Brittany Higgins’ fiancé, David Sharaz, was Sunrise Cash Cow
David Sharaz began his media career in a well-known breakfast show role before later becoming the focus of political intrigue involving fiancé Brittany Higgins.
For a brief period of time, Mr. Sharaz donned the Frisian themed costume to become Sunrise’s Cash Cow, the phenomenally popular mascot who for many years was the head of the giveaway segment of Seven’s morning TV show.
Mr Sharaz revealed the surprise appearance two years ago in a Twitter post that resurfaced on Wednesday.
“When I started my career in media, I was the Sunrise Cash Cow for a hot second,” he wrote.
David Sharaz, who made national headlines as the alleged “puppet master” behind the political intrigue of the Brittany Higgins saga, has revealed that he played a more famous figure early in his media career.
Mr. Sharaz holds up a playing card depicting the Sunrise Cash Cow, a character he briefly played
So my partner decided it would be funny to have a weird flashback on one of my presents. Merry Christmas everyone.’
Mr. Sharaz posted a photo of himself looking stunned holding the Cash Cow depicted on a Sunrise themed deck of playing cards.
With an asterisk he added the self-mockery: ‘Some might say that my career was at its peak like a cow’.
It’s not the only animal mascot Mr. Sharaz has been closely associated with in the past.
While working in the news for Canberra radio station Mix 106.3 in 2018, Mr Sharaz threw his support behind the rock wallaby.
At the time, the animal was up against the eastern bettong in a public vote for the ACT’s favorite mammal emblem.
Mr Sharaz campaigned relentlessly and gave his candidate the persona of ‘Rhonda’ the Rock Wallaby running against ‘Brian’ the Bettong.
He had a Twitter account as ‘Rhonda’ and even made a mock campaign video in which Mr Sharaz played the role of renowned ACT Parks And Conservation spokesman Brett McNamara.
Rhonda the Rock Wallaby revealed a distaste for News Ltd newspapers, who have played a prominent role in publishing leaked texts between Mr Sharaz and Mrs Higgins.
“Nice to see that My Gungahlin fell into the trap of telling people how to vote. A shameful publication that gives its editorial guidance like a rubbish magazine from Rupert Murdoch!’ reads a tweet Rhonda’s account.
In a good precedent for Mr Sharaz’s role as a backroom party, Rhonda the Rock Wallaby stormed home and won the poll by just 40 votes.
The Sunrise Cash Cow was a popular mascot of the TV show’s morning giveaway contest
Rhonda the Rock Wallaby, whose ‘campaign’ was led by Mr Sharaz, triumphed in the election race to become ACT’s mammal emblem
Mr Sharaz explained that he was attracted to the underdog in the tight race.
“I started this campaign a week ago because I realized that Brian de Bettong had all the support and I wanted to give the rock wallaby a chance,” Mr Sharaz told the Canberra times.
“I started this campaign a week ago because I realized Brian the Bettong had all the support and I wanted to give the rock wallaby a chance,” said Sharaz.
“My real reason for this campaign is that rock wallabies are critically endangered and it’s important to raise awareness about such beautiful animals.”
Building on this success, Mr. Sharaz also tried his hand at stand-up comedy while performing in Canberra.
Mr Sharaz is currently embroiled in the political controversy over whether he and Ms Higgins used her rape allegations against Bruce Lehrmann to bring down the Morrison Coalition government.
Mr Lehrmann has seized on leaked texts and audio of conversations to attack Mr Sharaz for conspiring with Labor figures such as Anthony Albanese, Tanya Plibersek and Katy Gallagher to inflict political damage on the coalition.
In one of the leaked texts, Sharaz boasted to Ms Higgins that she “exudes power” after her allegations were made public.
Senator Gallagher was forced on Tuesday to deny she had misled parliament by having “no knowledge” of Ms Higgins’ allegations before they surfaced in the media, despite leaked texts and audio showing she had had previous briefings.
Ms Higgins alleges she was sexually assaulted by Mr Lehrmann in a parliament ministerial office in the early hours of March 23, 2019, while both were working as Liberal staffers.
Mr Lehrmann strongly denies the allegations and his criminal trial was halted last October when a juror was found to be conducting his own investigation.
Mr Sharaz poses with his fiancée, Mrs Higgins, as the couple remain the center of media attention due to their links to Labor figures
Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann has denied Ms Higgins’ allegation that he sexually assaulted her in a ministerial office
The Sunrise Cash Cow has disappeared from the screens since Telstra made the decision in late 2021 to discontinue SMS’s premium number, which charged a 55p fee for every SMS received.
Previously, Sunrise viewers sent a codeword to Sunrise’s premium SMS number in hopes of winning the daily prize of at least $10,000.
The prize was won if a contestant did not pick up the phone and say the correct slogan live on air.
The Cash Cow was the all-dancing and miming star of the segment, either performing in-studio skits or sometimes filmed and presenting winners with their prizes.
The segment was so successful that Sunrise’s morning rival The Today Show largely copied it with their own giveaway and mascot Blocky, which was a block of money.
Before veteran Sunrise host David Koch’s final show on Friday, the Cash Cow made a surprise appearance.
The Cash Cow appeared outside the window of the Sunrise studio in central Sydney, holding up a series of signs to tell Koch it was time to ‘move over’ and ‘be put out to pasture’.
“That’s Sunrise’s biggest star in all that time,” said a laughing Koch.