Off the Record: Failed Libs cushioned by taxpayer-funded jobs
In this week’s Off the Record, failed Liberal Party candidates find homes in taxpayer-funded jobs, Clive Palmer’s change of heart on China and the real reason Cory Bernardi says he won’t rejoin the Libs.
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In this week’s Off the Record, failed Liberal Party candidates find homes in taxpayer-funded jobs, Clive Palmer’s change of heart on China and the real reason Cory Bernardi says he won’t rejoin the Libs.
Who says there ain’t no second prize in politics?
LIBERALS who missed out on winning a seat at last year’s state election are still slowly filtering into jobs at Parliament House, more than a year on.
Luigi Mesisca, who was defeated by Labor’s Blair Boyer in Wright, is the latest to gain employment with the State Government, landing a job with Treasurer Rob Lucas’s office.
He replaces his friend David Siow, who has joined another former Lucas staffer, Will Frogley, at the Master Builders Association.
Mesisca joins a swelling list of election losers to score a job with the Government, with almost one third of those who missed out on a job as an MP now embedded with an MP or minister.
He joins Light candidate Karen McColl, who now works for Upper House MP John Dawkins, and Steven Rypp, who ran in the western suburbs seat of Lee and now manages first term MP Paula Luethen’s King electorate office.
Penny Pratt, who ran against former premier Jay Weatherill in Cheltenham, is chief of staff to Child Protection Minister Rachel Sanderson, and Hurtle Vale candidate Aaron Duff is in Tourism Minister David Ridgway’s office.
Reynell candidate Laura Curran took a job with Lucas shortly after the election, before leaving it to contest Kingston at the federal election.
And long-time Liberal staffer Therese Kenny, pictured, who ran for the party in Torrens, has again popped up in state parliament, working in Premier Steven Marshall’s office after leaving her job with retiring Defence Minister Christopher Pyne.
On the Labor side, Off The Record’s searches indicated just one losing candidate is strolling around parliament as a staffer – Rik Morris, who works for Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas - but there’s nowhere near as many jobs to hand out, either.
- Adam Langenberg
Clive’s long march to China crisis
BEFORE China was Clive Palmer’s public enemy number one it was, well, China First.
The United Australia Party leader, a long-time business partner of the Chinese, is sole director of China First Pty Ltd, a company involved in one of his Queensland coal ventures, and also heads Deng Xiaoping Memorial Challenge, named after the great Chinese leader who helped the Chinese reconcile their communist roots with their capitalist desires.
The latter vehicle was reportedly set up to sponsor three games between the Australian Boomers basketball team and China.
To say Palmer has had an about-face on China is an understatement of breathtaking proportions.
Back in 2013 he was flogging Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board as “outstandingly racist’’ for standing in the way of Chinese investment in Australia.
“The Australian government has racially discriminated against (China) and stopped them from investing in Australia,’’ he told The Australian at the time.
“China has never, ever wanted to dominate other countries or take control of what they’re doing. All they’ve wanted to do is secure a stable supply of resources for their people so they can continue to grow.’’
Fast-forward six years and Palmer has accused the Chinese of plotting to take over the nation.
“Enough is enough, all Australians must stop the clandestine takeover of our country,’’ an election ad from UAP says.
Palmer also said in 2014 that Chinese people were “mongrels” and claimed they “shoot their own people” on the ABC’s Q&A program. Palmer has been involved in long-running court battles with his Chinese business partners, including over the management of iron ore projects in Western Australia, with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake.
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He won nearly $200 million in damages from Chinese firm CITIC late last year in a battle over royalty payments.
Palmer’s list of businesses registered with ASIC runs to tens of pages, with other names of interest including Elect The President Pty Ltd, Zeppelin International Pty Ltd, and what was to be the company running his ill-fated bid to build a replica of the Titanic, Blue Star Line Pty Ltd.
Attempts to contact Palmer’s spokesman were unsuccessful.
- Cameron England
Conserving friends on all sides
For a political debate everyone was fairly friendly at the SA Press Club’s election shindig this week, well right up to the point Labor’s Penny Wong snubbed the offer of a handshake from Liberal Simon Birmingham after a contretemps about China policy.
Even Australian Conservatives leader Cory Bernardi, pictured, was being nice to his Senate colleagues. Bernardi had been rumoured to be contemplating a return to the Liberals post-election, but gave a swift “no” when the topic was raised.
Perhaps that’s because he doesn’t want to ruin all the new friends he has been making since departing the Liberal Party.
“Simon (Birmingham) and I get along a lot better (than when he was in the Libs),’’ he started.” You (Penny Wong) and I get along much better. There is only one more bridge to build,’’ he said, turning to Greens’ Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.
But Bernardi might be thankful he is not facing voters next Saturday. His evidence-based conservative arguments have been outflanked on the Right by populists like Clive Palmer or extremists like Fraser Anning. Bernardi’s Conservatives are barely rating a mention in the campaign or polls, leaving his future position uncertain.
Labor character
ONE of the more colourful characters of the Labor movement, George Apap, was farewelled this week at a Centennial Park funeral.
Apap, 79, was a Storemen and Packers Union official who unsuccessfully stood in Semaphore in 1979 for Labor against independent Norm Peterson, who went on to become speaker in the early 1990s. Apap was expelled from the ALP in 1988 for challenging the-then premier John Bannon for not doing enough for workers.
Home help
FORMER Mayo MP Alexander Downer has made a quiet return from the UK to help his daughter, Georgina Downer, campaign for the seat.
The former foreign affairs minister and federal Liberal leader, double-dipping above, was spotted in Strathalbyn this week, handing out how to vote cards. He likely will continue to keep a low profile – rather than repeat his ripostes at the Mayo by-election last July, which included accusing Rebekha Sharkie’s supporters of being “new arrivals”.
Trumped up
WAS this the last straw? Just as Premier Steven Marshall visited the “Donald Trump whisperer” Joe Hockey this week, it was revealed Australia’s Ambassador to the United States will move on.
Perhaps seeing the Labor writing on the wall, the former cigar-smoking Liberal treasurer will see out his four-year term to next January. Marshall lauded Hockey, saying “he is squarely focused on advancing Australian capabilities in defence, cyber and space – which is only good news for South Australia”.
On the move
FORMER Holden and Labor spin doctor George Svigos, who began his career at Messenger Community News, has been appointed director of communications for car giant GM’s international operations.
Svigos, who was press secretary to Kim Beazley as opposition leader and John Brumby as Victorian premier, has been based in Bangkok as GM’s Asia Pacific comms chief.
The longtime Adelaide Crows fan, who also worked for NAB and EnergyAustralia, is the son of respected Adelaide obstetrician John Svigos.
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