ABC-linked Combet’s behind-scenes role in Foley imbroglio

The partner of ABC presenter ­Juanita Phillips played a key role in ­behind-the-scenes negotiations with Luke Foley.

ABC news reader Juanita Phillips and partner Greg Combet. Picture: Craig Greenhill

Greg Combet, a former Labor cabinet minister and partner of one of the ABC’s most high-profile TV presenters, played a key role in ­behind-the-scenes negotiations that culminated in the resignation of NSW ­opposition leader Luke Foley over alleged inappropriate conduct towards a female ABC ­reporter.

Mr Combet, whose partner, ­Juanita Phillips, is the ABC’s Sydney primetime newsreader, was a go-between for ABC reporter Ashleigh Raper before she decided to go public last week with allegations that Mr Foley put his hand “inside my underpants” and “rested it on my buttocks” after Christmas party drinks in 2016.

With Raper’s support, Mr Combet intervened more than a week ago by urging Mr Foley to contact Raper and talk directly about the incident. At the time, Raper was still trying to keep her name out of allegations made against Mr Foley, and was not prepared to make an official complaint.

Mr Foley had denied any wrongdoing since he was accused in the NSW parliament last month by Liberal minister David Elliott of harassing “an ABC journalist” after having “a little bit too much to drink at a party”.

After Mr Combet’s intervention, Mr Foley called Raper on Sunday last week. But she went public with the allegations — triggering Mr Foley’s resignation last Thursday — after another phone call from Mr Foley last Tuesday when he allegedly ­reversed his earlier pledge to her that he intended to ­resign.

ABC journalist Ashleigh Raper.

The role of Mr Combet throws new light on events that led to the end of Mr Foley’s political career, suggesting a wider circle of ABC staff was involved in helping Raper as she tried to keep publicly silent as debate escalated last month.

If Mr Foley had resigned earlier, the full detail of the allegations might not have surfaced.

Mr Combet yesterday did not deny he played a behind-the-scenes role but did not want to talk publicly about the matter.

Asked how he became involved, and whether his personal connection to Phillips was the basis for acting, he said: “That’s up to you to speculate. I don’t want to comment about what were private conversations.”

Senior Labor sources said Mr Combet personally urged Mr Foley to call Raper, which he did last Sunday.

They further claimed Mr Combet may have relayed a message to Mr Foley that Raper was willing to remain silent if he quit as opposition leader. Mr Combet said it was “not ­accurate” to say he relayed such a message.

According to a statement from Raper last Thursday when she first aired the allegations, prompting the Foley resignation hours later, she had never wanted to lodge a formal complaint to the ABC against Mr Foley, or comment publicly about the alleged incident.

She said Mr Foley told her when he called her on the Sunday that he was full of remorse for his behaviour, and had wanted to discuss it with her “on many occasions over the past two years” because “while he was drunk and couldn’t remember all the details of the night”, he knew he did something to “offend” her.

According to Raper, Mr Foley further said he would be resigning as NSW Labor leader on Monday or Wednesday of last week, which was either side of Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup, because “he didn’t want to be accused of burying the story”.

On the Tuesday, Raper said, Mr Foley called her again. While allegedly repeating his apology, she said he told her he had reconsidered his decision to resign, on legal advice.

When Mr Foley stepped down on Thursday, he denied the allegations publicly and threatened to take legal action.

Mr Combet is understood to have agreed to intervene in an effort to protect the interests of both Raper and Mr Foley.

Luke Foley resigning at state parliament. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

Besides his ABC link to Phillips, Mr Combet’s partner since 2012, Mr Combet has a long friendly association with Mr Foley. Both worked in the union movement before entering politics, and belonged to the same ALP Left faction.

Mr Combet was secretary of the ACTU while Mr Foley was secretary of the NSW branch of the Australian Services Union. After the ASU, Mr Foley spent three years with the NSW ALP before entering parliament.

Mr Combet moved to federal parliament in 2007, becoming parliamentary secretary in the Rudd government and later minister for climate change in the Gillard government. He stood down from the ministry when Kevin Rudd regained the Labor leadership, and bowed out of politics at the 2013 election.

As well as being deputy chair of Industry Funds Management, he runs a consultancy business. He was recruited as an adviser to the Australian Cricketers Association last year during the players’ pay dispute.

Mr Combet met Phillips in 2007 when she interviewed him for an article for The Bulletin. The pair began a relationship in 2012 when Mr Combet was a Rudd government minister.

Phillips, then a single mother after the collapse of her marriage, said in an interview her first thought when the twice-divorced Mr Combet contacted her was he wanted to recruit her to the Labor Party, but he said he acted on a dare from a staff member to ask her out to dinner.

Mr Combet lives with Phillips at the Sydney northern beaches home they bought last December for $2.7 million. Sources said ABC management was unaware of Mr Combet’s role.

Pressure had continued to build on Foley and the ABC in recent months, with acting ABC managing director David Anderson agreeing during Senate estimates committee questioning to hold an investigation.