One Nation crusader Rod Culleton’s work never done

Illustration: Rod Clement.

Bank-loathing One Nation senator Rod Culleton had a busy first sitting week in Canberra.

No Midwinter Ball for him, though, where on Wednesday evening Westpac boss Brian Hartzer was a prize-giver with a minor speaking role.

One Nation senator Rod Culleton.

‘‘It’s good to be among friends,” Hartzer told the room, dryly, before resuming his seat next to Labor’s Treasury spokesman, Chris Bowen.

Kelly O’Dwyer was keen to get Rod Culleton’s support for the government’s bank inquiry. Picture: AAP Image/Richard Wainwright.

At that very moment on the other side of Parliament House, Culleton was bunkered in his Senate office, toiling away on an amendment to broaden the terms of Labor’s proposed royal commission into the banks.

On that task, he was helped by crossbench elder Nick Xenophon, who dropped by Culleton’s office to make sure the proposed commission’s net was sufficiently wide.

Culleton was still hard at it yesterday afternoon.

“I’m still in Canberra while every else has pissed off,” he told us.

Culleton is best known to many for his possible invalidity as a senator due to legal action. A conviction would see him lose his seat.

But for now Culleton — who has a particular hatred for ANZ — is very much a senator.

The Turnbull government certainly isn’t acting like he — or his hostility to the big banks — is going away. This political career is not dead yet.

A few weeks ago Culleton met with Malcolm Turnbull. This week he had a chat to fellow West Australian and deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop over drinks.

And yesterday he met with Assistant Treasurer Kelly O’Dwyer, who was keen to get his support for the government’s inquiry into the mistreatment of small business customers by banks.

That’s the inquiry being run by former ACT Liberal chief minister Kate Carnell, whom Culleton also spoke to yesterday.

And the new senator sounds pretty chuffed with Carnell’s powers, and the role he will have on a new committee that will watch over her work.

“I’m going to be Sherlock Holmes with a big, big magnifying glass,” Culleton said, proudly.

Not that the four One Nation senators’ desire for a royal commission has waned.

“This is just a teaser,” Culleton said.

Shoulder to the wheel

Wesfarmers chief financial officer Terry Bowenis off to undergo shoulder surgery in coming days.

Wesfarmers chief financial officer Terry Bowen. Picture: AAP Image/Richard Wainwright.

We hear Bowen postponed going under the knife to fix his dicky joint until after the Perth conglomerate’s results, which were unveiled to the market mid-last week. That’s commitment.

Bowen had his other shoulder operated on about two years ago — dutifully making sure his surgery date didn’t complicate work at the Perth-headquartered conglomerate.

Next week’s procedure should take Bowen through to the final battle for the Wesfarmers top office, in which he is the internal favourite — albeit with competition from Rob Scott (who was promoted to run Wesfarmers’ industrials division a year ago) and Bunnings’ expansionary boss John Gillam.

That’s assuming CEO Richard Goyder — now more than 11 years in the job — ever leaves.

Crash landing

Nine chief executive Hugh Marks was once the network’s legal counsel — and hasn’t he been keeping the current occupant in that role busy since his elevation to the top job last November?

Nine chief executive Hugh Marks.

Last financial year, Nine’s legal costs were up $7 million — a rare pocket of growth in the challenged media company.

The latest legal intervention involves — you would never guess — Nine’s flagship current affairs show 60 Minutes.

Walkley Award-winning reporter Ross Coulthart, who returned to Nine last year after a dalliance with rival network Seven, has prepared a story on the trade of historic military hardware (WWII planes and the like).

The story will air tomorrow night — over the loud objections of Australian aircraft restorer Robert Greinert, who makes a cameo in a trailer for the episode.

Nine has already received a letter from Greinert’s lawyers claiming he has been defamed by the airing of false claims — and that’s just based on the trailer.

60 Minutes executive producer Kirsty Thomson says the report is still going to air unaltered, while some worried about the story claim the show’s infamous “Beirut” approach has been exhumed. Tune in tomorrow, 8.30pm, and make up your own mind.

Sewell unhappy

London-based Macquarie banker Steven Sewell has been back in Australia this week.

Macquarie banker and former Federation Shopping Centres boss Steven Sewell.

The former boss of what was known as Federation Shopping Centres (these days called Vicinity Centres) was spied at Barrafina Tapas on Bligh Street in Sydney, a favourite among young banker types due to its fine service.

We hear the trained mathematician Sewell might not be enjoying his latest stint at Nicholas Moore’s investment bank. It will be interesting to see how much longer he stays in the gig.

Sewell has form when it comes to abrupt departures. He took up the Mac banking job — and relocated to Britain — after he was dumped from Federation by its main investor, billionaire John Gandel, a year ago after its mega-merger with Novian Property Group.

Thodey out of race

A couple of developments at Australia’s most discussed lobby group, the Business Council of Australia.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce. Picture: John Feder/The Australian.

As you eat your weekend bircher muesli, the BCA board are chewing over candidates to succeed former Telstra chair Catherine Livingstone as the blue-chip business lobby’s president. Livingstone’s replacement will be announced after the BCA’s annual meeting in November.

One person we can rule out is former Telstra CEO David Thodey, who was canvassed by a BCA board member in a newspaper story.

As a result of that intervention, we understand Thodey’s BCA presidential campaign — such as it was — now sleeps with the fishes.

When the BCA board next meets to discuss the situation, it will be with a new pecking order.

As revealed yesterday, Qantas boss Alan “Maverick” Joyce is now the BCA’s best paid board member. Joyce’s pay has soared to $13m — reason to flash his newly purchased Tom Cruise-smile.

He just beats fellow BCA board member Ian Narev, the Commonwealth Bank CEO, who was paid $12.3m.

Next, in descending order, is Wesfarmers boss Richard Goyder, who was paid $9.9m in financial-year 2015. Goyder’s latest pay is still to be disclosed — but after the recent underwhelming Wesfarmers result, it shouldn’t top last year.

Well behind those three Male Champions of Change are the two women CEOs on the BCA board: Coca-Cola Amatil boss Alison Watkins ($4.5m in 2015) and EnergyAustralia boss Catherine Tanna, whose pay at the Hong Kong-owned energy retailer is not disclosed, but won’t trouble Joyce and the gang.