Early start for Kerryn Phelps’ Wentworth marathon

Cartoon: Rod Clement.

Sydney City Councillor Kerryn Phelps isn’t quite off a standing start when it comes to her run as an independent in the seat of Wentworth.

Local GP and longstanding activist Phelps, 60, who declared her wildcard candidacy on Sunday, seems to have been cooking up a plan for a tilt at representation in the federal Parliament for almost six months ahead of local member and former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull pulling the plug on public life three weeks ago.

In April this year Phelps created a new corporate entity, KP Independents, with herself as a director along with Phelps’ spouse Jackie Stricker-Phelps.

But there is also a third mysterious backer in Mosman resident Dion Morrison, who is also a director as well as company secretary of the new entity.

Repeated calls to the new Phelps campaign hotline, being overseen by Labor media man Darrin Barnett — a one-time press secretary to Julia Gillard — didn’t shed any light on Phelp’s preliminary planning for a Canberra tilt.

So much for transparency.

Like her new Liberal electoral foe Dave Sharma, who for family reasons lives 35km away in leafy Turramurra, the former AMA president Phelps can’t vote in Wentworth either.

Thanks to a redistribution in 2016, Phelps and Stricker actually live and vote in deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek’s electorate of Sydney.

The couple are now on the wrong side of Macleay Street in Potts Point, in an apartment they have owned since 2011 and for which they then paid $3.4 million. They might not be in Wentworth, with Phelps unable to even vote for herself, but at least they have magnificent harbour views and no mortgage.

Just like the Turnbulls really.

Red carpet

Bond billionaire and latter-day philanthropist Mike Milken capped off his lightning trip to Melbourne with a special dinner last night hosted by his friend fellow squillionaire Solomon Lew.

Lew and his new wife Roza, who were married in a secret and intimate ceremony in Los Angeles earlier this month, rolled out the red carpet for Milken at a private function in their home for the 72-year-old.

Milken was in town for the Sohn Hearts & Minds investment leaders conference, now in its third year.

Lew gathered what we hear was a powerful guest list of Australian richies, investment bankers and lawyers to break bread with Milken.

Guests are believed to have included packaging billionaire Ruffy Geminder, local UBS chief Matt Grounds, Deutsche Bank exec Steven Skala, lawyer to the rich and powerful Mark Leibler, millionaire fruiterer Frank Costa and Village Roadshow boss Graham Burke.

Milken is believed to have flown out after dinner last night back to the US.

Checking the cheque

While millionaire Malcolm Turnbull soaks up the culture of New York, the former Member for Wentworth’s controversial decisions in his final months as prime minister continue to be picked apart in our nation’s capital.

Bleaching damage on the Great Barrier Reef. Picture: AAP

This morning in Canberra an all-star corporate cast will gather before the Senate’s environment and communications committee for the latest dissection of the then Turnbull government’s mysterious $444m grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

Despite being offered a range of dates and locations (including Brisbane and Sydney) to undergo questioning, a clutch of foundation directors led by chair John Schubert, also a former chair of the Commonwealth Bank, elected to front the parliament on a sitting day to answer questions on how the foundation came to be given such a fat cheque by Turnbull.

Expect questioning from committee members including Senator Kristina Keneally to include what unfolded at the secret meeting on April 9 between Schubert, Turnbull and then environment minister (now Treasurer) Josh Frydenberg.

It was at that meeting, without any public servant present, that Turnbull offered the foundation its big funding cheque.

Schubert, who is also a director of BHP, will be the first person who was at the meeting to give testimony about it under oath.

Also set to appear before today’s committee is foundation executive Theresa Fyffe, as well as board members that include director Grant King, who is also chair of the Business Council of Australia.

Foundation directors are also expected to be questioned on the organisation’s philanthropic endeavours, with its fundraising committee apparently having not met since 2016.

It remains unclear exactly how much money the foundation has actually raised.

Expect answers later today.

Warning signs

National Australia Bank boss Andrew Thorburn was on the blower bright and early yesterday for a conference call with his executives on the exit of Andrew Hagger.

NAB’s retail bank boss was out, with financial services royal commissioner Kenneth Hayne brandishing the Melbourne banker’s head on a stick.

But former world-travelled accountant Hagger, a 10-year veteran of the bank, has cultivated a diverse life outside of his $3.5 million corporate career so has plenty to get on with. Hagger is an accomplished classical and jazz pianist, a published food reviewer thanks to Greg Hywood at Fairfax (both men are Maserati drivers) and along with his wife Pam, Hagger has cultivated a strong faith community near his home in Lower Plenty.

Elevation of former NSW Premier Mike Baird to Hagger’s position gives the former pollie time to broaden his banking experience, which has been dominated by institutional banking before and after his political career.

If Thorburn goes soon, leadership team member Anthony Healy is said to be the leading CEO contender.

Later in the week Thorburn is off to continue his occasional tour of regional centres, selling the NAB story, this time in Queensland.

The last time the boss did one of those was when Hagger was back in the witness box at the royal commission, having been recalled by Hayne’s people to answer more questions.

NAB execs will now be wary of when Thorburn is scheduled to go bush next.

Might be a day to call in sick.