When Gina Rinehart’s right-hand man, John Klepec, stepped up to the microphone at Melbourne’s Park Hyatt more than two hours into proceedings, a ripple of excitement spread through the ballroom. It was the first manifestation of Mrs Rinehart’s influence at a Fairfax public event. His surprise appearance after three months of silence from Mrs Rinehart’s camp signalled she has renewed her push for boardroom representation at Fairfax as she helped deliver the company its first "strike" by voting against the remuneration report.