Off the Record: Two South Australians in power play for Liberal top national job

In this week’s Off the Record, intrigue over the Liberal Party’s top national job involving two prominent South Australians, top winemakers toasting SA in India, an Adelaide Festival coronavirus “casualty” and Alexander Downer’s latest celebrity snap.

Retired Aust politician Senator Nick Minchin in his office at Kent Town, SA.

In this week’s Off the Record, there’s intrigue over the Liberal Party’s top national job involving two prominent South Australians, top winemakers toasting SA in India, an Adelaide Festival coronavirus “casualty” and Alexander Downer’s latest celebrity snap.

Intrigue over Libs’ top job

FORMER federal finance minister Nick Minchin is resisting spirited efforts to draft him into the Liberal Party’s federal presidency, instead throwing his influential support behind fellow former South Australian senator John Olsen.

Speculation is rife across senior levels of the Liberal Party that Minchin will be a contender for the federal presidency to be vacated later this year by former New South Wales premier Nick Greiner. But Off the Record understands that Minchin, a polarising yet highly respected party strategist, has repeatedly rejected overtures to convince him to stand for the presidency. It is also understood he has left open the prospect of standing for a vice-presidential spot - there are four federal positions - but would not challenge an incumbent.

Minchin is joining Prime Minister Scott Morrison in backing state Liberal president and former South Australian premier Olsen, who, like Minchin, is a former Australian Consul-General to New York.

The pair have been long-term allies and Right faction colleagues who, in recent years, have lent their strategic support to Premier Steven Marshall’s 2014 and 2018 election campaigns.

Minchin was SA state Liberal director from 1985 to 1993. He was elected to the Senate in 1993 and was renowned as a political strategist for John Howard, before retiring from politics in 2011. Olsen was Liberal opposition leader from 1982-1990, before joining the Senate for two years, then returning to the SA Parliament in 1992 and, eventually, becoming premier from 1996-2001.

Minchin, who now lives in Melbourne, is a member of the powerful Foreign Investment Review Board and chairman of online gambling industry body Responsible Wagering Australia.

Minchin was a driving force behind Conservative Tony Abbott’s successful 2009 leadership coup against Moderate Malcolm Turnbull, who, as Prime Minister in 2017, installed Greiner as federal party president. Liberal convention dictates that, in government, the Prime Minister informally nominates a preferred candidate, all-but ensuring Olsen’s success when the role is decided.

Long-time allies: The-then Liberal Party state secretary Nick Minchin (left) at a party conference in 1989 at the Adelaide Convention Centre, with the-then state Liberal leader John Olsen (second from right), the-then state president Bruce McDonald (right of Minchin), the-then federal opposition leader Andrew Peacock (centre) and Senator Robert Hill (right).

Toasting South Australia in India

FRESH from being rated by The Advertiser this month as South Australia’s most influential person, federal Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister Simon Birmingham has been spruiking the state’s wines in India.

More than 100 Australian businesses have this week been in the cricket-mad nation – just ask Donald Trump – aiming to forge new markets in the rapidly growing economy for education, tourism, health, resources, infrastructure and, of course, food and wine.

Joining Birmo at New Delhi’s Australia India Business Exchange launch were SA wine company reps Neil Hadley, Taylors Wines export manager; Jane Richards, Eight at the Gate director; Liz and Guy Adams, Brothers in Arms owners and David Marsden, Nova Vita marketing and sales manager.

“There’s always a special place for SA businesses in any delegation that I lead and, with India’s booming middle-class, I’m certain there’s a special place for SA wine with Indian consumers too,” Birmingham told Off the Record.

Here’s cheers: from left to right: Neil Hadley, Taylors Wines export manager; Jane Richards, Eight at the Gate director; Simon Birmingham, Liz and Guy Adams, Brothers in Arms owners and David Marsden, Nova Vita marketing and sales manager.

Going viral

ADELAIDE Writers’ Week has the Festival’s first coronavirus “casualty” with US writer Tommy Orange, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, pulling out “for precautionary reasons”. Tommy, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes who lives in California, was due on stage on Sunday to talk about his book, There There, about a group of characters who converge at the Big Oakland Powwow. Tommy let the WW organisers know late last week, and has also pulled out of appearances in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

Ready for successful Kombat

NO doubt Mortal Kombat has been a boon for the local film industry. Premier Steven Marshall predicted it would add $70 million to the state’s economy. Five SA companies were involved in the production, more than 600 locals worked as crew and 1500 extras had a little shot at stardom.

Off the Record hopes it’s a big hit when it’s released on January 15 next year.

However, Trade Minister David Pisoni may have been over-egging the hard sell in parliament when he said he was “very excited” about the film’s release date on what is the Martin Luther King holiday. “It is when production houses release the movies that they expect to be big hits,’’ he said.

In fact, in US movie circles, January is known as “dump month’’. It’s the time of year when movie fans tend to stay home and movie companies release films they have less confidence in.

Off the Record hopes they will be wrong with Mortal Kombat.

Chan Griffin, Mortal Kombat flight co-ordinator (left) with Anthony Rinna, Mortal Kombat stunt performer at Adelaide Studios, Glenside. Picture MATT TURNER.

Celebrity snapper

FORMER foreign affairs minister and diplomat Alexander Downer certainly is adept at celebrity selfies.

In recent times, we’ve published pictures of him with former UK PM Tony Blair, Colin “Mr Darcy” Firth and his now-estranged wife Livia Giuggioli, and former Australian PM and fellow South Australian Julia Gillard.

Not to be outdone, Downer this week tweeted a pic of him with current UK PM Boris Johnson, saying: “Catching up with a mate in London! A great man.”

Great mates: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) and Alexander Downer.

Pressing

It’s going to be a big few days at the SA Press Club.

As Off the Record has already reported the big stoush between Premier Steven

Marshall and Labor leader Peter Malinauskas is slated for the, ever appropriate

April 1.

But on March 27, Port Adelaide president David Koch has also agreed to front

the Press Club, the day before the first Showdown of the year between the

Power and the Crows. It’s a big year for Port, with its 150th celebrations and

pressure on coach Ken Hinkley to deliver a first finals’ appearance since 2017

or be sacked.