Is it possible that Australia’s most recent billionaire might emerge as a saviour of Rugby Australia? Margin Call speaks of Nicola Forrest, of course. She found a place near the top of every wealth index in the country after separating from Andrew Forrest in July with a fortune of $15.46bn – or about $1.1bn more than her ex-husband.
There can’t be all that much bad blood between them given they were spotted together at a Wallabies match in France mere days ago.
The story goes that they attended the game separately but, having sighted his wife of three decades across the room, Forrest exhorted her to play nice and be seen with him in public. And so they did, happily, although one version of the story suggests the discussion veered on robust.
Not far away was Rugby Australia chair Hamish McLennan, whose code is suffering from a capital raising inconvenience. It’s been trying to cobble upwards of $200m from private investment without all that much success – even Tattarang, the Forrests’ investment vehicle, was said to have been considering a plunge on that a few months ago but who knows where that landed.
The good word is that Nicola approached McLennan and assured him, privately, that she was available to assist if required.
Was that an offer of a lifeline? No doubt she has the capacity.
McLennan, still in France, denied that any overtures or offers were made. Margin Call expected Tattarang to give the same spiel but a spokesman declined to comment.
Sorry, full house
Former Latitude Financial CEO Ahmed Fahour has a talent for elbowing his way on to a guest list but he’s known to work twice as hard for a spot inside the AFL’s much-vaunted Olympic Room on Grand Final day.
These coveted seats are reserved for the national elite, and yet Fahour somehow made it past security last year when the event returned for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic (and when Gill McLachlanswore he wouldn’t be staying on as the AFL’s CEO for another year).
True to form, Fahour attempted a charm offensive to be admitted again on Saturday, but Margin Call hears the former Australia Post CEO was denied a spot, with officials informing him that there was simply no room available.
Anything to do with his retirement as Latitude chief last month? A mere case of bad timing?
Meanwhile, Anthony Albanese is expected to be in attendance, while Peter Dutton is likely to be a no-show owing to a family reunion. He’s sending South Australian senator Anne Ruston in his place, with senator Bridget McKenzie expected, too – no doubt with a few more questions on her mind for AFL chair RichardGoyder, who was grilled this week by her Senate committee. She can try to chase him down but unfortunately it’s his event, so her parliamentary powers of compulsion will be limited.
Keystone cops
Exactly what’s going on with the leadership palaver causing havoc at the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission? This over-empowered crime-fighting agency has been bereft of a chief executive since November when advertisements for the job first began appearing in the press.
Nearly one year later it’s still vacant, even though 12 applications were received and a selection panel whittled those down to a shortlist of two “suitable” contenders. The scrutineers were no slouches either. They included Katherine Jones, secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw, Public Service Commissioner Peter Woolcott and South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens.
Margin Call has already reported that Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus ordered the job to be readvertised (in July). Less known is that the panel reckoned there were two people up to the task. And still not good enough for some, apparently!
It came to light when Senator James Paterson started asking questions of the ACIC’s untidiness through the parliament. On his account, Dreyfus fought bitterly for the ACIC to be removed from the Home Affairs portfolio to the AGD but he’s “clearly neglecting it” now that it falls under his auspices.
“To have a CEO vacant for almost a year is shocking mismanagement,” Paterson said. “Worse, he appears to have rejected two suitable candidates identified during the recruitment process. If Mr Dreyfus can’t give the ACIC the time and attention it deserves it should be returned to the Home Affairs portfolio under the successful model of the previous government.”
Omnishambles
Yet another face-palm moment for the NSW Liberal Party, this time as it shaped up to anoint AMP Capital’s Luke Dixon to the role of state director. That was the news in circulation until Thursday, when Dixon abruptly pulled his application before it could be ratified by the party’s state executive.
Margin Call understands that decision followed a meeting with Liberal MPs Matt Kean, Chris Rath and party vice president James Wallace, which didn’t go swimmingly by some accounts. Dixon didn’t seem to convince the trio of any vast experience running political campaigns – a basic requirement for the role, one would think?
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