Margin Call: CBA’s Matt Comyn in crowd for John ‘Wacka’ Williams’ farewell speech

CBA CEO Matt Comyn with Senator John Williams after his Valedictory speech in the Senate Chamber at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Kym Smith

There he was: CBA’s Matt Comyn in the crowd for the farewell speech of one of the bank’s most effective critics, Nationals senator John “Wacka” Williams.

“People think I’m the bank’s enemy. No, I’m not,” said Wacka in his final speech in Senate in Canberra yesterday evening.

The proof of Williams’ constructive approach was the audience along to hear him, most of whom rolled out for the after-party in the neighbouring Parliament courtyard.

There was ASIC’s new enforcer Daniel Crennan and head of corporate affairs Matthew Abbott. The corporate cop ASIC was one of the other institutions Williams willed to be better over the years.

Also along: CBA whistleblower Jeff Morris (who listened three rows in front of Comyn, who sat next to his corporate affairs boss Andrew Hall and lobbyist Euan Robertson), a trio of Williams’ media friends Piers Akerman (also in bow tie), Adele Ferguson (whose first media job was thanks to Akerman) and Sky News’ Janine Perrett (on whose show Williams revealed he had Parkinson’s).

Others paying tribute to one of Australia’s most decent senators: NSW Labor’s newish mouthpiece Cameron Sinclair (recently at Woolworths and before that one of Williams’ key bank-baiting allies back in his days in Sam Dastyari’s office), singer Kamahl (for whom Williams once organised a dinner with Barack Obama) and NAB’s highly regarded government relations operative Aron Whillans, who to the surprise of many missed out on the bank’s chief government affairs job to Philippa King, a former staffer to Mike Baird.

Time for Williams to leave the circus?