From 'love rat' to the power behind throne

HE looked certain to be banished from politics forever over the "love rat" affair - now former Liberal minister Michael Photios has re-emerged.

Michael Photios

HE looked certain to be banished from politics forever over the "love rat" affair - now former Liberal minister Michael Photios has re-emerged as one of the most powerful men in the state.

Mr Photios has made himself the man to go to if business wants to talk to Barry O'Farrell's government and he sees himself as one of the Premier's closest advisers outside of government.

Mr Photios's Premier State lobbying firm is charging major clients $20,000 a month as a retainer in order to seek advice on how to deal with government and to win introductions to senior ministers.

But Mr Photios is again the centre of controversy with many MPs wanting the Premier to insist the former MP stand down from the Liberal Party's state executive because of the conflict of interest over his lobbying work.

Mr Photios is the leader of the Liberal Party's Left faction and a number of MPs, including at least two ministers, are said to owe their political careers to him, as he helped marshal the numbers to get them into parliament.

Senior Right MPs have called on Mr Photios and his ally and fellow lobbyist Joe Tannous to quit the executive, saying there is a clear conflict.

One source said: "There's not a minister who's not talking about how dangerous it is for the Premier."

Another MP said: "When he's making comments, he's more or less putting out the view 'if you want anything done, you have got to go through me'."

Mr Photios was seen as a key player in the Australian Hotels Association victory against Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione's idea of lockouts in Kings Cross.

The AHA paid Mr Photios a retainer of $14,000 a month from the time Mr O'Farrell was elected and he advises AHA boss Paul Nicolaou.

Mr Photios said he talks to Mr O'Farrell "regularly" but denies ever having lobbied him on behalf of Premier State clients. But he does introduce clients to key ministers.

"I've introduced clients to the Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian, Greg Pearce, the Minister for Finance ... " he said.

"We've found the cabinet process works superbly well.

"Many of the ministers are friends and it would be commonplace we would share political commentary, over a dinner, over a drink, at a meeting.

"I've entertained ministers in our boardroom with clients and I've obviously accompanied clients to see from time to time members of parliament."

Mr Photios admitted he gives the Premier political advice: "Barry O'Farrell would get advice from a lot of people. From time to time, we talk shop. Barry and I are friends and we've been friends for many, many years."

A spokesman for Mr O'Farrell said: "Any lobbying engagement has been done in accordance with current laws.

"Anyone employing a lobbyist to either get access or a favourable decision from the state government is wasting their money."

Mr Photios, 51, lost the seat of Ryde in 1999 and later was dubbed the "love rat" by The Daily Telegraph after he left his then pregnant wife Janice for second wife, fashion designer Mela Purdie.

He split with Ms Purdie, with whom he had a three-year-old son, in 2007 and then married a woman half his age, Kristina Iantchev.

Of the "love rat" tag, Mr Photios said: "Water off a duck's back."

He would not contemplate quitting the Liberal Party's state executive.

"I'm very heavily involved. It's my lifeblood," he said.