Penthouse to courthouse: Antony Catalano’s empire unravels

The corporate and property empire of media mogul Antony “the Cat” Catalano started to unravel on Monday, just days after he was charged with assault, false imprisonment and making threats to kill a woman.

The former Domain chief executive and boss of dozens of regional newspapers had his landmark $30 million Melbourne penthouse pulled from the market by selling agents citing “sensitivities” over the alleged assault.

This masthead has previously reported that police attended the penthouse in St Kilda’s Saint Moritz building on Thursday evening, and the entrepreneur returned there after he was granted bail at a court hearing on Friday.

Hours before the alleged assault, Catalano had been in good spirits, celebrating a 40th birthday at a Greek restaurant in Richmond with his wife, Stefanie Catalano, whose relationship with the media mogul has been turbulent. One source described the event as “pretty wild”, with many in the crowd downing shots.

The turnaround in Catalano’s selling plans came just hours after he stood down from the executive chairmanship of his newspaper business and as a director of two publicly listed companies, Keybridge Capital and Yowie Group.

In the wealthy Byron Bay suburb of Wategos, where Catalano and his family have lived for years, associates went to ground.

In the increasingly exclusive northern NSW town, which includes celebrities, art dealers and tech entrepreneurs, Catalano is known as the owner of the popular waterfront resort and restaurant Rae’s.

“We’re all in no-comment mode, mate,” said his friend Michael Ibrahim, who runs a coffee cart out the front of Rae’s.

Other known associates of Catalano when he was in Byron Bay were also tight-lipped and rejected opportunities to comment on the allegations, either through intercom boxes or at the doorsteps of their multimillion-dollar homes.

Catalano, the executive chair of Australian Community Media and owner of classified group View Media, was accused in court by Victoria Police of dragging a woman around an apartment by her hair and ankles and swinging a clothes iron at her head, in an alleged assault that left her with a broken coccyx.

He was released on bail on Friday and soon after issued a statement saying he would immediately check in to a rehabilitation facility.

As Catalano awaited an opening at a rehabilitation centre on Monday, the repercussions of the assault allegations began to show. His six-bedroom, seven-bathroom apartment in St Kilda, initially listed last year with hopes of a $33 million to $36 million sale, was pulled from the market.

When it was initially listed it was hoped to top its own suburb record, set in 2019 when Catalano purchased it off-the-plan for $30 million.

However, even before charges were laid hopes of a record had dimmed for Catalano after marketing for the penthouse showed a revised guide of $29.95 million.

Meanwhile, Catalano’s business partner in ACM, Alex Waislitz, released a statement saying all staff at their companies would be “supported and heard” and the firms would prioritise their long-term interests and their employees and partners.

Among the stable of newspapers in ACM, which the pair bought for $125 million from Nine, the owner of this masthead, are The Canberra Times and The Newcastle Herald.

“The immediate priority is the well-being of the employees and all stakeholders of Australian Community Media and View Media Group,” Waislitz said. “Both companies will ensure that all employees are supported and heard.”

This masthead reported that there had been rumours of a potential sale of the Community Media business. Waislitz did not address that directly, but he said both it and View were strong organisations with experienced teams that would run them in Catalano’s absence.

“Both companies will continue to protect their long-term interests, their employees, partners and other stakeholders whilst maintaining their integrity and governance practices,” Waislitz said.

“My thoughts are with all those affected by this matter.”

Catalano has also stepped down as an executive director at financial services group Keybridge Capital and children’s chocolate manufacturer Yowie Group.

“This leave relates to personal matters concerning Mr Catalano that are currently before the courts,” Keybridge Capital said in a statement. Yowie Group, of which Keybridge is a majority shareholder, released an identical statement.

Catalano owns a 50 per cent stake in ACM, with Waislitz, a billionaire investor, philanthropist, and former vice-president of Collingwood Football Club, owning the rest through his Thorney Investment Group. Under their ownership, ACM has undertaken aggressive cost-cutting, with several rounds of redundancies, and promises to phase out print production at several regional titles.

Despite ongoing discussions about selling the ACM titles, Catalano has been unable to secure a buyer, despite offering a deal to Southern Cross Austereo in 2024, the radio company which recently merged with Seven West Media.

ACM papers have also run advertising for Catalano and Waislitz’s digital classifieds business View Media, which recorded a $23 million net loss, according to its most recent financial documents filed with the corporate regulator.

Waislitz, who was travelling in the United States when news of Catalano’s arrest broke, has been involved in two recent civil court matters. In December, Waislitz agreed to pay his ex-wife, Heloise Pratt, daughter of cardboard baron Richard Pratt, $325 million as part of a settlement made on the eve of a trial that allowed him to retain control of Thorney Investments.

He has also been drawn into a Victorian Supreme Court battle between his fiancee Rebekah Behbahani and her sister, Real Housewives of Melbourne star Venus Behbahani.

On Sunday, this masthead reported that Stefanie Catalano had been left shaken by the charges against her husband.

“I’m really not ready. I’m dealing with a lot right now with my family,” she said, adding she did not wish to make any further comment on the matter.

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