By Stephen Brook and Kishor Napier-Raman
Two years ago, still wearing a honeymoon glow, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese followed his address to the Business Council of Australia’s (BCA) annual dinner by offering a few lucky CEOs a ride on his private plane “Toto One” to Canberra for the government’s jobs and skills summit.
Times have changed now – a politically battered Albo is stumbling toward an election, big business is a lot crankier with federal Labor, and the BCA is facing questions about whether its influence has become too anaemic.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black (left) and president Geoff Culbert on Tuesday night.Credit: Wolter Peeters
Fresh from getting roasted by the Minerals Council of Australia last week, the PM copped it again from BCA chief Bran Black, whose speech about Australia “losing its way” because of workplace relations laws was dropped to the media ahead of time.
It was a fairly lukewarm address, truth be told, but somehow hot enough to trigger the fire alarm, which sounded as Black wound up.
Earlier, Albanese and Black smiled and made nice for the cameras once the PM made his red carpet arrival. But Albanese had little time for small talk, and was hurriedly whisked through the throng of well-wishers into the Hyatt Regency’s Maritime Ballroom in Sydney.
Getting a golden ticket to the top table were billionaire Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, Wesfarmers chief executive Rob Scott, Commonwealth Bank’s Matt Comyn and Coles boss Leah Weckert.
Atlassian co-founders Mike Cannon-Brookes (left) and Scott Farquhar at the business dinner.Credit: Wolter Peeters
Telstra chief executive Vicki Brady, Rio Tinto’s Kellie Parker and BCA president Geoff Culbert rounded off Albanese’s dinner companions.
Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar took a techy approach to the business-casual approach, by rocking jeans and dress sneakers.
The PM was ably supported at the dinner by a few key lieutenants, including Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Housing Minister Clare O’Neil (doubtless relieved to have a nice, chill portfolio after her torrid time in Home Affairs), Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, Albo’s chief of staff Tim Gartrell and MP Andrew Charlton.
From the other side, CBD spotted the ever-chipper former Liberal defence minister-turned-lobbyist Christopher Pyne and former Liberal federal director Brian Loughnane (aka Mr Peta Credlin), who is conducting a review into the party’s embattled NSW division.
With a guest list like that, it’s almost more intriguing taking stock of who wasn’t in the room. A notable absence was that of Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart, whose Hancock Prospecting is among the BCA’s newest members.
IT AIN’T OVER YET
In the aftermath of Liberal moderate Dr Katie Allen’s comeback kid manoeuvre, where the former MP displaced previously endorsed candidate Theo Zographos in the seat of Chisholm, the Liberal Party of Victoria has been letting it all hang out.
Readers will recall that the party hierarchy handed the preselection to Allen following an electoral redistribution, prompting some party members to liken the act to “the day when we woke up and Kevin Rudd had been knifed”.
Now we learn there is a petition – or more formally, a “requisition for special meeting of state council” – circulating to overturn that vote and reinstate Zographos.
Katie Allen has been preselected for the Liberals for the seat of Chisholm.Credit: Jason South
The petition appears close to gaining the required 50 signatures to force the issue with party hierarchy and is accompanied by a plaintive note: “The decision was made with total disregard for Theo and his family’s hard work, the financial impact on Theo and his family, Theo’s 20 years of loyalty to the party and the feelings and views of the members of the Chisholm Federal Electoral Conference.”
Zographos declined to comment.
It isn’t clear who originated the petition, but if it gets 50 signatures it will present the party hierarchy, including state president and former MP Philip Davis, with one big headache.
Allen was MP for Higgins, but lost her seat to Labor at the 2022 federal election. Then the Australian Electoral Commission abolished Higgins, prompting the Liberal Party to reopen nominations for the neighbouring seats affected by the redistribution.
Liberal Party officials didn’t want to respond to a document that they hadn’t seen.
But some officials, noting a third of voters in Higgins are now part of Chisholm, refer to the new seat as “Chiggins” and are very happy that Allen is now the candidate.
CATCH-UP WITH CAMILLA
Queen Camilla plans to join a family violence round table at Government House in Canberra on October 21 when she visits with King Charles as part of the royal couple’s truncated royal tour.
While the round table hasn’t been formally announced, experts sounded out about the event are thought to include former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty. Which could make things a bit tricky for organisers.
Rosie Batty is expected to attend a family violence round table with Queen Camilla next month. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Camilla’s itinerary mentions her “passion for encouraging reading” and her “desire to raise awareness of domestic and family violence”.
CBD understands the round table will include examining family violence and technology facilitated abuse and include First Nations women. One issue the organisers will have to navigate is a spectacular rift among women’s rights campaigners.
This month this masthead reported Batty had accused fellow campaigner Jess Hill and feminist Anne Summers of attempting to undermine the strategy to end violence against women.
Summers and Hill were part of the Albanese government’s six-member rapid review panel into prevention of violence against women. Batty told the pair she thought their criticisms of the national prevention agency Our Watch were damaging efforts to protect women.
We asked the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet for more details about the round table, and were told that details would be provided in due course.
The round table will be a reunion of sorts for Camilla and Batty, who met in Adelaide in 2015 during a six-day visit, when Camilla told Batty during a similar forum that she was “incredibly brave” for publicly recalling how her son Luke was killed by his father in 2014.
“It is a difficult thing to report,” Camilla told Batty. “People sometimes think they’re not going to be believed. A lot of people feel shame, so they sit on it for years.”
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.