Financial independents: teals’ wealthy backers revealed

Nobody ought to be surprised by reports in this masthead that the teal independents who swept Liberals from power in their heartland seats in May were bankrolled by the big end of town, with Atlassian founders Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar donating a collective $2.5 million to the teals’ Climate 200 backers, and share trader Rob Keldoulis spending $1.5 million.

Independent MP Monique Ryan.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Now, data published by the Australian Electoral Commission gives a broader picture of Climate 200’s financial muscle, and how some of Australia’s wealthiest turned against the Liberal Party with both their votes and wallets.

Take Polka Dot Ventures, which gave $325,000 to Climate 200 plus a separate $50,000 to Wentworth MP Allegra Spender (who raked in the most donations). Its director is Andrew Killion, co-founder of trading firm Akuna Capital, who returned to Australia from Chicago in 2011 and promptly purchased a $30 million Vaucluse trophy home.

Very expensive property is a theme here.

LB Conservation Trust, registered to a $16 million penthouse in South Yarra, donated $200,000 to Climate 200 and $100,000 to Kooyong MP Monique Ryan. The pad belongs to Lisa Barlow, a member of 7-Eleven’s Australian dynasty who sits on the board of its late co-owner Bev Barlow’s family charity.

William Taylor Nominees, which gave $500,000 to Climate 200, $100,000 to Spender and $70,000 to Sophie Scamps, is owned by investor James Taylor, based out of a $15 million Bondi home.

Keep Them Honest Pty Ltd isn’t some kind of kooky protest party, but a company run by fund managers Fred Woollard and Nancy Cochrane, registered to a $13 million Darling Point home. They gave $100,000 to Climate 200 and $170,000 to various teal candidates

Katrina Chandler, a returned British expat, who gave $80,200 to various independents is the owner of a $22 million Mosman mansion.

And what about those old money names – Nick and Sandra Fairfax gave $100,000 and of course, Simon Holmes a Court, son of Australia’s first billionaire, who donated around $20,000 to Ryan’s campaign and was the brains and the bank behind Climate 200.

CRICKET TRAGICS

Parliament House’s hacks can expect something of a hard time around Canberra’s halls of power after losing the annual cricket match to a team of politicians and staffers, failing once again to retain the Peter Veness memorial trophy (named for a young gallery reporter who died of cancer).

The pollies’ side comfortably chased down the press’ total of 147 with five overs to spare, thanks in no small part to the efforts of rookie Liberal MP Aaron Violi, with an unbeaten 50 at the top of the order before retiring.

ABC journalist Andrew Probyn - handy with the batCredit: Alex Ellinghausen

It was another new MP among the wickets for the Parliament side, with LNP member for Bowman Henry Pike finishing with 3-20. For the press, ABC political editor Andrew Probyn top scored with 34, an innings interrupted when he had to call for a runner after doing his back.

The tradition, which went down at Canberra’s Phillip Oval, lacked the drama of years past – in 1984 Prime Minister Bob Hawke was felled by a vicious bouncer to the eye. Sunday’s clash, played in good spirit, was fortunately free of any bloodshed.

GOT THE NACC

Labor likes its chances of legislating a national anti-corruption commission (NACC) so much that it’s already advertising for a commissioner — to be paid $728,900 a year, thank you very much.

But some in the domestic recruitment game are a little disgruntled that the Attorney-General’s Department has overlooked them in favour of an international firm to help its search.

The firm in question is NGS Global — which readers might remember from the John Barilaro affair — hired by the NSW government to fill the lucrative New York-based trade role that the former deputy premier briefly managed to land for himself.

At a NSW inquiry into that appointment, NGS managing partner Marianne Broadbent gave evidence about the firm’s role in approving former Business NSW boss Stephen Cartwright for a London-based agent general role, after he’d been encouraged to apply by Barilaro.

With a ringside seat in that inquiry, we’re sure she’d have no trouble finding a candidate well suited to weeding out corruption in Canberra.

BERNIE’S BUNCH

The Democratic Labor Party likes to make itself useful.

In its Cold War glory days, under stewardship of the most Catholic Bob Santamaria, the party kept our shores safe from godless commies and their fellow travellers by keeping Santamaria’s erstwhile Labor Party colleagues well away from the Treasury benches.

These days the DLP, while fallen on hard times, still serves as a refuge for politicians no longer welcome among their former colleagues.

Just the place for disgraced Labor powerbroker Adem Somyurek, who announced on Monday, through the local US-owned tabloid, that he was to contest the Northern Metro upper house electorate for the DLP.

Democratic Labor Party Leader Bernie Finn welcomes former state government minister Adem Somyurek to the party. 

But The Herald Sun’s splash failed to mention that Adem, who likes to be in charge, has a new boss; none other than our old pal Bernie Finn, who returned to the Democratic Labor fold — where he briefly resided as a young man 40 years ago— as leader in May after being booted from the Liberals for his, ahem, challenging views.

It’s not clear if the DLP has enough members to make factional strife possible, but if anyone can find a way, it’s Somyurek. Bernie is optimistic though, saying on Monday that he was “delighted” to welcome his former adversary into the party.

“Adem has been a fighter for workers and families for decades and he’ll be continuing that important work in his new political home” Finn said.

Who says the DLP’s best years are behind it?

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