Danby’s Israel trip disclosures are just dandy ... almost

Cartoon: Rod Clement.

The Michael Danby disclosure story continues, one comically late update after another.

Yesterday, Labor’s member for Melbourne Ports fleshed out the details of his trip to Israel last year while on sick leave from federal parliament, finally revealing part of his trip had been funded by the Jerusalem-based, Gerald M. Steinberg-founded NGO Monitor, which analyses and reports on the output of the international NGO community from a pro-Israel perspective.

But still nothing on the convalesced Danby’s mysterious corporate vehicle, Roosevelt Nominees, formerly known as Daroda Investments, which was created 20 years ago, before Danby entered parliament in 1998. Almost two decades on and it’s yet to rate a mention on the register of member’s interests.

We were told last night that “fast fingers” Danby was on the case, but the material was still to be processed by the registry office.

And the paperwork shouldn’t end there. Eventually there should be an update on Danby’s Melbourne barrister wife Amanda Mendes da Costa’s new job as a full-time member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, announced last month by Attorney-General George Brandis.

The AAT reviews government decisions, with Mendes da Costa to be paid in the order of $305,000 a year for the job, for which she will be sworn in shortly. As for the house that Mendes da Costa has in North Fitzroy, Danby tells us her mum lives in it rent-free.

Still, there’s a mortgage on it to Ian Narev’s CBA that Danby perhaps may want to note. All in his own time.

And what about the Qantas Chairman’s Club membership and complementary Foxtel service that Danby has received but not disclosed?

“The electoral office has a Foxtel connection,” Danby told us. “Like all MPs, I am automatically a member of the Qantas Club and it was not a sought membership.”

That’s an interesting interpretation of Privileges and Members’ Interests committee chairman Ross Vasta’s disclosure guidelines. Wonder what he makes of it?

Qantas ejector lounge

These are nervous times for members of the most exclusive club in Australia: Leigh Clifford’s Qantas Chairman’s Lounge.

Margin Call hears the Lounge’s list has recently been reviewed.

Now the calls by Clifford and his CEO Alan Joyce’s underlings are being made to inform certain unlucky demoted souls. Those no longer in jobs that direct millions of travel dollars Qantas’s way are learning — sometimes over angry protests, sometimes with tears — that their black matte membership card is no longer valid.

We hope none of our readers gets such a call. It’s the stuff of C-suite nightmares.

Membership of the privileged enclave has always been one of the country’s great status symbols.

Captains of business, judges, union leaders, a certain type of upmarket celebrity and, of course, almost all federal politicians are members of the Neil Perry-catered enclave.

Nick Xenophon is a famous exception. He’s just about the only politician who has ever declined his automatic membership.

Less rare is accepting but not declaring the perk. That group is far more expansive than just Ben Gurion-regular Michael Danby.

New Peck-ing order

Morgan Stanley local boss Richard Wagner has given Melbourne-based Julian Peck a leg up to become co-head of investment banking with Wagner himself.

The move follows Wagner taking over from Steve Harker in the top office last year when Harker stepped down after 18 years running the business locally. Peck, 44, and Wagner took care of the interests of the Daniel Andrews Victorian Labor government in the sale last year of its 50-year lease for the Port of Melbourne for
$9.7 billion to a consortium led by the Sunshine state’s investment arm QIC.

Peck, head of infrastructure and utilities, has been at Morgan Stanley for 11 years.

The promotion will leave even less time for Peck to sculpt his beard (something of a rarity in the Melbourne investment banking scene) or develop his oceanside getaway on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.

Peck, with his wife Megan, purchased an expansive block on Anglesea’s Melba Parade in 2014 for just under $1 million, with subsequent plans to develop a $2 million home there. We think that’s what you call a champagne problem.

Tilleys’ divine shack

Want to be Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy’s next door neighbours in downtown Point Piper?

The official campaign for the sale of now-separated property developer Ben and Tiffany Tilley’s Wunulla Road townhouse-style home kicked off yesterday, with sale expectations in the order of $25 million.

The home was actually built by the Turnbulls before their call to public office and sold after the enterprising couple hived off the 600sq m waterfront land at the front end of the holding.

The Tilleys bought the home for $13.6 million in 2011.

It is understood Tiffany Tilley instigated the separation earlier this year from her husband who is a close confidante of casino billionaire James Packer. Tilley has spent most of this year in Argentina with Packer at the gaming mogul’s Ellerstina polo ranch just outside of Buenos Aires.

Tilley also owns a two-bedroom apartment in Double Bay, which he has held since May 2014 after outlaying $860,000 for the pad.

The Tilleys’ home has quietly been shown to buyers in recent weeks in an off-market sales campaign as the property developer remains with Packer.

It boasts four bedrooms, four bathrooms and unrestricted harbour views across Felix Bay and Harbour Bridge glimpses.

Prime ministerial neighbourhood security is included.

Tilley and Packer went to school together at Cranbrook, with Tilley becoming a companion to Packer’s late father Kerry Packer as he indulged his love of gambling around the world.

Packer’s Crown Resorts will hold its annual general meeting next week in Melbourne, where shareholders will be asked to re-elect Packer to the board of the $7.7 billion now domestically focused casino group, which thanks to Andrew Wilkie had a shocking Wednesday.

Crown is now being run and chaired by John Alexander after the exit of former boss Rowen Craigie earlier this year.

Also on the agenda for investor approval at the meeting is the $9.2 million termination payment given to Craigie, as well as the re-election of other directors, former AFL boss Andrew Demetriou and Napoleon enthusiast Harold Mitchell.