Woolworths brings in lobbyist firm to prep for Senate inquiry
The job of coaching Woolworths chief Brad Banducci for his turn at a supermarket inquiry will fall to a powerful Canberra lobbyist firm headed up by two former ALP luminaries.
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Woolworths has called in a powerful Canberra lobbyist firm headed by former Labor party luminaries and cabinet ministers Stephen Conroy and Kim Beazley amid a worsening political firestorm around the supermarket sector.
The decision to hire lobbyist firm TG Public Affairs was made by Woolworths in December, when the Greens won support from the Albanese government to hold a senate inquiry into supermarket pricing and market power. It will see supermarket bosses dragged before senators in what will likely be a public grilling for the cameras. It is one of a string of government inquiries the $120bn supermarket sector faces, which will see pricing policies and market power dissected before the public.
The nation’s largest supermarket chain is also relying on the advice of external strategic adviser David Miles and his firm Willard Public Affairs, which has strong Liberal party and coalition connections having previously advised federal and state coalition ministers.
TG Public Affairs will likely however play a more important role in coaching Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci for his turn in front of a Senate inquiry.
TG Public Affairs also provided training and coaching for the former boss of Optus, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, before she fronted senators in November over the damaging hacking scandal that gripped the telco, and PwC as it faced irate politicians over its breach of trust over the misuse of confidential government taxation information.
The Woolworths board knows in the wake of similar Senate appearances by CEOs of Qantas and Optus that the optics of how Mr Banducci answers questions could be crucial in shaping public opinion, especially as clips of his appearance will be shown on the evening news. Mr Banducci, already under fire for his handling of Australia Day celebrations and the decision not to sell merchandise in his stores, now faces an inquisition from a collection of government inquiries as well as from the competition and consumer regulator.
A Woolworths spokesman told The Australian: “TP were engaged in December after the Senate inquiry was announced. They will assist with preparation for that inquiry as well as two inquiries being undertaken in the Queensland and Victorian parliaments.”
Woolworths has now cloaked itself with external advisers with roots in both sides of politics as it prepares for the next 12 months that will be dominated by inquiries. The retailer also faces the risk of potentially becoming a scapegoat, or distraction, for the Albanese government as it faces electoral pressure on reining in the cost of living.
The supermarket sector, of which Woolworths is the largest player, also faces an inquiry from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
TG Public Affairs is perfectly positioned to act as a conduit between the offices of Mr Banducci and his chairman Scott Perkins, and the Prime Minister’s office, as well as key cabinet ministers in Treasury, given its strong Labor party credentials.
Mr Conroy, a former Labor senator, is the chairman of TG Public Affairs. Mr Conroy has deep experience with running and leading Senate estimate committees and Senate inquiries.
TG Public Affairs also boasts as a director Mr Beazley, a minister in the Hawke and Keating Labor governments holding a range of portfolios such as defence, finance, transport and communications. From 1995 to 1996 he was deputy prime minister and leader of the Opposition from 1996 to 2001.
Other directors of TG Public Affairs include veteran public servant, corporate director and health official Jane Halton; national security expert Peter Jennings; and defence strategist and policy expert Steve Grzeskowiak.
The firm has offices in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, and boasts on its website that it offers its corporate and boardroom clients “sound strategic and policy advice, designing effective advocacy programs and by utilising its extensive political and senior bureaucratic networks”.
TG Public Affairs’s managing director is John Brenton, a former Australian diplomat who served in the US under the leadership of Mr Beazley.
Meanwhile, it is believed Mr Miles and Willard Public Affairs have been working for Woolworths for some time. Willard provides public and media relations, political counsel and strategy, event management and advocacy services.
Mr Miles declined to comment on his current role at Woolworths when contacted by The Australian but did confirm he was currently advising Woolworths on a matter.
Originally published as Woolworths brings in lobbyist firm to prep for Senate inquiry
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