals with layoffs impacting Sony Music over the holidays.

As first reported by The Music, Sony let go marketing director Clayton Doughty, veteran publicist Bronwyn Tasker, and publicity and radio co-ordinator Kate Hunter the week before Christmas in a move that would make the Grinch wince.

Doughty first joined the company 31 years ago. A well-placed source tells us they were talking to him about a promotion just one week before he was axed. Ouch. 

In addition to the three senior figures mentioned, Inside Mail can reveal that promotions manager Annette Gevert, who joined the company in 2020, is gone too.

Senior Director of Publicity and Promotions Kate Bonanno is also out, per the Music Network, moving to become the ‘day-to-day manager’ of folk duo Angus and Julia Stone.

We’ve heard the changes weren’t limited to Sony Music Australia either, with Warner also restructuring its local team before Christmas. It’s unclear who’s been shown the door, but an optimistic press release trumpeted several ‘strategic promotions’.

It comes six months after a Warner Music Group spokesman said the firm’s global restructure would have ‘no immediate impact’ on Australasia, adding: ‘We remain committed to our mission to make our global artists local and our local artists global.’

That’s not what we’re hearing from inside the bunker.

Word is the days of Australia being a significant outpost for major labels are over due to the supposed diminished appetite for local artists.

One spy tells us: ‘The majors aren’t investing in new local artists anymore so don’t need the staff.’

Another added: ‘In a few years’ time, it wouldn’t surprise me if those once-great music labels were reduced to a small office in Sydney with six people keeping tabs on the streaming numbers.’

A right royal backflip

There are only two certainties in Australian politics: the sun will rise, and our Prime Minister will eventually discover the value of a royal commission… after insisting, belligerently, that a royal commission was a terrible idea.

This week’s performance has been the full decathlon: a firm no, followed by ‘not now’, then ‘we’re listening’, then ‘we’re considering’, followed by some very serious people writing a very serious letter, followed by the classic finale: ‘I’ve always said we need to get this right.’

All evidence to the contrary on that last one!

The trick is the rhetorical yoga. When pressured, Anthony Albanese doesn’t simply ‘change his mind’ – he updates his position to align with the new reality party polling is revealing.

Voters know politicians are guided by self-interest above almost anything else. Albo is shifting on holding a royal commission into the Bondi atrocity because his political survival requires it.

Is that leadership, or limping towards finally doing what we all want him to do?

A Burke resignation over Bondi? Don’t count on it

Is Immigration Minister Tony Burke about to resign from Labor’s front bench?

Behind the scenes, he’s been advising Albo not to call a royal commission. Publicly, he’s explained why, warning that a royal commission into Bondi and the antisemitism that fuelled it would ‘provide a public platform for some of the worst statements and worst voices’.

Given just how concerned Burke is about the dire effects of Albo doing a backflip, he will have to resign on principle surely? Here at Inside Mail, we know that Burke is nothing else if not principled… right?

Burke has long been Albo’s arbitrage against a Jim Chalmers succession. While the public barely knows who Burke is, in Albo Land he’s a cross-factional ally who serves a useful purpose preventing the Queensland Treasurer from getting too ahead of himself.

While Burke has been a loud and proud opponent of a royal commission – publicly and privately – don’t expect him to be loud or proud in standing by that judgement if it costs him his ministerial career, or his place in the frontbench pecking order.

Is that where all of his moral posturing ultimately lands? How inspiring.

Choosing beggars

In a creative arts landscape where entry-level roles are increasingly being replaced by AI, Inside Mail was heartened to see a job listing this week for a young social media whiz to work the red carpet at the upcoming AACTA Awards.

Except… it’s not a paid gig at all. They’re strictly after a volunteer. But at least it will feel professional – because ‘event content experience’ is preferred.

Several arty types sent us screenshots of the Instagram call-out – and we shared their outrage: filming, editing and curating social media content for a red carpet event is a professional task that deserves payment.

As anyone who entered the media game in the long shadow of the GFC will tell you, there was once an unspoken rule: you’d work for free to ‘get a foot in the door’ before landing your first proper job.

But that expectation is finally being scrapped as the industry wakes up to how exploitative it is.

The organisers of the AACTA Awards – scheduled for February 6 on the Gold Coast – clearly feel differently.

When contacted for comment this week, a spokesperson said: ‘As a not-for-profit organisation, each year we look for opportunities across different departments to open our doors to passionate, local and emerging talent seeking hands-on experience in a live event environment.

‘We recognise that TV and film can be a challenging industry to break into, and we are committed to creating pathways that welcome people from all walks of life, who may not otherwise have the opportunity to gain this type of experience.

‘Volunteers play an important role in helping us deliver the [AACTA] Festival, but we take great care to ensure these opportunities are appropriate and aimed to foster learning and inclusion.’

Still, the ‘job’ listing has left a sour taste in certain mouths given the eye-watering salaries enjoyed by the organisation’s top brass and the fact AACTA members say they are expected to fork out $615 to attend.

‘It’s in a theatre and doesn’t even include a meal. What are we actually paying for? Plus, we have to get to the Gold Coast!’ one disgruntled member told Inside Mail.

Elephant in the drugstore 

The biggest question hanging over infomercial queen Jo Silvagni at the end of last year was whether Chemist Warehouse would stick by her after her youngest son Tom was unmasked as a convicted rapist.

To be clear: nobody is suggesting a parent is responsible for their adult child’s crimes – but the optics weren’t great.

Tom had spent more than a year fighting to keep his name suppressed, with the family hiring top‑tier lawyers in a bid to keep the saga out of the headlines, until the order was finally lifted in December. Then there were reports that Jo had stared at her son’s victim while he was sentenced.

Chemist Warehouse wouldn’t comment when we chased them for a straight answer last month. Now a week into the New Year, Jo’s absence from our screens is fast becoming the elephant in the discount aisle.

And who has stepped into her place? Former Australian Diamonds captain Laura Geitz.

For our Queensland readers, this isn’t news at all. Geitz has been doing their ads for years in the Sunshine State. But now the celebrated netballer is being rolled out into New South Wales and Victoria, effectively replacing the Silvagni matriarch.

Is it a temporary ‘resting’ until the messy business with Tom settles down? Or something more permanent? We asked what’s on in the Warehouse and they ‘politely declined to comment at this time’. That’s not a denial…

Sloane Ranger’s shadow cabinet

NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane has unveiled the shadow cabinet she’ll take to the 2027 state election, complete with a few surprises and some casualties.

The Sloane Ranger didn’t hesitate to swing the axe, cutting Liberals Robyn Preston, Aileen McDonald, Mark Taylor and Adam Crouch.

If those names don’t ring a bell, don’t worry – you’re not missing much.

Nationals veteran Geoff Provest, the Tweed MP, is also gone, and Inside Mail hears he is now weighing retirement after nearly two decades in Parliament.

The refreshed line-up shows Sloane isn’t afraid to share the spotlight.

One of her most headline-grabbing picks is Upper House MLC Chris Rath, dubbed ‘Australia’s first twink leader’ on social media – a title we hear Rath is a fan of.

Rath now holds the keys to Housing and Arts, the latter once helmed by his friend and predecessor Don Harwin.

Rath’s hardline pro-housing stance signals the Liberals are gearing up to make housing a major campaign battleground.

Sloane has stacked her team with camera-ready moderates like Jacqui Munro and James Wallace, while throwing conservatives a lifeline by resurrecting Lane Cove stalwart Anthony Roberts, who was one of the most vocal critics of the previous leadership.

Inside Mail previously revealed Roberts’ leaked group chat meltdown over a Young Liberals video starring Sky News motormouth Freya Leach‘s husband and youth wing president Cooper Gannon, declaring simply: ‘We are f**ked.’ 

Another conservative, Epping MP Monica Tudehope, has scored a promotion, joining the frontbench alongside her father, Liberal Upper House Leader Damien Tudehope.

And in a rare show of unity for the NSW Liberals, Sloane has even brought back Mark Speakman, the man she ousted to become leader, appointing him Shadow Education Minister.

Speakman’s rapid return after the longest slow-motion leadership spill in history signals the Liberals are patched up and ready for battle.

Liberal insiders were upbeat about the reshaped team, telling Inside Mail it’s a fresh mix of millennial MPs and seasoned former ministers, drawing a sharp contrast with what they branded Labor’s lineup of ‘Karens and union hacks’.

It’s just the latest shake-up following a string of bold moves by Sloane.

She’s already dismantled Speakman’s former office, long a target of internal criticism, and reversed the Coalition’s hardline opposition to the Government’s workers’ compensation reforms.

That previous refusal to back the laws sparked outrage among business groups and left party insiders and MPs seething as donations began to dry up.

Whether it will be enough to take on Chris Minns and Labor remains to be seen.

Inside Mail hears Labor HQ is still scrambling for an attack line against Sloane, made tougher by weeks of bipartisan praise for her and Minns after the Bondi Beach terrorist attack.

Travel scandal ends with a whimper 

Remember that Anika Wells furore last year? It feels like a lifetime ago.

After weeks of headlines about who flew where, with whom, and on whose dime, the government has discovered a radical solution: make politicians’ family travel slightly less fabulously.

It’s the kind of reform that can only be born in Canberra: the rules for politicians are written by politicians, reviewed after public outrage, and then adjusted just enough to sound like a crackdown while preserving the basic principle that politics is hard and therefore deserves many, many perks.

Under the new rules, partners only get to fly economy class, narrowing family entitlements and saving taxpayers some coin. The language is surgical, as though we’re talking about a careful public-policy intervention rather than what should be the obvious move: don’t expense ski trips and trips to the tennis and football finals.

And then you have the beautiful symbolism of repayments when wrongdoings occur. Not a resignation, not even a real admission of wrongdoing – just a carefully worded statement that includes paying back some misused funds.

Which reminds us that a few weeks ago we told you about Wells’ promise to look into whether her important parliamentary business in Adelaide was booked in before or after she was invited to a mate’s birthday celebrations.

Having promised to get to the bottom of it, she still hasn’t – perhaps because like so many other pollies, her snout is too buried in the trough to get anything else done!

Australia Day circlejerk

In what scholars are calling a ‘big moment for the obvious’, a project backed by taxpayers will explore the Australia Day debate.

You know, that topic that has been argued over at every workplace, council chamber, newsroom and family BBQ for the past decade at least.

Still, the powers that be must be confident that throwing another $1.5million at research will bring the debate to a scholarly ending – right?

The comic beauty of this extraordinary waste of money is that everyone already knows where they stand on this issue – and there’s no right or wrong viewpoint, just differences of opinion.

We’re not short on opinions about January 26. Instead, we’re short on the one thing no grant can buy: a political class willing to stop using the date as a culture-war vending machine.

But maybe that’s the point. Research won’t end the argument; it will add footnotes to the yelling, graphs to the outrage, and a neat little bibliography for people who believe the problem with Australia Day discourse is that it lacks a proper literature review.

Liberals take sides on Groth

Deputy Leader of the Victorian Liberals Sam Groth stunned the party this week by announcing he wouldn’t recontest his seat of Nepean at the November election.

And he didn’t bother sugar‑coating why.

Groth, a former tennis star, blamed ‘relentless public pressure’ that he says spilled onto his family – pressure that, he made clear, was coming from inside his own tent.

‘When you find yourself having to fight against your own team, it becomes impossible to put those interests first,’ he said.

There’s certainly no lost love between Groth and the Institute of Public Affairs’ director of public policy Gideon Rozner, a loud and proud Jess Wilson ally.

Rozner delivered what might be the bluntest post‑mortem of Groth’s political career yet, taking to X to declare the resignation ‘actually a blessing in disguise’.

‘Groth was a political amateur who drifted into parliament off the vapours of past sporting achievements. He didn’t have the chops to be an MP, let alone deputy leader,’ Rozner wrote, in a post that has now been deleted.

He added that the move opened the door to ‘a much more effective deputy and better MP for Nepean. Onwards to November!’

Inside Mail hears Rozner isn’t alone. Plenty of Liberals quietly share that view.

Groth – a star recruit in 2022, albeit without a political background – had once been floated as a future leader. He made no secret of his aspirations to be premier.

Instead, after just two years as deputy, he’s bowing out.

Others, however, are siding with Groth.

They tell Inside Mail the saga is yet another example of messy internal politics scaring off the sort of normal, non‑career candidates that the Liberals desperately need.

Groth’s office declined to comment.