Party poopers deny Khan a shot at electoral glory

It is with heavy hearts that we bring news that one of the more intriguing electoral match-ups in this year’s Victorian state poll is over, before it’s even begun.

Ex-Wyndham councillor, self-made property millionaire and perennial state Labor parliamentary hopeful Intaj Khan’s dream of running as a Liberal – yes, that’s right – in November have been dashed by the faceless men and women of his new party’s administrative committee.

The attempt to run in Tarneit on the city’s western edge, and more than 45 kilometres from the Liberal branch of Bulleen, Matthew Guy’s political home, which Khan joined back in April had prompted some rumblings.

Once a Labor hopeful, Intaj Khan has switched allegiance in a tilt for the Liberal Party.Credit: Marco de Luca

And despite being a “good friend” of Guy’s, as a party member of less than six months standing, Intaj needed a dispensation from the committee to be allowed to contest preselection and CBD can confirm that he has been knocked back.

Local real estate agent and party activist Preet Singh is set to be preselected unopposed to take on Labor’s Dylan Wight in November’s contest.

“There’s only one seat on the plane and the other guy’s got the ticket,” Khan told CBD.

Khan has had his ups and downs over the years; his plans for a $9.5 million 16-bedroom mansion (including a helipad and 30-seat movie theatre) in Tarneit, which locals immediately dubbed the “In-Taj Mahal”, had to be scaled down to comply with planning regulations and then there was the unsuccessful bid to become lord mayor of Melbourne, from his seat on the council at Wyndham.

So we weren’t surprised that Khan was taking this latest setback philosophically.

“The word ‘lost’ does not exist, we learn and we improve. You’ve only lost when you quit.”

We haven’t heard the last of him, then.

LET THE BOARD GAMES BEGIN

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is marking his territory with a review into the Reserve Bank of Australia, launching speculation about the future composition of the board, speculation we at CBD couldn’t resist joining in on.

Chalmers can’t really do much until at least August, when Mark Barnaba’s term expires. The promised review won’t yet be finished, so the Tresh may be of a mind to extend the Fortescue Metals Group deputy chair’s term.

But there is jostling among interested parties, hoping to stake their claim on the RBA’s future.

The union movement, pointing to former ACTU secretary Bill Kelty’s successful appointment during the Hawke-Keating years, believe there’s historical precedent in once again getting a seat at the table. Small business too feels under-represented on the board.

Academics rightly point out that compared with central banks around the world, the RBA draws heavily from big business (also, the Centre for Independent Studies has two seats at the table), meaning it lacks a certain wonkish ivory-tower rigour.

Names like UNSW professor Richard Holden, Tim Harcourt from the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Melbourne’s Bruce Preston, Jeff Borland and Chris Edmond could all be strong additions.

But former RBA governor Bernie Fraser delivered a gentle rebuke to the pointy-heads, when he suggested ACTU secretary Sally McManus would be a better appointment than “some academic pontificating on things.”

McManus, who caused a stir when she accused the Bank’s governor Philip Lowe of living in a “Boomer fantasy land” over fears of a wage price spiral, would provoke howls of outrage from the Right if appointed.

Then again, in a movement that produces folk like Victorian CFMEU secretary John Setka, she’s hardly the most rogue pick.

A more amenable selection from that world could be Industry Super chair Greg Combet, the ACTU figure turned Labor minister who was appointed by the Morrison government to its National COVID Commission.

Watch this space. For once, the RBA might get ... fun.

GOVERNMENT BIZ GOES BAD

It’s been a bad month for the Commonwealth’s industry assistance efforts.

First came news that Scott Morrison’s “Special Envoy for Global Business and Talent Attraction”, former Property Council of Australia boss Peter Verwer had bailed from his $430,000-a-year gig and that most of the visas granted under the Home Affairs administered program were going to people living here already.

Now, the Tony Abbott-era Entrepreneur’s Programme - run by the industry department - has been savaged by Auditor-General Grant Hehir in Canberra over its stewardship of $160 million worth of contracts.

The audit, which prompted a “lengthy briefing” of incoming minister Ed Husic by Industry Department boss David Federicks, found some big names received big money from the department to provide business advisory services around the country. The NSW Business Chamber (now Business NSW) got $21 million and The Australian Industry Groups scored $31 million and

Deloitte, which was already working on the program, landed a fresh $32 million contract to provide advisory services in Queensland, despite not being considered the best candidate for any of the regions, after the department cooked up a “tailored arrangement” to hire the consulting giant.

Industry has taken its medicine without quibbling with Hehir’s conclusions that contracts had broken procurement rules, been inappropriately managed, couldn’t show value for money and that some of those bidding for the work had not been treated “fairly or equitably”.

That’s public service-speak for dudded.

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