Don Farrell finally confirms he dumped woman candidate for ‘Labor mate’
Trade Minister Don Farrell personally picked former one-term senator and career union official Chris Ketter over Austrade’s recommendation for plum San Franscisco role.
The Albanese government has confirmed for the first time that a high-ranking female Austrade executive was the “preferred candidate” for a plum trade investment job in the US, but Trade Minister Don Farrell instead gave it to a little-known former Labor senator.
Austrade’s chief operating officer Ben Wyers said at a late-night Senate committee hearing on Thursday that Kirstyn Thomson, head of the organisation’s Americas investment desk, was picked to be Australia’s next senior trade commissioner and consul-general in San Francisco.
Senator Farrell, sitting with Mr Wyers and other Austrade officials, concurred that Ms Thomson was the preferred candidate following an advertised recruitment process.
The Trade Minister confirmed he dumped Austrade’s recommendation to appoint Ms Thomson, and personally picked former one-term senator and career union official Chris Ketter.
Pressed to explain Mr Ketter’s “trade development experience”, Senator Farrell said his longtime political ally and friend was an “advocate and negotiator” in industry, the public service and government.
He said Mr Ketter had worked “in defence and critical technologies” for Labor deputy leader Richard Marles since losing his Senate seat at the 2019 election.
Despite the assurances about his experience, Mr Ketter has been undergoing training for the new job by Ms Thomson, the woman he displaced, since he officially started at Austrade’s Brisbane office on August 1.
Mr Ketter’s training ends in December, when he is due to take charge of Austrade operations in San Francisco. Ms Thomson has headed Austrade’s Americas investment desk in Brisbane since 2021 and has two decades of experience in the area.
Senator Farrell’s confirmation and detail about the San Francisco posting follow The Australian revealing last week that, as Trade Minister, he ditched Ms Thomson as the “preferred candidate” in favour of a “Labor mate” with no experience in trade investment.
Mr Ketter was a union official with the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association for 32 years before serving one term as a backbench Labor senator.
He is a political ally and friend of Senator Farrell, who was the union’s South Australian branch secretary and federal president before entering parliament.
The revelation that Ms Thomson was first picked for the San Francisco job has been condemned by the Coalition and Greens as “hypocrisy” after Labor last year attacked the NSW Coalition government’s appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro to a senior trade post in New York. Mr Barilaro was picked for that role in similar circumstances.
Mr Ketter’s posting to San Francisco also appears to contradict a policy change announced by Foreign Minister Penny Wong last November.
Senator Wong said the Albanese government intended “rebalancing” top foreign postings away from ex-politicians, as occurred under the Morrison government, to “more qualified senior officials”.
Ms Thomson was picked from a list of about 50 applicants by a three-person recruitment panel chaired by Austrade’s New York-based Americas general manager, Tony Davis.
The Austrade senior trade commissioner’s job in San Francisco is focused on commercial investment and is not linked to Australia’s defence agreements.
Austrade chief operating officer Melissa Woodburn, sitting with Senator Farrell at the Senate estimates hearing, confirmed Mr Ketter did not apply when the position was advertised in September last year.
Ms Woodburn said a ministerial brief was submitted to Senator Farrell on December 20, with Ms Thomson as the “nominee” following the recruitment process. She said the submission was returned on January 27, when Austrade was told Senator Farrell wanted to make a political appointment.
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