Backroom Baz: John Pesutto’s former top advisers set up their own new advisory firm

We recently learnt Daniel Andrews’ former A-team had established a corporate advisory firm and now there’s a new player in the field.

John Pesutto’s former top advisers are setting up their own advisory firm. Picture: Ian Currie

After the rough and tumble of political life it’s always interesting to see where people end up after they leave Spring St.

Earlier this year we learned that Daniel Andrews’ former A-team Lissie Ratcliffe, Jessie McCrone and Ben Foster had teamed up with former government media director Adam Sims to establish the new corporate advisory firm FMRS Advisory.

Now there’s another new player in the field. Baz’s spies say John Pesutto’s former top advisers – chief of staff Rodrigo Pintos-Lopez and media boss Nick Johnston – have setup their own new advisory specialising in reputation and crisis management.

Nick Johnston.

Rodrigo Pintos-Lopez.

If anyone knows about crisis management it is those two, given they had been in their jobs barely a week when Pesutto moved to expel Moira Deeming from the party setting off a chain of events that have lasted almost 18 months and look set to end in a messy court stoush come September.

That stoush will likely involve both Pintos-Lopez and Johnston who resigned from the Opposition Leader’s office in-synch in March. Baz put in calls to the pair who say the new venture isn’t quite ready to launch, but won’t be far off. Just in time, perhaps.

While it’s been uncharacteristically smooth sailing for the Libs for the past few months, Baz reckons the team might need a little bit of crisis management in the months ahead. Watch this space.

Leaking from shadow cabinet is risky business

Baz is always grateful that politicians leak like sieves. He’d be out of a job otherwise.

But leaking from cabinet, or shadow cabinet, is risky business. It threatens to undermine leaders and colleagues, divert public attention and exert political pressure.

Which is exactly why it happens so often!

Last week this paper revealed leaks from shadow cabinet which showed a muddled stance on nuclear energy. Opposition Leader John Pesutto further muddied the waters on the issue this week with what has been described unkindly as “Olympic-level fence sitting”. But the latest leak out of shadow cabinet doesn’t concerns Pesutto and his merry team.

The Coalition has pledged to build seven nuclear power plants across Australia, including in Loy Yang in Victoria. Picture: Jake Nowakowski.

No, this week it’s the Liberals’ partners the Nationals and a fiery debate inside shadow cabinet over the coalition’s position on the government’s bill to kill native forest logging, the Sustainable Forests (Timber) Repeal Bill. Baz’s spies inside the room say some argued to not oppose the bill in a move that left others outraged and threatened to spark a proper fight.

There was a view that allowing the bill to pass would allow the Coalition to fight for a better deal for those exiting the industry. It might make sense, but that wasn’t enough to persuade the room.

On Thursday evening the Coalition, united, voted against the bill.

No debate over event’s success

Spring St has a new annual event, if the success of the inaugural Great Debate between pollies and journalists is anything to go by.

Parliament’s legislative assembly was packed to the rafters on Thursday to see the unlikely coalition of Labor’s Harriet Shing, the National’s Tim Bull and Liberal Matthew Guy take on the ABC’s Richard Willingham, The Age’s Kieran Rooney and Nine’s Heidi Murphy, arguing that MPs get a fair go from the media.

Winners are grinners: The National’s Tim Bull, Labor’s Harriet Shing and Liberal Matthew Guy.

Singing speaker Sammy J set the mood but Chatham House rules apply, and best they do, given the arguments from some of the debaters. But let it never be said MPs are a bunch of humourless bores who can’t poke fun at themselves or in the case of Shing, a minister, her own government.

Baz can hardly think of a better way to raise money for charity: this year for the Lions V District Skin Cancer van which provides a free skin testing service across the state. An estimated $15,000 was raised, including more than $3000 in a rowdy auction led by Sky’s Simon Love who did well to flog a bottle of plonk signed by Jacinta Allan and John Pesutto, and a dinner with an MP. Lobster Cave, anyone?

Inspired by Canberra’s Midwinter Ball for Australia’s journalistic, political and corporate chiefs, Baz reckons the debate will become Spring St’s own entertainment and networking opportunity with charity the big winner. Speaking of winners, this year the MPs took home the prize.

Rising costs halt ‘old-fashioned’ spamming

Hate being spammed the old-fashioned way, with political advertising jammed into your letterbox? You might be in for a slight reprieve.

Australia Post has warned MPs it is about to up the cost of parliamentarians sending unaddressed mail – by a whopping 21 per cent – blaming “rising costs involved in processing and delivery”.

The change doesn’t come into effect until January 1 but that doesn’t mean some MPs already firmly in campaign mode haven’t had their noses whacked firmly out of joint.

We might see less junk mail clogging the mailbox, but more MPs knocking on doors. Hard to know which is worse!

MPs don “speed dealer” sunnies to promote pill testing

You could have mistaken parliament for Prahran’s famed Revolver nightclub when three of our more outspoken MPs rocked up this week in questionable eyewear.

Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell, Greens MP Aiv Puglielli and Legalise Cannabis MP Rachel Payne wore “speed dealer sunnies” to promote pill testing.

Greens MP Aiv Puglielli, Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell and Legalise Cannabis MP Rachel Payne donned “speed dealer” sunnies to promote their pill-testing push.

The trio – not afraid of a sting from the safety of the crossbench – have been urging the Allan government to introduce a pill-testing trial. “Growing up and experimenting shouldn’t be a death sentence,” Purcell said.

Jacinta Allan this week gave her strongest indication yet that she is open to trialling pill testing, a major shift in policy from her predecessor, who was dead against the idea.

Guess who?

Which former Premier is becoming known for his penchant for a paid breakfast?

Overheard

“I’m not going to walk the dogs, I’m going out to feed the chooks.” Jacinta Allan didn’t realise she was in earshot of Baz while she made her way to a press conference this week.