Backroom Baz: Property Council boss says they are “in the freezer” with state government

The Property Council of Victoria has laid bare the continuing bad blood with the state government over their failed housing tax.

Baz mused recently about the continued bad blood between some members of the Andrews government and top brass of the Property Council of Victoria following their stoush over the planned then scrapped new housing tax.

Daniel Andrews publicly accused Property Council chief Danni Hunter of reneging on an agreement that made the $800m a year plan untenable.

Well, at an event this week Hunter appeared to confirm the ongoing tensions.

While appearing at the Crown Palladium alongside shadow treasurer David Davis, Hunter was asked by MC Dan Ziffer why no one from the government was in attendance.

“We host 80 events a year and they (the government) come to a few but fair to say we have had a few blues lately and are in the freezer,” she said.

Baz hopes the old friends can patch it up soon.

Out with the old, in with Tim

Two rumours floating around Spring St recently have now met head on.

One, that Tim Smith had his eye on the upper house. The other, that the knives were out for David Davis.

Of course the two rumours work hand in hand. If Davis were to lose preselection, it would pave the way for Smith to nominate and guarantee himself a return to parliament.

Senior Liberal sources say the notion is mad, and without basis or logic.

But it is conceded by several sources that there are people within the party who think the above scenario is the way of the future, out with the old and in with the Tim.

Could David Davis stroll out of politics. Picture: Mark Wilson

And allow Tim Smith to wander back in. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Of course that gives little thought to the optics of politically assassinating a shadow treasurer in the lead-up to an election.

“Of course,” one Lib veteran said.

“But these are people that thought Tim could be premier one day.

“They also don’t like that Matthew Guy intervened in their local affairs and don’t want him to win.”

Guy famously said there would be no room for Smith on the frontbench of a government he led following his drink drive controversy, all but killing his political career.

But if Baz knows one thing, Smith is not one for lying down quietly.

Even he won’t take Baz’s calls anymore.

Longest (lockdown) leader

As revealed by Baz some time ago, the new unauthorised biography of Daniel Andrews will hit bookshelves before the election.

Promotion for the tome is now in full swing, with the release of the cover and creative title: Daniel Andrews.

What really caught Baz’s eye was the sell for the book which called it: “A fascinating portrait of Australia’s longest-serving leader”.

Now, Dan has been in the chair for some time.

But at seven years and 165 days, he’s not even close to the longest serving Victorian leader, let alone longest in Australia.

Hard hats at the ready for the release of the unauthorised Daniel Andrews biography.

The Victorian honour goes to Sir Henry Bolte at 17 years and 77 days.

Across Australia, it was South Australian Premier Sir Thomas Playford who holds the record for longest-serving leader, in the top job for 26 years and 125 days between 1938 and 1965.

He’s well ahead of longest serving Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies who at 18 years and 163 days has set a record unlikely to be beaten in Canberra.

Andrews is however Australia’s longest serving current leader, pipping by just a matter of weeks ACT chief minister Andrew Barr and QLD Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Dangerous enough to Bernie is colleagues

With outspoken Liberal backbencher Bernie Finn set to face moves to boot him from the party, some rank and file members have threatened to go with him.

While the Australian Christian Lobby has launched a campaign to save Bernie, punters have also started personally petitioning Opposition Leader Matthew Guy.

“I, and many, many other REAL Liberal members in the Western Suburbs I have spoken to, (you know, the people who always turn up to branch meetings and events, who do all the work on Branch Committees, who turn up on polling day to hand out How to Vote Cards, etc), will resign from the Liberal Party the moment you sack Bernie,” one wrote, in a letter quietly siphoned to Baz.

Senior Libs are fearful of the damage Bernie Finn could do. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

“This will leave you with a decimated Branch Structure during the most important election in Victoria’s history!

“Not only do you lose the workers, but also the knowledge.”

But an exodus in protest is not the only headache this move could cause.

Senior Libs wonder about the damage Bernie could personally inflict on colleagues, especially if they become former colleagues.

“He’s got nothing to lose now, that’s what makes him so dangerous,” one said.

Enemy and friend

In a display of bipartisanship, Victorian Liberal Melton candidate Graham Watt was spotted helping out the rival United Australia Party with some signage at a Hawke polling booth in the lead-up to the election.

Spending long hours outside pre-polling can be long, exhausting work and tensions can boilover between the parties, but in politics, the enemy of your enemy is your friend.

It may have also helped that UAP preferenced Liberals over Labor in the seat.

You read it here first

Baz was thrilled to see the other paper claim as its own a story that appeared in this very column almost a year ago.

Imitation is the best form of flattery, but the story of Labor’s candidate for Higgins hitting out at Doherty Institute director Sharon Lewin and ex-Victorian deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng was certainly not new.

Baz suspects the leaker of the letter which exposed the criticism tried to get two bites of the cherry: one in the heat of a Covid crisis, and one on the eve of a pending election crisis.

Guess who

Which press gallery member raised concerns about their treatment on the federal election campaign with Labor HQ?