It’s a wrap: Visy boss Anthony Pratt’s tangle worthy of TV

Picture: Peter Nicholson

VISY boss Anthony Pratt is entangled in a mystery worthy of special agent Dale Cooper, the fed played by Kyle MacLachlan on cult classic TV show Twin Peaks.

Like the unfortunate Laura Palmer, Visy’s US arm, Pratt Industries, is wrapped in plastic.

But while homecoming queen Palmer met an unfortunate end at the hands of evil spirit BOB, Pratt Industries seems certain to survive its encounter with the US court system.

The company is being sued by New Jersey-based Broadway Industries for allegedly ripping off the design of a stretch film dispenser.

This dinkus, consisting of a roll of plastic film and a handle and sold by Broadway under the Kleer-Guard brand, is ideal for wrapping anything in plastic — not just dead homecoming queens.

In Federal Court documents, Broadway alleges Pratt sold the dispensers under a “white label” agreement until May 2012, when it decided to move to a different supplier. “On or around that date, Pratt began making unauthorised copies of the dispenser,” Broadway alleges.

Worse, it reckons Pratt’s versions “do not function properly”, threatening “an irreparable loss of reputation and goodwill to Broadway”.

It wants any profits reaped by Pratt from selling the allegedly dodgy dispensers.

This might not be a lot. Margin Call understands the dispensers aren’t exactly a big seller at Pratt, which mainly spruiks boxes.

Nonetheless, the case, which was filed in May, is still going, with settlement talks continuing.

A Pratt Industries spokesman declined to comment.

No high Ho

WAS it just an innocent observation or something more sinister? The contrast in the comments of the billionaire brother and sister, Lawrence and Pansy Ho, on the Macau market over the past week could not be more stark.

Lawrence, James Packer’s Asian gaming partner, last week said the Chinese government’s anti-corruption drive had driven “fear into the hearts’’ of the middle to upper class, stopping them spending on casinos.

Yet on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Brisbane yesterday, his sister yesterday seemed to fob off the impact of the crackdown, claiming it had no correlation with Macau’s malaise.

There has always been competitive tension between the Ho siblings. But they share one common trait: height. Packer towers over both.

Yesterday Pansy’s feet didn't touch the ground from the grand armchair she was seated in on the stage at Brisbane’s Town Hall.

Do as I say

WESTPAC’s $12.8 million-a-year CEO, Gail Kelly, waved goodbye to the bank yesterday, proud of her efforts to encourage more women into management ranks. This year, the bank exceeded its goal of getting to 40 per cent female managers, and it is well on the way to the 50 per cent target set for 2017.

All very well, except the gender diversity seems to come to a sharp stop at the executive level, reporting to Kelly, where just two of 12 are women.

Changing that is now up to Kelly’s replacement, the very much male Brian Hartzer.

“It’s watch this space for the senior team,” Kelly said.

Titles on the line

CLEARLY, it was just an innocent mistake from a bloke who’d just gone seven rounds in a boxing ring. How else to explain boxer Lenny Zappavigna’s reference to underworld figure Mick Gatto as the “promoter” of Wednesday’s fight night in Melbourne?

After all, Gatto is banned from promoting fights.

Gatto said he was just the “sponsor manager” of the stoushfest, which culminated in victory for Sydney pugilist Anthony “The Man” Mundine over Belarussian boxer Sergey Rabchenko. “Brian Amatruda is the promoter,” Gatto told Margin Call. “I manage a few of the boys and look after all the sponsorship.” Victorian Professional Boxing and Combat Sports Board chairman Bernie “The Attorney” Balmer said Amatruda’s paperwork was in order.

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