‘Year of the mate’: At least 13 former Liberal MPs, staffers given plum jobs

At least 13 former Liberal MPs and political staffers have been appointed to plum federal government jobs since the start of the year, including a former deputy mayor given a 26-year-long, $10 million post at the Fair Work Commission.

Alana Matheson, the former Liberal deputy mayor of Campbelltown who has worked for the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and for KPMG - and who is the daughter of two-term Liberal MP Russell Matheson - was appointed to the $387,960 per annum post as a Fair Work Commissioner on April 1.

Attorney-General Michaelia Cash.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Former Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella was also made a FWC commissioner on the same salary, on the same day. Ms Mirabella, who previously served on the board of the government’s Australian Submarine Corporation, was appointed until 2033 and Ms Matheson until 2047. The end dates of their terms reflect when the two women will reach 65 and have to retire.

Labor government accountability spokeswoman Kristina Keneally has criticised the “unbelievable” appointments as jobs for “Liberal mates”.

Referring to Ms Matheson’s appointment by Attorney-General Michaelia Cash, Senator Keneally said “ordinary Australians can only dream of getting such job security and high pay”.

“Scott Morrison thundered in parliament at Christine Holgate for handing out a few watches, but he’s handed out millions of taxpayer dollars to over a dozen Liberal mates this year alone,” she said.

“[Mr] Morrison’s ‘Year of the Mate’ tells you everything you need to know about Scott - he’s on the side of his mates, not on the side of Australian workers.”

But a spokesman for Senator Cash defended Ms Matheson’s appointment to the industrial umpire, arguing her 15 years experience at ACCI and KPMG and work at the International Labour Organisation in Geneva meant she was qualified.

“Ms Matheson will bring her experience in industrial relations including negotiating outcomes with a range of stakeholders to the Fair Work Commission,” he said.

Other jobs for former Coalition MPs and staff announced in the first four months of 2021 include former deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss being re-appointed as the chair of the Australian Rail Track Corporation, on a part-time salary of $166,290; former Liberal minister Bruce Billson being appointed Small Business Ombudsman on a $360,250 salary; former backbencher Eric Hutchinson being re-appointed as Administrator of Norfolk Island with a $304,830 salary and former Liberal senator Kay Patterson being re-appointed as Age Discrimination Commissioner on $360,250.

Former Liberal frontbencher Sophie Mirabella.Credit: Simon Schluter

Former Liberal Party federal and state director Tony Nutt, who also worked for John Howard, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison, has been re-appointed a director of the Australia Post on a minimum of $96,890 per year. In addition, he has been re-appointed as a Member of the National Museum of Australia Council on $22,180 and re-appointed as a contractor to the Australian Public Service Commission on a $45,000, eight-month contract.

Former NSW Liberal Premier Nick Greiner has been appointed Consul-General in New York; Victorian state minister Mary Wooldridge was appointed to a $360,250 per year job as Director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency and former Liberal Finance Minister Nick Minchin was appointed the Independent Food and Grocery Code Reviewer on $1,499 per day.

Among former staffers, Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s former chief of staff Charles Wann was named chief operating officer in the Health Department - on an annual salary that starts at $317,250 - while former Liberal staffers Peter Conran and Jason Marocci have been appointed to $800 per day advisory roles with Sport Integrity Australia.

These appointments do not include myriad appointments of former Liberal MPs, staff and other people aligned to the party to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, which the Labor opposition estimates has now reached 80 people since 2013.

Former Liberal MP Jane Prentice and former Liberal staffers Rachel Da Costa and Naomi Dougall were among the most recent Liberals appointed to the AAT, while former state Labor MPs John Rau and Phil Dalidakis were also appointed.

But Ms Cash’s spokesman defended the swathe of appointments, most recently by previous Attorney-General Christian Porter, and argued “all members appointed by this government are appropriately qualified”.

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