Off the record: Julia slow to make her mark
THIS is where we put on the record the intriguing, behind-the-scenes happenings in the political, legal and business worlds.
THIS is where we put on the record the intriguing, behind-the-scenes happenings in the political, legal and business worlds.
Former PM slow to make her mark
UNIVERSITIES are decreasing contact hours with students but questions are being asked about former prime minister Julia Gillard’s commitment to Adelaide University.
The university was justifiably proud almost two years ago when she accepted an honorary professorship at her alma mater.
Australia’s first female prime minister would make “a significant contribution” to the School of History and Politics, the university statement trumpeted, through seminars and an internship program.
By the middle of last year, questions were being asked at top levels about why she had yet to deliver guest lectures or co-locate her offices at the university’s North Tce campus.
Almost exactly two years after her appointment was announced, on September 7, Ms Gillard will deliver her first public lecture at the university, titled Towards Universal Education.
The promotional blurb says: “Visiting Honorary Professor Gillard will explore why the quality of education is so critical to the wellbeing and sustainability of a community, the traditional and emerging barriers to global learning and how we can better address gender equality in school education, particularly in the developing world.”
Months after losing government in 2013, Ms Gillard was appointed chairwoman of the Global Partnership for Education, which supports basic education in developing countries.
The university says she now has lectured nearly 1500 arts students in foreign policy, Australian politics and social science.
She also has hosted interns and supported the university as a distinguished alumni at “a range of events and activities”.
“The students find her classes to be highly engaging and enlightening as she inspires them to play an active role in shaping society for the better,” Arts faculty executive dean Professor Jennie Shaw said.
The public lecture will be broadcast on a big screen on Goodman Crescent lawns on Monday, September 7, at 1pm (adjacent to Bonython Hall on North Tce). The Hall booked out in less than an hour.
When the job is no party
IT must be one of the toughest jobs in politics – overseeing the historically divided and unsuccessful South Australian Liberals.
But two party insiders have been short-listed for the party state director’s job, vacated by Geoff Greene in March.
One is Sascha Meldrum a media relations business owner and adviser to the Air Warfare Destroyer construction program. She is a former media adviser to premiers John Olsen and Rob Kerin, as well as defence minister Robert Hill – a former Canberra housemate of Education Minister and party powerbroker Christopher Pyne.
The other is Daniel Forbes, a former deputy state director and technology company customer service manager, who is now media adviser to Hindmarsh MP Matt Williams.
Ms Meldrum, who is the favourite for the job, might be able to use her close links with the defence industry to sharpen the Liberals’ message on the important submarine issue. Former boss Mr Hill is overseeing extensive Defence Department reform as part of the First Principles Review Team.
New city resident
As the new boss of the state’s top council, Mark Goldstone is keen to make a good first impression and put his words into action.
Mr Goldstone, 54, yesterday signed a five-year contract as the new Adelaide City Council chief executive, with an annual salary package of $320,000. He also resigned as the boss of Prospect Council.
While detailing with Off the Record his plans to help build the city’s population, he revealed that one of his first actions will be to move his family from Mawson Lakes into the CBD.
In contrast his predecessor, Peter Smith, commuted from his large Eastern suburbs house in Glen Osmond.
As that decision had not gone unnoticed, Mr Goldstone’s actions will likely be warmly welcomed by council officials.
A magisterial ascension
With ill health having forced the state’s first female chief magistrate, Judge Elizabeth Bolton, to retire, speculation around Victoria Square has centred on Her Honour’s potential replacement.
According to the wags in wig and gown, the oddsmakers favour the appointment of another woman to the top job.
Off The Record has been told Magistrate Mary-Louise Hribal is in line for the chief’s role.
Ms Hribal certainly has the chops for the job, having performed many of the oft-overloaded court’s necessary procedural functions — like reviewing suppression orders — in the past few years.
Her supposed candidacy may come as a surprise to some, who thought long-serving magistrate Bob Harrap would get the nod, given his leadership in the busy committal court.
More will be known when Attorney-General John Rau unveils his revamp of the justice system.
No Donald Trumps in Xenophon team
In a world increasingly gripped by celebrity political candidates, there is only room for one in the Nick Xenophon Team.
The founder of the eponymous party is expected to be the only high-profile name among federal election candidates announced in October.
The Net will stand in at least seven South Australian lower-house seats and, possibly, all 11.
The criteria for candidate selection is everyday people with a passion for change. Senator Xenophon, of course, already has an extremely high profile and reputation.
There also will be some links with fellow independent Senator Jacqui Lambie in what some insiders are calling an “alliance of passion, rather than politics”. The Net will run candidates in Tasmania and preference Senator Lambie’s team, an arrangement expected to be reciprocated in SA.
Eureka moment for uni mergers
Millions of dollars, world-leading science and national prestige make a potent political cocktail.
Certainly, the whispering campaign pushing for university mergers in Adelaide has been reignited by the University of South Australia’s success at the annual Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.
The University of Adelaide’s absence from the prize list has been seized upon, particularly as South Australian science superstar and Eureka winner Professor Tanya Monro defected from there last year after raising more than $140 million for research. Uni SA’s deputy vice chancellor research won a prize for excellence for joint study into a super-small medical torch which can spotlight and detect cancer cells before they become tumours.
Those arguing for mergers say Adelaide’s brainpower would be better harnessed if the city had two universities, rather than three.
Who do you trust?
Liberal rising star Stephan Knoll last week found himself in a slightly awkward position when he admitted he had, many years ago, joined adulterous website Ashley Madison as a joke. When The Advertiser rang the Schubert MP to ask if that was indeed his email address that had been found among the massive dump of data hacked from Ashley Madison, Mr Knoll’s first reaction was to laugh and say: “ You know I was talking to my colleagues about that this morning.’’
Given Knoll was at a breakfast with his colleagues early that morning you have to wonder — who blabbed?
Not so defo?
The Advertiser was the first to tell you, back in February, that Premier Jay Weatherill had filed a defamation lawsuit against the Liberal Party.
The state’s top pollie was less than impressed with a 2014 election campaign by independent candidate Mel Calone which, he asserted, was paid for and the fault of the Libs.
Off The Record always feels assiduous and so has made sure to keep a close eye on the court file during the past six months. What have we seen? Nothing — aside from the original statement of claim, the court file is bare.
Neither side of politics wants to discuss the matter, but we understand the Liberal Party has yet to be served a summons in relation to the lawsuit.
Unless and until that summons is served, the Libs don’t have to do anything — not even file a defence to the claims — and the case remains in limbo.
No room in Japan, good news for Adelaide?
THE high-level Japanese delegation visiting Adelaide this week repeatedly insisted it was seriously considering building submarines here.
And senior politicians across all sides are now more hopeful that could really happen, mostly because they believe the Japanese have no more room in their Kobe shipyards to build the future Australian fleet.
This issue was first raised by Senator Nick Xenophon, who last month visited the shipyards as part of his campaign to base the $50 billion construction and maintenance deal at Adelaide’s ASC.
Now some senior Liberals are pointing to the same Japanese shipyard capacity issue and suggesting this has prompted the Japanese to tell the Federal Government that, if successful, they will build in Adelaide. This follows the lead of German and French competitors