The hip joint: John Howard's knees-up has them talking

Our spies at the MLC offices in the city spotted another former prime minister, Tony Abbott, in the crowd, but no sign of current Kirribilli House resident Scott Morrison or previous tenant Malcolm Turnbull.

Another partygoer informed us Abbott was in full praise of former chief of staff Peta Credlin, who he suggested should have a shot at the federal Victorian seat of Mallee.

It’s being vacated by Andrew "G'day Ladies" Broad, and we hear Abbott quipped that Libs are just “city Nationals” (it would help that Credlin grew up in the electorate).

Other celebrity appearances included deputy crown prosecutor Margaret Cunneen, still celebrating after being appointed by Attorney-General Christian Porter to oversee the design of the Commonwealth Integrity Commission. (As noted by many in the profession, a curious appointment given her choice of friends while serving the Crown.)

Also present was former High Court justice Dyson Heydon and former Business Council of Australia president turned GrainCorp takeover ringleader Tony Shepherd.

Wentworth Liberal candidate Dave Sharma came along too. He was spotted the next day at lunch with Turnbull’s daughter Daisy Turnbull Brown at Paddington eatery Barbetta.

Others at Howard’s knees-up: Governor-General Peter Cosgrove, businessman Maurice Newman, and former Sydney Airports chief Max “The Axe” Moore-Wilton.

(Nihal Gupta, one-time SBS chair, was also in the room. His brief appointment was put down to a tussle between Abbott and Turnbull, then communications minister, who wanted to appoint former premier Nick Greiner.)

Honourable mentions: Arthur Sinodinos, Ramsay Centre boss Simon Haines (celebrating a victory lap courtesy of Wollongong University) and Racing Australia chief Barry O’Farrell.

Christmas Rockpool Bar & Grill lunch watch yesterday: Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce and (separately) Treasurer Dominic Perrottet dining with former Macquarie executive turned iCare chairman Michael Carapiet.

Chef Neil Perry hosted his own table, while Newman and Advance Australia boss Gerard Benedet made it two visits in four days (this time with Sky News chief executive Paul Whittaker).

Benedet wants Advance Australia to be a conservative equivalent of GetUp! although his recent lunch habits have been less grassroots than you’d assume.

At Labor's national convention in Adelaide, NSW general secretary Kaila Murnain managed to slip out a side door as news of ICAC raids on the party’s headquarters spread on Tuesday.

We suspect she has less to be concerned about than her predecessors, given the fundraising event in question was in 2015, some time before Murnain took the top job.

But will news of the investigations help Premier Gladys Berejiklian, another Howard drinks attendee, retain power come the March election?

We’d ask Family Minister Pru Goward, but she’s already elected to hit the road.

NSW Liberal sources say polling in her seat of Goulburn, which she has held since 2007 and retained in 2015 on a 6.6 per cent margin, was not looking good.

The Nationals are also not too keen to fight it out, although they did hold the electorate, albeit in a different form, from 1965 to 1991.

The obvious contender from Goward’s Centre-Right faction would be the well-regarded party operative and Yass Branch president Nick Tyrell.

Goward’s daughter Penny Fischer could also have a run, having lost preselection in the neighbouring electorate of Wollondilly to former attorney-general Greg Smith’s son Nat this year.

However, senior Centre Right factional players say at this stage it was unlikely either would be interested.

Down in Bleak City, Tuesday marked the annual Australian Club Turkey Carve.

Two members of the William Street establishment know each other a little too keenly, having been on opposing ends of a tussle at prestigious Trinity Grammar earlier in the year.

So special effort was made to keep former Clayton Utz managing partner Roderick Lyle, then chair of the School Council, and accountant David’s Baumgartner, Old Boys’ president, at opposite ends of the banquet table (and hopefully away from the carving implements).

That effort, however, came to naught when it transpired both men had to catch the same 11.32 109 tram from Kew, finding themselves in an uncomfortable stare down for most of the journey.

You can only do so much.