Backroom Baz: Donations shift foils Progressive Business

Labor’s laws that scrapped political donations from foreigners and big businesses appeared to be a clear-cut way to clean up a murky system, but as with anything designed by the Premier’s bearded henchman Gavin Jennings, the devil is in the detail, writes Backroom Baz.

As with anything designed by Daniel Andrews’s bearded henchman Gavin Jennings, the devil is in the detail.

Labor’s laws that scrapped political donations from foreigners and big businesses appeared to be a clear-cut way to clean up a murky system.

But as with anything designed by Daniel Andrews’s bearded henchman Gavin Jennings, the devil is in the detail — a fact that even the government’s allies still haven’t come to terms with.

For years, Victorian Labor raked in millions of dollars in donations via Progressive Business, which charges corporate leaders to put them in a room with senior MPs.

— Read Backroom Baz’s column, Victoria’s hottest political gossip, in the Sunday Herald Sun today

But Jennings’ reforms have put their cash-for-access system in legal jeopardy, and three months after the new laws kicked in, Progressive Business doesn’t seem to know what to do about it.

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Baz has been told the group’s two paid staffers have both walked out, along with a board member, amid internal confusion over the future.

As with anything designed by Daniel Andrews’s bearded henchman Gavin Jennings, the devil is in the detail.

As a Labor-associated entity, it can now only receive donations capped at $4000 over four years. There is also significant doubt about whether this reduced pool of cash can then be donated to the ALP itself.

To make matters worse, Baz has heard the Premier’s office has been noncommittal about providing ministers for future Progressive Business events — perhaps because they are actually serious about living up to their lofty rhetoric on cleaning up the donations system.

This led to a curious email from Progressive Business president Patsy Toop to her members — which quickly found its way into Baz’s hands — saying they would run
“a significantly scaled back
program” this year.

She said it had “taken a bit more time” to sort out events with a “newly elected government and ministers” — even though the key personnel remain in place after Labor’s election win.

Insiders are now concerned paid-up business bosses will ask for their money back, as Progressive Business tries to hire new staff who will have to figure out whether the group has any future at all.

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