Off the Record: Labor state government staffer pay packets revealed
The full list of ministerial salaries has dropped, revealing the pay packets of key Labor staffers. But are they getting paid the same as their Liberal predecessors?
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In this week’s Off the Record, we take a look at what some of the new Labor state government’s key staffers are getting paid – and there were some surprising results. Meanwhile, SA Liberals cosied up to former UK prime minister David Cameron in Sydney to get tips on climate and getting more women into the party. Plus, Bragg by-election candidate has a blast from the past and Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie notches up a new record.
BACKROOM PAY DEALS
It’s among Off The Record’s favourite times of year – the full list of ministerial staffer salaries that dropped in a recent Government Gazette.
And while staffers in most roles are receiving the same salaries as their Liberal predecessors, there are some interesting exceptions.
John Bistrovic, chief of staff to Premier Peter Malinauskas, will take home the biggest staffer pay packet at $215,643 each year – the same as former Premier Steven Marshall’s chief, Courtney Morcombe, who is married to Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham.
But Malinauskas’ director of media and communications, Adam Todd, will collect $176,001 – about $8000 more than Marshall’s chief spinner, Ken McGregor - as is deputy chief of staff CheyneRich.
Within Todd’s team is “media unit manager”, a newly-created role that has been taken up by Pam Perre on $138,710, and five media advisers, all on $121,896.
They include mother-son duo Catherine Bauer and Patrick James, recently an Off The Record colleague, as well as ex-Nine reporter Tom Angley, along with comms professionals Nadine De Bono and Roshni Harding.
Malinauskas’ most senior staffers with an “adviser” title are senior ministerial aides Catherine Blaikie who is on $138,710 and Victoria Brown, who works part-time on $110,968.
This compared to Richard Yeeles, who was principal adviser to Marshall on a salary of $189,149.
Speaking of, Yeeles is one of only a handful of Liberal staffers who survived the election bloodbath to work in the office of Opposition Leader David Speirs.
But, on a measly $155,000 as director of strategy, we’re hopeful he’s coping with the cost-of-living crunch.
The big Liberal winners were former media advisers Ryan Smith, who worked for Speirs when he served as environment minister, and Ben Harvy, a spinner for then police minister Vincent Tarzia.
Both were paid $121,896 in government, before “Stix” was appointed chief of staff to Speirs on a salary of $162,879, and “Harvs” director of media and communications on $131,354.
Maybe opposition ain’t so bad after all …
LIBS COSY UP TO CAMERON
Former UK prime minister David Cameron was in Sydney this week for climate talks, but not before he held a lavish yacht party with one SA senator.
It’s probably no surprise some of the moderates, including SA senators Simon Birmingham and Andrew McLachlan, were eager to cosy up to Cameron at the National Conservative Climate Conference to get tips on how to solve the Coalition’s never-ending internal climate wars and get more women into the party.
But out of the two senators, only McLachlan was seen partying alongside Cameron aboard Italian superyacht Shadow, owned by Finsure boss John Kolenda, on the Sydney Harbour over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.
Other yacht partygoers are said to include British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell and Kolenda himself.
Birmingham appeared alongside Cameron on the conference panel, and later shared the news on social media with the pair shaking hands – “Birmo” grinning ear to ear.
The leading moderate Liberal, who is driving an internal push for progressive climate change action and increasing female representation, told Off the Record the talks were fruitful.
“In the margins of the conference we took the opportunity to discuss (Cameron’s) transformation of the UK Conservative Party, especially his efforts to improve candidate selections and attract more skilled women and people of diverse backgrounds as candidates,” he said.
State Opposition Leader David Speirs missed parliament on Wednesday to also speak at the conference. He is another Liberal figure with a progressive climate change agenda and pushing for more females in his party. SA’s own former federal environment minister Robert Hill was also at the conference.
ONE DEGREE
We all know there are two degrees of separation in Adelaide – it’s even less in politics.
The Liberal Party has been in knots after young hopeful Jack Batty won the bitter preselection for the blue ribbon eastern suburbs seat of Bragg that former attorney-general Vickie Chapman is vacating.
But Batty, whose wife Charlotte is the daughter of former Nine newsreader Georgina McGuiness – herself a Lib adviser to Marshall when he was opposition leader – has avoided his own awkward scenario.
His close friend, Chelsey Potter, ruled out a tilt at the Liberal’s only safe Adelaide seat, as an “teal” independent after being appointed to a Liberal women’s task force.
The pair chatted after the vote, and buried any animosity, which was no doubt a relief to her partner, criminal lawyer Alex Rice, who is best friends with his young Liberals mate Batty.
Rice, a former Tarzia adviser whose parents were both judges, was in Batty’s bridal party.
While Potter – who this week posted a lengthy defence on LinkedIn on her failure to run – is not campaigning for Batty, she has wished him well.
Batty and parachuted Labor candidate, Unley-based lawyer Alice Rolls shrugged off animosity on Friday to pose for their first picture together.
They were campaigning at 8am on Greenhill Road outside Burnside Village. Rolls arrived first but the pair agreed to be photographed with Liberal Upper House leader Nicola Centofanti.
Batty, a former lawyer, Christopher Pyne staffer and embassy worker at the Australian High Commission in London, has shrugged off the lack of vote from senior figures including Speirs.
A blitz included with friend Tarzia, a neighbouring MP, who has revealed two photographs 10 years apart.
Under the caption “How it started: how it’s going”, the fresh-faced pair are pictured conducting a “listening post” in 2012, two years before Tarzia was elected to parliament.
NEW SHARK OF THE CROSSBENCH
There’s a new shark of the crossbench in Canberra, as MP Rebekha Sharkie notches up an impressive record. She has just become the longest-serving female crossbencher in the history of Australia’s federation.
Sharkie has now given 2097 days of parliamentary service, which is 55 days more than former Indi MP Cathy McGowan, who helped spur on the huge independent wave that swept through traditionally Liberal electorates across the country in the May election.
Sharkie told Off the Record it was an “enormous honour” to become the longest-serving female crossbencher, and dedicated her success to “mentor” and “friend” McGowan.
“Honestly, it feels like yesterday that I quit my job, put a second mortgage on the house and took a big jump into the unknown,” Sharkie said.
Sharkie is considered one of the best models for independent campaigns, having snatched the former Liberal bastion of Mayo in 2016 and cemented her support for successive terms.
MALI’S DATE NIGHT
With the pandemic becoming a distant bad memory, two major elections done – except the good people of Bragg – and the state budget over, the job of governing is upon Labor.
So too, building relationships with the state’s movers and shakers as events roar back.
Premier Peter Malinauskas, key Cabinet ministers (state and federal), Speirs, Liberal MPs and members of the crossbench will rub shoulders with top business leaders next month.
More than two dozen blue chip firms or organisations are represented including Santos, Kelsian – formerly Sealink – BHP, Coopers, Thomas Foods, RAA, Lion, Adelaide Airport, Business SA, Property Council and Electranet.
“The SA Press Club has firmly established itself as a key networking conduit for politicians and Adelaide businesses with sellout events including two election debates,” said chairman, veteran Seven News presenter Mike Smithson.
“It’s the first time since the state and federal elections these major players have all been in the one room to express their frank views, if need be, on how to push our economy forward.”
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