Backroom Baz: Glimpse inside Daniel Andrews’ big bash office farewell
The days following Dan’s sudden exit from politics have been well documented, but Baz can reveal a glimpse inside his big office send-off courtesy of an accidental online leak.
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The days following ex-premier Dan Andrews’ sudden exit from politics have been well documented.
On Wednesday last week, he had a family dinner at Gimlet. On Friday, he had drinks for staff at Trades Hall Council. On Friday night, Andrews is thought to have sipped very expensive red wine with Fox family members in Toorak. On Saturday, he played golf at National Golf Course at Cape Schanck.
A common theme is that he has kept a low profile.
But Baz can reveal a glimpse inside his big bash office farewell at Trades Hall courtesy of an accidental online leak. While it appeared ever so briefly, what goes online stays online.
The source of the leaked pics has sparked much conversation within government circles.
A series of photos were posted on the Instagram account of Labor’s former Richmond candidate Lauren O’Dwyer, whose re-emergence from a nine month online hiatus with a series of selfies of former Andrews government spinner Hayley Bester was a surprise to Baz.
The posts on the public profile were quickly deleted, as was the profile itself, but the damage was done.
Bester, who sources say helped run social media for O’Dwyer during November’s election, is one of a number of names being thrown around to take a senior role in Allan’s new-look private office. She’s been a big miss from the media team since calling time on her political career last year, and has a long history working closely with Allan.
Sources say with a number of high profile departures from the Premier’s office Bester could be enticed back.
One wonders if she’ll be given the passwords to the social media accounts.
Treasurer’s rumoured departure
He vehemently denies them, but rumours that Tim Pallas is not long for Spring St just won’t die. Baz has been reliably informed that just hours after Daniel Andrews announced his retirement, the $200bn treasurer told his staff he would be following suit.
Apparently though, being offered the deputy Premier role in a move that sparked a factional war, was enough to encourage him to hang around.
Given he missed out on being the second banana, sources say he could still call it quits unless he can be convinced by senior government MPs to stick it out for one more budget, his tenth.
If he goes, what next? A career in racing perhaps?
Sam Newman revealed Pallas’ need for speed on his You Cannot Be Serious podcast this week, claiming the treasurer once phoned him to ask to go for a spin in his Lamborghini.
“He was as happy as a dog with a tin d***,” Newman said. “He hit the gas and he put the boot into it … this is the man who is now taxing us for living the high life,” he said. Newman said he had to encourage Pallas to stay within the speed limit, warning the media mess that would follow should the then transport minister be busted hooning in a Lamborghini.
A factional insider said: “I hope Tim doesn’t drive his next Lamborghini into one of the thousands of pot holes he refuses to fund to fix.”
Property Council vs. Allan government
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. One wonders what was going through the Allan government’s collective mind this week when they picked yet another fight with the Property Council.
Never mind the fact that treasurer Tim Pallas decided to ambush the organisation’s breakfast invitation to spring a surprise new tax on the industry. And never mind it came on Jacinta Allan’s first day in parliament as Premier.
As far as getting off to a bad start, you couldn’t have scripted a worse beginning. But the government should be nervous about the fight it picked, and the scathing public rebuke that followed.
“Here’s a tip for state governments trying to reach ambitious housing goals in partnership: Don’t ‘do a Victoria’,” a Property Council bulletin screamed after Pallas’ bombshell announcement.
“Don’t go slow on housing and approvals for the past few years and then seek redemption through a partnership with industry that you set on fire inside a fortnight.” Ouch.
It was just last year tensions rose between some members of the Andrews Government and top brass of the Property Council following their stoush over the planned then scrapped new housing tax.
Daniel Andrews publicly accused then Property Council chief Danni Hunter of reneging on an agreement that made the $800 million a year plan untenable. It prompted a boycott by Pallas of Property Council events. After this week’s effort, Baz wonders if he’ll even be invited back.
Staley’s parliamentary comeback
Former Liberal MP Louise Staley is hoping to make a parliamentary comeback, nominating for a spot in the upper house replacing outgoing northeastern Metropolitan Region MP Matt Bach.
Staley narrowly lost her seat of Ripon to Labor in November, but has been desperate to stay involved on Spring St, nominating for the Liberal Party’s state director position, and working casual with Opposition Leader John Pesutto’s office.
She’s not the only former MP to stage a comeback attempt, with former Forest Hill MP Neil Angus also keen to get back to parliament.
The pair are among a small field of hopeful candidates to put their hand up to fill the vacancy left by Bach.
Baz is told 26-year-old Chris Kounelis, a law student and secretary of the federal electorate conference in Menzies, is an early favourite.
As is two-time Australian Survivor runner-up and seasoned criminal lawyer, Sharn Coombes. Someone who won’t be getting the gig is conservative Ivan Stratov who is fighting his expulsion from the party.
Stratov had considered nominating for preselection despite his expulsion, but pulled out at the last minute.
On Wednesdays we wear pink
It was a cold and wet start to the week of parliament but some MPs bucked the black trend and brought in colourful wardrobes to lighten the mood.
Baz couldn’t help but notice that swim star MP Sonja Terpstra and newly minted Children’s minister Lizzie Blandthorn both matched in stylish red blazers.
Across the chamber Liberal MP Renee Heath also got the fashionista memo with a bright red power suit.
On Wednesday Terpstra was again in a matchy mood, posing in pink with colleagues Belinda Wilson and Pauline Richards who quipped “on Wednesdays we wear pink”.
Baz wonders if Richards realises that’s an iconic Mean Girls line?
Guess who?
Which former Minister was seen ordering champagne as news of Daniel Andrews retirement became public?
Baz overheard
“It’s gonna go off like Donkey Kong” – new transport infrastructure minister Danny Pearson bursts with excitement on a tour of the new Arden Station as part of the Metro Tunnel
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