By Kishor Napier-Raman and Noel Towell
Nobody ought to be surprised by reports in this masthead that the teal independents who swept Liberals from their heartland seats were bankrolled by money from the big end of town, with Atlassian founders Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar donating a collective $2.5 million to their Climate 200 backers, and eastern suburbs share trader Rob Keldoulis spending $1.85 million.
But what’s clearer, thanks to fuller data published by the Australian Electoral Commission on Monday, is just how hard Australia’s wealthiest people turned against the Liberal Party with both their votes and wallets, firing up the unstoppable Climate 200 machine.
Teals Sophie Scamps, Zoe Daniel, Monique Ryan, Allegra Spender and Kylea Tink all ousted Liberals at the federal election.Credit: Jessica Hromas, Penny Stephens, Luis Enrique Ascui, James Alcock, Getty Images
Take Polka Dot Ventures, which gave $325,000 to Climate 200 plus a separate $50,000 to Wentworth MP Allegra Spender (who raked in the most donations). Its sole director is Andrew Killion, co-founder of trading firm Akuna Capital, who returned to Australia from Chicago in 2011 and promptly purchased a $30 million Vaucluse trophy home.
And he’s no outlier. For all the teal schtick about grassroots activism, the one thing the movement’s big donors have in common is very expensive real estate in some of Australia’s wealthiest suburbs. Take William Taylor Nominees, for example. It gave $500,000 to Climate 200, $100,000 to Spender and $70,000 to Sophie Scamps, is run by investor James Taylor, and registered to a $15 million Bondi home.
The LB Conservation Trust – which donated $200,000 to Climate 200 and $100,000 to Kooyong MP Monique Ryan – is registered to a $16 million penthouse in South Yarra. That penthouse belongs to Lisa Barlow, a scion of 7-Eleven’s Australian dynasty, who sits on the board of its secretive late co-owner Beverley Barlow’s family charity.
The humorously named Keep Them Honest Pty Ltd isn’t some kind of kooky protest party but a company run by boutique fund managers Fred Woollard and Nancy Cochrane, registered to a $13 million Darling Point home. It donated $100,000 to Climate 200 and $170,000 to various teal candidates.
Katrina Chandler, back from expat life in Britain, gave $80,200 to various independents and is the owner of a $22 million Mosman mansion.
That’s all without getting into the old money names – Nick and Sandra Fairfax gave $100,000 to teal causes, while Simon Holmes a Court, son of Australia’s first billionaire, donated about $20,000 to Ryan’s campaign and was the brains and the bank behind Climate 200.
It wasn’t long ago that Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was derisively known as Mr Harbourside Mansion. But it looks like the harbourside never forgave the party for knifing him, and now Peter Dutton faces an almighty battle to win back the chequebooks of Australia’s fund managers and heiresses.
Gallery bowled out
The Canberra Press Gallery cops its share of undeserved flak. But we think Parliament House’s hacks are fair game for a bit of ribbing after losing the annual cricket match to a team of politicians and staffers, failing once again to retain the Peter Veness memorial trophy (named for a young gallery reporter who died of cancer).
Bob Hawke’s glasses shatter when he was hit during the match between the Prime Minister’s XI and the parliamentary press gallery at Kingston Oval in 1984.Credit: Peter Wells
The pollies’ side comfortably chased down the press’ total of 147 with five overs to spare, thanks in no small part to the efforts of rookie Liberal MP Aaron Violi, who knocked out an unbeaten 50 at the top of the order before retiring.
It was another new MP among the wickets for the parliament side, with LNP member for Bowman Henry Pike finishing with 3-20. For the press, ABC political editor Andrew Probyn top-scored with 34, an innings interrupted when he had to call for a runner after doing his back.
The tradition, which went down at Canberra’s Phillip Oval, lacked the drama of years past – in 1984 prime minister Bob Hawke was felled by a vicious bouncer to the eye. Sunday’s clash, played in good spirit, was fortunately free of any bloodshed.
Jobs for the joys
Labor’s legislation for a federal anti-corruption commission hasn’t yet passed parliament, but the government is already advertising for senior roles, with applications set to close next week. And it’s a cushy gig for those who can get it, with the commissioner paid $728,900 a year, a deputy commissioner $569,470 and a humble $427,120 for the chief executive role.
While it should be reassuring to see a government finally do something about integrity, some in the domestic recruitment game are a little disgruntled the Attorney-General’s department has overlooked them in favour of an international firm to help its search.
The international firm in question is one some readers might remember from the ill-fated John Barilaro affair – NGS Global, which was hired by the NSW government to recruit the lucrative New York-based trade role the former deputy premier briefly managed to land for himself.
Its managing partner Marianne Broadbent, listed as the contact person for the NACC job, appeared before a NSW parliamentary inquiry into that appointment, where she gave evidence about the firm’s role in approving former Business NSW boss Stephen Cartwright for a London-based agent-general role, after he’d been encouraged to apply by Barilaro.
After her ringside seat in that inquiry, and close memory of the Barilaro affair, we’re sure she’d have no trouble finding a candidate well suited to weeding out corruption in Canberra.
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