Cabinet ministers sort spat with arm wrestle as leadership wannabes jostle
The Sauce: Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Planning Minister Rob Stokes — who claim to be great ‘mates’ — have sought to resolve their ‘spat’ over the $500 million Ritz Carlton tower with an arm wrestle.
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Well that escalated quickly.
When Treasurer Dom Perrottet told a Committee for Sydney boardroom lunch on Thursday that he wanted a minister for Sydney, little did he know that his comments — splashed on the front page of a Nine publication the following day — would come out at the same time as the decision by the state’s planning department to reject Star’s $500 million Ritz Carlton tower (the latter revealed in The Daily Telegraph).
Tongues were certainly wagging after Perrottet subsequently told 2GB’s Steve Price that he backed the Star’s proposal, seemingly putting him at odds with Planning Minister Rob Stokes.
“He’s making a play,” one insider claimed, referring to Perrottet’s leadership aspirations should Premier Gladys Berejiklian one day vacate.
“Look at the photo in the paper. He even looks hunky. It’s not coincidental.”
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The leadership speculation comes amid persistent rumours within Macquarie Street that the Premier will call it quits in October or November next year, giving her successor a solid lead-in to the next state election.
Others close to the Premier say she is just as likely to hold out for the term, especially now
the government is finally cutting some red ribbons.
Given the controversy that awaits upon her return to work today — including the tearing up of Lendlease’s Allianz Stadium contract — she may well go option A.
While Perrottet has always been the frontrunner to fill the top post, he is likely to have competition in Transport Minister Andrew Constance, known around the traps as “Bega”.
“Bega wants it bad,” one senior Liberal claimed. “Unfortunately, he has united every faction against him.”
The Nationals are also not immune to post-election leadership talk, with Deputy Premier John Barilaro not ruling out a tilt at Canberra should Mike Kelly vacate Eden Monaro.
The move would allow Nationals MP Melinda Pavey a shot at the top job.
Back at Camp Perrottet, sources said the Treasurer’s support for the Star project was genuine, and — aware of how his radio interview could come across — actually called Stokes after the radio interview.
Perrottet himself told The Sauce that he and Stokes were good mates.
“The only way to resolve this dispute is in a joint party room arm-wrestle,” he said.
Stokes was equally enthusiastic.
“Mark Speakman and Victor Dominello showed how these disputes are resolved,” he said.
“I look forward to wrestling with Dom.”
Government sources said the most senior Berejiklian ministers had been aware of the planning department decision to reject the Ritz Carlton project at least a week ago, as was Star executive Chris Downy and probably many of the lobby groups doing the casino’s bidding, including Michael Photios’ Premier State and Newgate Australia.
With so many players — even Crown major shareholder James Packer last week reiterated his support for the project — this is not the last we’ll hear of it.
NEW BEGINNINGS
Half of one of Canberra’s most powerful couples is saying goodbye to Parliament House. Brooke Leembruggen, who was a media adviser for Social Services Minister Paul Fletcher, has left the post, while husband Julian, a staffer for the PM will remain on the Hill.
Ms Leembruggen previously worked as an adviser to MP Steven Ciobo and senators Michaelia Cash and Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.
The Sauce understands a new job awaits Leembruggen in the private sector.
BABY BONUS
Labor’s Amanda Rishworth was absent from parliament this week, but for a very good reason. The South Australian MP welcomed baby Oscar Thomas on Monday.
Oscar is the second son for Rishy — as she’s known — and husband Tim.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
It’s an image that keeps coming back to haunt former premier Barry O’Farrell.
Posing with Liberal Party fundraiser Nick Di Girolamo in 2011, little would the West Tigers chairman know that a $3000 bottle of wine given to him by the former Australian Water Holdings director would lead to his demise.
O’Farrell resigned from the top job in 2014 after mistakenly denying at an ICAC hearing that he had received a bottle of Grange Hermitage from former Wests Tigers chairman Nick Di Girolamo three years earlier.
This week, the photo popped up again after the sentencing of former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale who was this week found guilty of extortion after posing as a private investigator and demanding thousands of dollars from the ex-boyfriend of a Chinese escort he had been seeing.
Got some Sauce? Contact:
linda.silmalis@news.com.au
miranda.wood@news.com.au or
annika.smethurst@news.com.au
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