Off the Record: Moves in Premier Steven Marshall’s office, New Zealand officials eye $35 billion Adelaide frigates, and teachers’ strike uncanny coincidence

In this week’s Off the Record, we reveal more big moves inside the Premier’s office, detail why NZ officials are eyeing Adelaide’s $35b frigate project, plus find an uncanny coincidence with the date of Monday’s teachers’ strike.

In this week’s Off the Record:

Moves in Marshall’s office

Just three months after major changes in Premier Steven Marshall’s office, one of his long-serving senior advisers is leaving for a plum private sector role.

Marshall’s deputy chief of staff and director of strategy, Alex May, is finishing next week to join Naval Group Australia, which will build 12 submarines at Osborne’s naval shipyard as part of a $50 billion contract.

Premier Steven Marshall’s outgoing chief of staff, Alex May.

May, who has worked for Marshall since 2013, will take on an executive role, looking at government relations and the like.

She has also worked for Isobel Redmond, Jamie Briggs and Alexander Downer.

Policy director Paul Armanas will take over as Marshall’s deputy chief of staff and other roles will be covered internally.

Newly minted Sturt MP James Stevens’ departure as Marshall’s chief of staff in March prompted moves, including Courtney Morcombe becoming COS and Armanas’s switch to policy director.

L-R BAE Systems Australia chief of future business Chris Keane; ASC Shipbuilding managing director Craig Lockhart, New Zealand High Commissioner to Australia Dame Annette King, New Zealand High Commission naval advisor Commander Stephen Lenik. Supplied.

Anzac ship export dream

The long-held ambition of exporting an Adelaide-built warship might one day be realised with sales to our closest ally, New Zealand.

A fortnight ago, New Zealand released a $20 billion Defence Capability Plan, setting out investments until 2030 and beyond.

A future “surface combatant ship” is proposed for after 2030.

This was clearly on the agenda when NZ High Commissioner Dame Annette King (pictured) this week visited the Adelaide headquarters of BAE Systems Australia, whose ASC Shipbuilding arm will build nine Hunter Class anti-submarine warfare frigates at Osborne’s naval shipyard.

The first ships in the $35 billion project will be delivered to the Navy in the late 2020s, replacing eight Anzac class frigates in service since 1996. NZ operates two of these frigates. King, a former NZ Labour deputy leader, toured BAE with naval adviser, Commander Stephen Lenik (right).

They met with ASC shipbuilding managing director Craig Lockhart, (second from left) whose team will build the Hunter Class frigates, and BAE Systems Australia chief of future business Chris Keane (left, the husband of state Liberal director Sascha Meldrum).

Three of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, of which NZ is part, will operate variants of BAE’s Type 26 frigate, from which the Hunter Class is derived — Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

King told Off the Record there were significant opportunities, through the Single Economic Market, for businesses on both sides of the Tasman to build on the exceptionally strong defence relationship. King said she agreed with Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ view of the countries’ defence ties.

The latter said after the pair met this week: “There is no greater example of mateship than our strong bond with NZ- our defence relationship with our ANZAC family across the Tasman is exceptionally strong.”

Lawyer who fought for the welfare of animals

Tributes have been paid to the RSPCA’s prosecutor after he suddenly died at work.

Devoted father of two Damon Ind, 47, suffered a major heart attack last week outside its Stepney headquarters.

The popular lawyer found his “true passion” as the RSPCA’s legal counsel two years ago.

At a Centennial Park memorial service today, he will be remembered as an animal lover, a handyman and a practical joker who regularly worked with rescue dog Scooby, pictured together. Ind’s partner, lawyer Jess Kurtzer, said his “immense respect for the law” had energised and driven him over the past 14 years.

“A lover of animals, he was disappointed the law didn’t appear to take animal welfare as seriously as it should,” she said.

RSPCA chief Paul Stevenson said the unexpected death at his age was a shock: “Damon was a very good lawyer … and I will certainly miss his advice, his irreverence and his friendship.”

Resourceful switch from out of the Gilllman swamp

In the renowned William Sh akespeare play Romeo and Juliet, the latter asks: “What’s in a name?”, declaring “A rose would smell as sweet by any other name”.

In the inverse, a name change in the corporate world can dim remembrance of things past.

Perhaps this is part of the plan behind the new title for Adelaide Capital Partners, the consortium behind the infamous Gillman land deal forged by the previous Labor government. It is now known as ResourceCo Property.

Resource­Co has always been a half owner, along with the family of chief executive Andrew Gerlach. (ACP chairman Stephen Gerlach, pictured, is Flinders University chancellor). Now they’ve brought the company into the wider ResourceCo fold. According to its website, ResourceCo pro­perty “specialises in property development with a focus on large-scale commercial, residential and industrial land holdings across Australia that require remediation or have environmental or topographical challenges.”

Much like the Gillman swamp it wanted to redevelop, which also was the proposed site for the ill-fated multi-function polis (MFP). A $122 million land deal between Adelaide Capital Partners and the former government was inked in late 2013, without the sale going to the open market.

An investigation by Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Bruce Lander found the Government’s land sale agency, the-then Urban Renewal Authority, had “engaged in maladministration in public administration”, which led to “a substantial mismanagement of public resources”.

Former treasurer Tom Koutsantonis and former premier Jay Weatherill were cleared of maladministration.

The agreement collapsed after ACP did not provide its initial $45 million payment.

The beloved Polly Waffle

Waffle man

Former KPMG chairman of partners in SA Peter Siebels is the new chairman of the board at fourth-generation family-owned company Robern Menz.

Siebels takes over from Matt Fox, who has been chairman for three years, overseeing significant change, including acquiring the Violet Crumble brand and resurrecting the renowned Polly Waffle.

He is also chairman of professional services firm Hood Sweeney and Fox Creek Wines and vice-president of the RAA.

Birthday boy John Farnham. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Birthday voice

Treasurer Rob Lucas has caused some mirth with his declaration that disgruntled teachers singing veteran performer John Farnham’s songs will not make more Budget money magically appear.

The teachers’ union has posted the words to Farnham’s You’re the Voice on its Facebook page, urging comrades to practice singing because “we KNOW it is really appreciated”.

There is a delicious irony in the timing of Monday’s strike. Farnham, pictured, celebrates his 70th birthday on the same day.

Pyne’s next gig

Christopher Pyne, as we have observed, has been keeping himself busy since retiring from politics at last month’s federal election.

He’s got gigs at Thomson Geer and EY, with the latter causing a bit of a stir. In another new job, he’s following in the illustrious footsteps of former Liberal factional rival Alexander Downer to become an Advertiser columnist.

Pyne will be published weekly in Monday’s Advertiser, just as Downer was after retiring from politics in 2008 until leaving for London in 2014.