James O’Doherty: Labor’s pick for upper house presidency smacks of nepotism

The reason Premier Chris Minns would want a Coalition MP to serve as Upper House president is simple maths, but his choice of who to back smacks of nepotism, writes James O’Doherty.

One of the golden rules of politics is to always be careful about your drinking partners. Just ask Anthony Albanese.

So it was curious that while Nationals MPs were going into meltdown on Wednesday with accusations one of their own could potentially commit political “treachery,” that the man at the centre of a ‘jobs for the boys’ scandal would be sharing a bar table with an old Labor sparring partner.

Upper House Nationals MP Ben Franklin was at a Macquarie Street bar opposite parliament on Wednesday having a drink with Nationals colleague Adam Marshall when former Labor MP Adam Searle walked past — dropping in for a beer and a chat. The trio did not go unnoticed.

It so happened that Franklin’s social bar session coincided with a political furore exploding across the road about his future.

Franklin had, days earlier, been approached by Labor about one of the best jobs in politics: President of the upper house. The role is the Legislative Council’s version of parliament’s Speaker, a largely ceremonial role that comes with all the trappings of high office.

Ben Franklin has been quiet about the upper house president position. Picture: Getty

The job is chosen by a vote of MPs. By convention it goes to a member of the government but there is no reason that a crossbencher could not be chosen.

What is unusual, though, is for the government to support a member of the Opposition for the gig — like when Julia Gillard backed Peter Slipper for Speaker more than a decade ago.

The reason Premier Chris Minns would want a Coalition MP to serve as upper house president is simple maths. Because the president does not vote, putting an Opposition MP in the role gives Labor an advantage.

But his choice for who Labor will back smacks of nepotism.

Minns confirmed this week he would support Franklin for the presidency, a job that comes with a bigger office, a car and driver, an expense account and a $143,000 pay rise.

Franklin and Minns have been mates for decades.

Their friendship dates back to when Minns was Young Labor president and Franklin was president of the Young Liberals.

Franklin is a godfather to one of Minns’ kids.

Minns supporting one of his good mates for a plum parliamentary role flies in the face of one of Labor’s chief attacks against the former government before the election.

Claims that the Coalition was feathering its own nest by giving plum jobs to mates was central to Minns’ election campaign. Now he appears to be doing the very same.

Peter Slipper and then-prime minister Julia Gillard in 2013.

Labor putting forward a Nationals MP for president to gain a numbers advantage is one thing; for Franklin to seemingly want the job reflects even more poorly on his judgment.

The former minister has just been re-elected to the upper house, under the Nationals banner, for an eight-year term.

To take a job that effectively reduces the Nationals’ power in parliament is a slap in the face to the party that put him there.

Franklin was logged on to an online party room meeting on Thursday, where his Nationals colleagues made it abundantly clear what they thought of the presidency plan.

Collectively, they passed a motion — moved by upper house leader Sarah Mitchell — stating that the party would not put forward a candidate for either the presidency or vice-presidency.

If Franklin goes ahead with accepting Labor’s nomination for the job, he will be going against the wishes of his colleagues. He is set to be booted from the parliamentary party and risks being expelled.

Franklin has refused to talk about the scandal and failed to return calls on Thursday.

He is said to have told colleagues that he is considering the position but taking their feedback on board.

The entire argument would be moot, of course, if Franklin ends up rejecting Labor’s job offer.

But he has so far shown no indication that he will do so.

There is also the real possibility that upper house MPs will vote for someone else to fill the president’s position. Predicting what the Legislative Council will do is always fraught.

In any case, Nationals MPs think that Minns’ idea for Labor to support Franklin for the president could amount to an “inducement” to secure an advantage in the upper house.

They are set to refer the matter to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

This case has some similarities to when former premier Nick Greiner infamously created a job for crossbencher Terry Metherell in 1992.

Metherell quit politics to take the role. Greiner’s numbers in parliament improved but a subsequent ICAC investigation ended Greiner’s career. (The ICAC raised concerns about Greiner’s actions but he was later cleared upon appeal in the Supreme Court).

But referring Minns to ICAC is an overreach.

Firstly, he is not creating any job for Franklin or even appointing him. If Labor nominates Franklin, he still needs to be voted in by his colleagues.

The saga, which has exploded over the past two days, is an unwelcome distraction both for Minns and Liberal leader Mark Speakman.

The last thing Speakman needs is for internal ructions to be bubbling over — again.

In an interview this week, Speakman told this column that the way the Coalition could win the election is “not to focus on ourselves but focus on people’s needs”.

But old habits die hard.