By Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese might have vanquished Scott Morrison at the polls three years ago, his performance during that election campaign didn’t always inspire confidence. Who could forget that infamous day-one gaffe, when the then-opposition leader forgot the unemployment rate during a press conference?
Three years on, Albo is slipping in the polls and Dutton has turned his “strong man for hard anti-woke times” schtick into an electorally credible alternative. So the prime minister has called in a political bruiser of his own to help him prepare for upcoming election debates against the man who wants to make him a one-term wonder.
Former Victoria premier Dan Andrews is teaming up with Anthony Albanese.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
Enter Daniel Andrews, Victorian premier from 2014 to 2023 and three-time election winner, who will role-play as Dutton in practice debates that Albo’s team hopes will sharpen the boss up in time for a campaign which could kick off within weeks.
Dan was last seen in this column getting a lucrative consultancy gig with Visy chairman and cardboard box billionaire Anthony Pratt, who donated a cool $1 million to the Labor Party, according to disclosures. Andrews was also appointed chairman of youth mental health charity Orygen last November, which caused a stir given his fondness for putting his state into lockdowns.
The last election featured a notoriously cantankerous debate on Nine, owner of this masthead, between Albanese and Scott Morrison, which required a valiant effort from host Sarah Abo to maintain the peace.
The former Victorian premier is well-placed to bring Dutton energy to the role, given his take-no-prisoners approach to such things. He gave an interview to the Socially Democratic podcast in 2023, in which he summed up reactions to his time in office: “In Victoria, the haters hate and the rest vote Labor and that’s fine by me. Call me what you want.”
Looks like he’s already getting into character.
Eyes on watchdog
CBD has been keeping one eye on the trials and tribulations of Greyhound Racing NSW ever since a bombshell former chief veterinarian’s report was released last year, documenting widespread animal cruelty and forcing out then-chief executive Rob Macaulay.
But after months in limbo, during which GRNSW has been stewarded by acting chief executive and industry insider Wayne Billett, the body looks set to lock in a permanent boss.
Steve Griffin, the chief executive of industry regulator the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission, is currently the preferred candidate, pending approval from the GRNSW board on Monday.
It’s an appointment that has put a few noses out of joint, since Griffin runs the regulator which has been staging an inquiry into GRNSW, ordered by Racing Minister David Harris, run by acting commissioner Lea Drake, leading to a few mutterings about a potential conflict of interest.
It would, after all, be like Philip Crawford, chief commissioner of the NSW Independent Casino Commissioner landing a job as chief executive of troubled gaming giant Star.
Clearly, the potential for a conflict of interest has raised a few red flags within the government. A spokesperson for Harris told us that the minister “has written to Greyhound Racing NSW and the regulator outlining his expectations that any conflict of interest is appropriately managed”.
“The minister is advised as CEO of the Greyhound Welfare Integrity Commission, Mr Griffin has no role in relation to the operation or conduct of the Drake Inquiry into Greyhound Racing NSW,” they said.
Supporting cast
The real-life succession battle dividing the children of billionaire media dark lord Rupert Murdoch has provided your correspondents far more entertainment than a certain over-hyped HBO dramedy could ever muster.
Many of the gory details of a lengthy legal battle between the Murdoch children over the fate of the family trust were revealed in a New York Times Magazine piece last week. And without revealing too many spoilers, we did note a few intriguing cameo appearances from old friends of this column.
One was former prime minister Tony Abbott, whose 2023 appointment by Lachlan Murdoch to the board of Fox Corporation angered elder siblings Prudence and Elisabeth Murdoch.
“I can’t support Lachlan if he doesn’t change his stance on climate change,” Prue wrote to her sister.
“He has now appointed the ghastly Tony Abbott to the Fox board, which I’m sure you know.”
Liz reportedly responded:
“Oh my God, what a bad move. Definitely making it clear I am voting against that appointment.”
Another recurring side character was News Corp broadcasting chief executive Siobhan McKenna, described as a longtime adviser to Lachlan, and a key participant in “Project Family Harmony,” as Rupert and Lachlan’s failed plan to strip the more progressive Murdoch children of power over the company’s future became known.
In these parts, McKenna is also chair of Australia Post, a position she was appointed to by the Albanese government in 2022. But in old CBD lore, she’s best known for her smutty thriller Man in Armour, published by News Corp-owned Harper Collins in 2020, described by this column as making 50 Shades of Grey look tame.
These are very serious people.
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