Corporate Australia may have breathed a sigh of relief when Bill Shorten lost in May - the member for Maribyrnong spent much of his campaign ineffectually complaining about the "top end of town" - but the job of lobbying Canberra remains a work in progress.
As this column has noted on more than one occasion, the Business Council of Australia has been trying to find someone to replace president Grant King without success for some time.
The Business Council of Australia has been looking for a replacement for president Grant King for some time.Credit: Illustration: John Shakespeare
The council has been riven by internal disagreements on energy policy while key members such as the Big Four banks and Telstra aren't especially engaged, according to BCA sources.
And it failed to get tax cuts for big companies through Parliament. So it's not the most attractive of positions.
But we are told they may have found someone.
Which brings us to Tim Reed, BCA director and chief executive at accounting software company MYOB until Thursday.
Reed's decision to quit executive duties at MYOB frees him up to pursue other opportunities and BCA insiders say these are likely to include taking over from King.
Reed is a stronger communicator than King, whose professorial style didn't exactly connect with ... well ... anyone.
His time at MYOB also means he can truthfully say he understands small business.
Qantas boss Alan Joyce, former BCA president Tony Shepherd and Qantas chairman Richard Goyder have all been sounded out about the role in recent months, so it's great to think the BCA may have finally found a willing candidate.
To be fair, we are told fellow director Danny Gilbert considered the gig earlier in the year, but decided against it due to other commitments.
If Reed is appointed, expect the focus to quickly turn to the tenure of BCA chief executive Jennifer Westacott, who sits on two external boards (Wesfarmers and Western Sydney Airport) which suggests she may not stick around forever.