Julie Bishop got her revenge on ex-boyfriend David Panton after he turned up at Virgin’s ultra-VIP lounge only to discover she had revoked his access.
Panton, 61, broke up with the former foreign minister over dinner at a restaurant on Sydney’s Circular Quay on July 1, just a week after the couple enjoyed a soirée with Prince Charles in London.
Panton, a property developer and Covid RAT test businessman, then revealed their split in a newspaper gossip column four days later, with Bishop said to be blindsided at the way her lover of eight years pulled the pin so suddenly.
But Ms Bishop appears to have had the last laugh, the Australian Financial Review’s Rear Window column reports.
David Panton dumped Julie Bishop over dinner on July 1, just a week after the couple, pictured at Victoria’s famed Portsea Polo in 2019, enjoyed a soirée with Prince Charles in London
She appears to have had the last laugh after Panton turned up at Virgin’s Beyond lounge last month with a valid access card with a distant expiry date, only to be told his profile had been ‘disassociated’ from that of the primary Beyond member, ex Bishop
When hearing about her ex’s embarrassing moment, Bishop is reported to have told friends he faces a similar reaction at the exclusive Qantas Chairman’s Lounge
Panton reportedly turned up at Virgin’s Beyond lounge last month with a valid access card and a distant expiry date, only to be told his profile had been ‘disassociated’ from that of the primary Beyond member, his ex, Ms Bishop.
Panton is said to have been aggrieved by the snub, other members of the lounge claimed. But he told columnist Joe Aston he was unbothered by the Virgin downgrade.
‘It was no trouble at all,’ he said. ‘I was more than happy to be downgraded to the [regular] club.’
Told of Panton’s awkward downgrade, Ms Bishop said: ‘Wait until he finds out about the [Qantas] Chairman’s Lounge.’
Panton said he would not be attempting to get into the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge.
Daily Mail Australia has approached Virgin Australia and Qantas for comment.
The spat marks a less than fairytale end to a relationship that dominated headlines in Australia for years.
Then US First Lady Melania Trump assumed Panton was Australia’s foreign minister when the couple attended a UN meeting in 2017, according to Bishop. Left to right: Panton, Bishop, Donald Trump and Melania Trump
The pair had been together just a week ago at St James’s Palace in London, having dinner with Prince Charles for an event honouring his charity
Bishop was understood to have been ‘blindsided’ by the sudden breakdown of her relationship, sources close to the former politician said.
Daily Mail Australia understands she had been finding more ways to be in Sydney with Panton before he broke it off with her.
Bishop emerged for the first time since the split smiling happily for photos at a Perth mining conference on July 11, although insiders said she was hurting in the wake of the bust-up and was shocked at the way he’d pulled the pin so suddenly.
Another source close to Bishop was slightly less diplomatic about the sudden end to the affair, hinting that Panton’s presence in her inner circle ‘divided’ some of her friends and colleagues.
Meanwhile, the 66-year-old recently insisted to Daily Mail Australia that she is the ‘last person to give advice’ to anybody about breakups and said she is ‘content’ and ‘fulfilled’ with her life in Perth.
Panton was sometimes described as Bishop’s ‘handbag’ during their eight years together as he was regularly photographed smiling by her side at sparkling social gatherings, while barely saying a word in public.
He was largely unknown when he first appeared with Bishop at the 2014 Melbourne Cup, a year after the prime minister Tony Abbott appointed her minister for foreign affairs.
They had been introduced by Bishop’s close friend and retired Liberal politician Bruce Baird and shared an interest in fitness and health.
A seemingly never-ending round of glamorous outings followed – including repeated invitations to marquees at Flemington racecourse, opening nights and fashion shows.
Together the couple attended AFL grand finals and Melbourne’s famed Portsea Polo – where Bishop once also carried a $7,350 Louis Vuitton Petite Malle handbag.
There were seats next to Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour at the Australian Open, and a prime position to watch Carlton play West Coast with then US vice-president Joe Biden at the MCG.
Panton even sat next to Bishop at meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in front of some of the world’s most powerful leaders in 2015.
The pair spent the last night of that year at Melbourne’s Crown casino where they were photographed with James Packer before the billionaire’s then girlfriend Mariah Carey performed.
Two years later then US First Lady Melania Trump assumed Panton was Australia’s foreign minister when the couple attended another UN meeting, according to Bishop.
Vogue editor Anna Wintour, actor Nicole Kidman, Julie Bishop, singer Keith Urban and David Panton are pictured left to right at the Australian Open in 2019
David Panton is pictured left with Julie Bishop and then US vice-president Joe Biden at an AFL game between Carlton and West Coast at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2016
Panton even sat next to Bishop at meeting of the UN General Assembly in front of some of the world’s most powerful leaders in 2015. Panton and Bishop and pictured at that meeting
Bishop and Paton spent New Year’s Eve 2015 at Melbourne’s Crown casino where they were photographed with James Packer before the billionaire’s then girlfriend Mariah Carey performed. Bishop, Panton and Packer are pictured
For most of their relationship Bishop lived in Perth, where she worked as a lawyer before entering parliament, while Panton stayed on Sydney’s northern beaches.
She never nominated him as her official ‘partner’, which would mean disclosing his financial interests on the parliamentary register as is required for MPs’ spouses and those with whom they are in de facto relationships.
Panton was, however, Bishop’s ‘nominated person’ entitled to taxpayer-funded domestic travel when he accompanied her on intrastate and interstate trips.
In 2018 it was reported Bishop had claimed $32,000 in travel for Panton over the previous three years.
The woman known as ‘J-Bish’ – and less gently as ‘Jewellery Bigshop’ for her expensive fashion tastes – has long enjoyed a second amateur career on the red carpet.
Escorting her to these events Panton was routinely described as ‘perma-tanned’, ‘dapper’, ‘unfeasibly handsome’ and occasionally as her toy boy.
Inside Virgin Australia’s hidden airport lounges for high-status members
Virgin Australia made an aggressive push for a larger share of business high flyers by announcing a private invitation-only lounge area.
The airline’s exclusive ‘Beyond Lounges’ is designed to rival Qantas’ famed Chairman’s Lounge.
The quarters will be available at the Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane domestic airports, with a discreet entrance located near the airline’s other existing lounges.
The airline said the luxurious space will be reserved for corporate partners, some high-status Velocity Frequent Flyer members and key ‘opinion leaders’ in the country.
The member list includes loyal guests from the worlds of business, travel, politics, sport, music, entertainment and society.
The Beyond Lounges launch promises an exclusive à la carte menu (pictured) for guests
The program replaces and reboots Virgin’s ‘The Club’ service to counter Qantas’ generous high-tier lounges.
A discreet entrance located near Virgin’s existing lounges will permit invited guests, who can then enjoy the à la carte breakfast and all-day dining menu.
Food will be freshly prepared on site with made-to-order eggs, superfood salads, pastas and top-notch desserts, along with cocktails and Australian wine.
Virgin Australia claims the customer service experience will go ‘above and beyond’.
The space includes oak timber walls, Chester-style armchairs, bright greenery and privacy pods that come with built in charging stations.
Seating zones are extended throughout the area and showers will be available in the lounges from July this year, with private offices and boardrooms also available.
Only the most loyal Virgin Australia flyers will be given access to the luxurious lounge area
The Beyond Lounges program aims to close the gap with the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge
Discreet access (pictured) that only members will know about will be given to the airline’s most loyal flyers and located near the other domestic lounges
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