Off the Record: Party politics appear in local council elections
IN this week’s Off the Record, we reveal where references to political parties are cropping up in local council elections. Plus we show how Amanda Vanstone has taken on Tony Abbott and follow the rise, fall and rise again of Clive Mathieson.
IN this week’s Off the Record, we reveal where references to political parties are cropping up in local council elections. Plus we show how Amanda Vanstone has taken on Tony Abbott and follow the rise, fall and rise again of Clive Mathieson.
Parties on at council polls
FOR some time, there has been a pretence that local council elections were free from direct meddling by the Liberal and Labor parties. In this year’s poll, though, there is evidence of party allegiances spilling into the open.
This has triggered talk on both sides about the prospect of ditching the traditional ban on party HQ co-ordinating local government campaigns, as happens in some states.
In one case we’ve uncovered, an election poster for Damien Pilkington, a councillor who wants to be Salisbury Mayor, carries a message at the bottom which says: “Authorised by S. Meldrum, Australian Liberal Party (SA Division)”. That being Sascha Meldrum, the Liberal state director.
Pilkington subsequently removed the authorisation following a phone call from Meldrum who said she had given no permission for its use. She demanded he remove or cover the claimed authorisation, which he appears to have done by affixing part of a Liberal state election corflute at the bottom.
Pilkington told Off the Record its inclusion was a “mistake”. He said he had used the same printer as the Liberal Party and they had mistakenly used the wrong authorisation and he hadn’t checked.
“I am a party member so I use the same printer as the party uses,’’ he said.
In another case, a North Ward candidate for Adelaide City Council, Glenn Bain, is distributing flyers that say “How-to-vote Liberal for North Ward’’. He takes number one followed by Elbert Brooks at two and Phil Martin at three. Bain also acted without authorisation.
State Liberal policy prevents direct party involvement in council elections but there is talk that this might be reviewed in the future.
Both sides have, for some time, believed the other has been directly meddling in council elections.
One senior Labor source believes this poll is the first time either party has become directly involved in council elections. But it obviously means Labor will be jumping in harder next time as well.
“There’s a good chance of that,’’ the source said. “We’ve certainly had people who’ve been proud that they are party members before but this is new.’’
And it’s not just Labor and Liberal this time. Multiple candidates from Nick Xenophon’s (remember him?) SA Best party who were not elected in March are standing, such as James Sadler (Adelaide Hills), Hazel Wainwright (Onkaparinga) and Karen Hockley (Mitcham).
Yellow to put MPs in peril
MISBEHAVING Upper House MPs could soon be given a hypothetical yellow card and sent to the sin bin under a proposal being canvassed by President Andrew McLachlan.
Rowdy MPs currently can only be turfed for a full sitting day, but it requires the assent of a majority of the 22 Upper House MPs. That was a stumbling block for former president Russell Wortley, whose attempt to eject Liberal MP Michelle Lensink was vetoed by the majority of MLCs during the last term of State Parliament.
That particular incident sparked whispers Wortley technically should have resigned as he had lost the confidence of the Upper House.
North Tce insiders say Ann Bressington — elected in 2006 under Nick Xenophon’s No Pokies ticket — voluntarily left the Chamber once during her term, but struggle to remember a MP who was booted by their peers.
Crossbenchers have been approached about a proposal for the president to unilaterally boot misbehaving MPs for a shorter period, similar to the powers afforded to Lower House Speaker Vincent Tarzia.
Treasurer Rob Lucas has assured MPs the changes will only take place with the assent of all parties.
All seven crossbench MPs are believed to be on board with the changes. Labor is likely to be reluctant to make it easier for their MPs to be chucked out of the chamber, but their leader in the Upper House, Kyam Maher, said he would be open to discussing reform of procedures.
McLachlan said he had “ongoing conversations” with all crossbenchers about how the Upper House was functioning.
“We discuss a range of matters which include the conduct and behaviour of Members in the Chamber as well as options for the reform of the Standing Orders,” he said.
— Adam Langenberg
Vanstone takes on Abbott
AMANDA Vanstone is renowned for blunt and direct communication. As a leading Moderate Liberal in John Howard’s Cabinet, the South Australian senator developed a reputation for plain speaking.
So perhaps it comes as little surprise that Vanstone — now a Port Adelaide Football Club board member and Royal Flying Doctor Service chairwoman — took to Twitter this week to attack former prime minister Tony Abbott.
Vanstone added to a post about The Australian’s article in which Abbott called for Liberal Party unity in the months before the next federal election. One comment said: “Almost choked on my coffee.”
Vanstone’s addition: “Australia choked on their coffee.”
Perhaps she was just a little suspicious of Abbott’s call for party unity.
The two have exchanged barbs before over Vanstone’s criticism of Abbott’s prime ministership.
No response from him yet, though
Bouncing back
FORMER Advertiser cadet Clive Mathieson was one of the unfortunate victims of the Liberal Party madness that ended with Malcolm Turnbull losing his job as PM to Scott Morrison. Mathieson had been appointed chief-of-staff to Turnbull only weeks before the coup. But like any good Tiser employee he has bounced back and has a new gig as MD of high-powered communications outfit Cato & Clegg, a firm started by veteran Sydney PR operative Sue Cato and former newspaper executive Brett Clegg.
And back again
FORMER chief education officer Garry Costello is making a return to policy ranks.
Costello will be a senior adviser to Education Minister John Gardner.
Costello was appointed under Labor, in mid-2013, to help the-then Education Department chief Tony Harrison oversee education and curriculum.
But he then retired the next February, just a few months into the job.
On the move
FAMILY dinners at the home of Melvin Mansell, The Advertiser and Sunday Mail Editorial Director, are about to develop a new edge.
Mansell’s younger son, former Sky News executive producer MacKenzie Mansell, starts on Monday as a communications adviser working in Premier Steven Marshall’s team.
Mansell Jnr has been at Sky News for almost three years, most recently as EP on the Kenny on Sunday and Hardgrave shows — hosted by associate editor of The Australian Chris Kenny and former federal Liberal minister Gary Hardgrave.
Mansell Snr says there will be a new rule around the table — no shop talk.