Inside the inner circle of Premier Peter Malinauskas’s key influencers

Find out the key players who have the ear of Premier Peter Malinauskas – the backroom staff, business leaders and key colleagues.

The broad appeal of Premier Peter Malinauskas is strikingly illustrated by his inner sanctum of influencers, which include senior business figures he has cleaved from the Liberals.

The former shop assistants’ union boss has strategically expanded his network to embrace prominent business leaders including hotel tycoon Peter Hurley, Santos chief executive officer Kevin Gallagher and BAE Systems Australia managing director maritime Craig Lockhart.

Arguably, Mr Malinauskas has the most extensive network of business, union, sporting and other key figures than any premier in recent memory – at least since Labor’s Mike Rann.

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Who is in Mali's inner circle. Pictures: File

He has reached out to win respect among many of the extensive business connections of his Liberal predecessor Steven Marshall, who lacked his former rival’s links to the labour movement.

In arguably the most distinct example, Mr Hurley, previously known as a prominent Liberal backer, started regular lunch meetings with Mr Malinauskas after he became Opposition Leader in 2018.

A revered figure within the powerful Australian Hotels Association, Mr Hurley’s influence has been an important driver of Mr Malinauskas’s prominent and significant support for the hospitality industry in the Covid-19 pandemic’s aftermath.