The Labor MP, a former Geelong taxi driver and the cautionary tale about character references

In what could be seen as a cautionary tale, giving a character reference for someone whose history you are not fully aware of is always going to have an element of risk attached.

This is particularly so if you are a public figure – just ask Victorian Labor MP Luba Grigorovitch.

The minister for youth, carers and volunteers provided a character reference for a former Geelong taxi driver convicted of multiple indecent assaults, despite a tribunal finding he lacked the “good character” required for Australian citizenship.

Muhammad Isa, 40, was denied citizenship this month after the Administrative Review Tribunal upheld a decision by the Immigration Minister, citing Isa’s “serious past crimes” and his “lack of insight and acceptance of responsibility”.

The tribunal’s decision, on May 15, revealed Isa had relied on a reference from Grigorovitch in his third attempt to gain Australian citizenship.

Isa had been jailed for three months in 2014 and placed on a 24-month community corrections order later that year after preying on women during late-night trips in Geelong in 2013, including one incident where he pulled a woman towards his groin, telling her they needed to “work out payment in a sexual way”.

In a character reference for citizenship, Grigorovitch said she had known Isa for “several years” and that he had “always shown a deep respect for Australian laws, culture, and traditions”. It said she could “confidently attest to his character, integrity, and contribution to the Australian community”.

The tribunal found that when Isa was asked about the character references he had submitted in 2025, he initially claimed all his referees were aware of his crimes.

But when taken individually through each reference, he conceded that Grigorovitch, his state member of parliament, was unaware of his past offending.

“When asked about the general way some authors refer to his crimes, including in singular form that suggests an incomplete understanding, the Applicant insisted they are aware of his past conduct,” the tribunal found.

Grigorovitch, via her office, was contacted for comment.

A government spokesperson said that, as the judgment references, Grigorovitch was not aware of the criminal history at the time the reference was provided.

“Had that history been known, the reference would not have been provided,” they said.

If the vexed issue of character references rings a bell, you only have to hark back to April when Dinesh Gourisetty was forced to step aside after winning preselection for the Liberal Party’s upper-house ticket for the Western Metropolitan Region when it was revealed he had provided a character reference for a now-convicted child sex offender. His departure triggered another preselection for the ticket, which Moira Deeming won uncontested.

Could Beckham ace the Australian Open?

Could soccer legend David Beckham be in Melbourne for a spot of tennis in January?

The rumour mill is running hot that Beckham could be on track to make an appearance at Melbourne Park for the Australian Open.

Now, we are not suggesting he is going to take to the court, but old “Golden Balls” – as his wife, Victoria Beckham has admitted to calling him – turning up Down Under would certainly make a racket.

It is possible to make a case for the rumour, whispered initially on 3AW’s Rumour File, which at first glance might seem implausible.

Beckham has a brand ambassador deal with Hugo Boss and the clothing brand has recently signed on as the apparel sponsor of the Australian Open. Getting Beckham on the ground in Melbourne and in the stands at the Open would drive huge awareness of the brand and its relationship with the grand slam in year one of the new deal. CBD reached out to Hugo Boss to see what the go was – we are waiting for that call back.

Meanwhile, Tennis Australia said there was a standing invitation for Beckham to attend the Australian Open, and he was welcome at the tournament anytime.

“He’s a big tennis fan and we’d love to see him in January,” a spokesperson said.

Hollywood set to head to St Kilda

Residents in the St Kilda area get ready for your close-up – Hollywood is coming to your ’burb.

An international feature film, the details of which are a closely guarded secret, is soon to start production in the area, with filming also set to take place at the Docklands Studios.

Word reached the CBD desk of the project after a letter drop from production to residents on certain streets in the suburb, alerting them to filming plans in July.

We are hearing that a historic home is being sought for the movie. One that comes to mind a little further down the road and would surely fit the bill is the grand 19th-century Labassa Mansion. The property has featured in the US horror film Winchester and the Australian TV crime series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, among others.

War Machine and Thrash are two movies recently filmed in Melbourne that have drawn huge audiences on Netflix.

Meanwhile, Little Lunch: New Class, a spin-off of the award-winning show Little Lunch is filming in St Kilda, causing much excitement among the primary school mums and kids. Heidi Arena is back playing the role of teacher, Mrs Gonsha. Expect to see the series on the ABC sometime next year.