Wooley: A classic case of seen but not heard – got me speculating

Were the Premier and independent MP David O’Byrne cooking something up at their Hobart restaurant meeting? Ponders Charles Wooley

Incat founder Bob Clifford talks to Premier Jeremy Rockliff at his Derwent Park site. Mr Clifford is recommending the Spirit of Tasmania IV should be brought home for short cruises and day trips. Picture: David Killick

This column sometimes calls for a suspension of the readers’ credulity. So, admittedly today I offer a surmised conversation, seen but not heard, across a crowded room. A conversation that might not have happened quite the way I am threading it together. But I’d like to think it almost did.

The time: Wednesday evening.

The place: Da Angelo Ristorante in old Battery Point.

I caution that my memory might be compromised just a tad by the fact that I was distracted. Two hours previously I lost my wallet, with every plastic card I possess, somewhere in the Sandy Bay shopping centre.

But more about that later.

For now, let’s stick with the main game where a deep conversation was taking place between Premier Jeremy Rockliff and former Labor leader and now influential crossbencher, the independent member for Franklin David O’Byrne.

“I reckon we know what they are huddling over,” my dinner partner and good friend Dr Syntax told me. “It would be better to hear them though. Pity you can’t lip-read mate,” he laughed.

“Doc, I’m a journo. I’ve spent a lifetime putting words in people’s mouths. You don’t need to be a world champion lip-reader to recognise even at a distance how the lips purse to spit out the word ‘Spirit’.”

Well-known Italian eatery Da Angelo's Ristorante, where journalist Charles Wooley bumped into Premier Jeremy Rockliff and independent MP David O’Byrne. Picture: Luke Bowden

Jeremy and David were enjoying an amicable evening. The friendly body language and occasional laughter was suggestive of men who have more in common than in opposition.

One way or another they have both been let down by the parties they served.

Jeremy by an underperforming front bench and David by an allegation of sexual harassment of a former union staffer going back more than a decade. In the end an investigation found his actions “inappropriate” but they “did not constitute sexual harassment”.

But the damage was done and O’Byrne resigned to be replaced by Rebecca White who would lose three elections in a row, much to Jeremy’s advantage.

I didn’t hear, but I think I saw the Premier pronounce these words. “Mate, if you had been the leader this year, I would’ve been turfed out in that failed no-confidence motion.”

I squinted to see if David confirmed that earlier this year Labor leader Dean Winter had ‘squibbed it’ on a chance to seize power.

Mr O’Byrne’s lips seemed to form the word ‘squibbed’. I can’t be sure.

I might have misread his reference to the excellent calamari dish on the menu.

But at that point an attentive waiter got in my view of the political discussion where I think David might have quoted Karl Marx’s point that “philosophers have only interpreted history; the point is to change it”.

And from the Premier it looked like this quote from the great Liberal philosopher Robin Gray played across his lips: “Mate there’s no point being in this game if you don’t grab power when you get the chance. No matter how tough it gets running the show it’s better than being in opposition.”

No dissent seen from the crossbencher on that one.

Independent member for Franklin David O'Byrne, who Charles Wooley ran into at Da Angelos Ristorante, in Battery Point, recently. Pictures: David Killick

The O’Byrne family has been in politics for generations and inherently should recognise a missed opportunity when they see one.

While the Premier, an old spud farmer, knows the political danger of bandicooting and how lucky he was to avoid it.

The two were cooking something up at Da Angelo where the owner, the eponymous Angelo, is a great believer in the European practice of drawing on the best talent from all parties to form government.

“This happens all the time in Europe. It’s like Italian cooking. You mix up the ingredients to get the best result.”

I’m only a lip-reader and don’t know if that’s where we are heading, but I am sure I saw the name Tim Burnell pronounced by both men.

Burnell, a former Incat CEO and now an international ship broker, had told David Killick in that morning’s Mercury that the government could recoup $50,000 a day for chartering-out a ferry. If they could get their skates on.

“Did he mention skates?” whispered the Doc.

“Yes, but I don’t think he was talking about Maugean skates Doc. They are not on the menu tonight.”

Incat founder Bob Clifford talks to Premier Jeremy Rockliff at his Derwent Park site. Mr Clifford is recommending the Spirit of Tasmania IV should be brought home for short cruises and day trips. Picture: David Killick

Given the hot topic of renting out our ships I got on the phone to a Tasmanian who knows more about ferries than even old Charon and his three-headed dog Cerberus. (Google it kiddies)

Bob Clifford, the chairman of Incat, told me he doubted a charter deal was realistic.

“But I think they must be brought back to Tasmania and put to work here. With a ship not in service there’s a million things that can go wrong. It’s a ship in a marine environment. Not a car stored in a garage. There’s 20 engines and 2000 pieces of electrical equipment.”

Diplomatically, Clifford was pulling his punches because he had written a “detailed personal letter” to the Premier, which included his recommendations on “what should be done immediately”.

He was waiting for a reply, which he clearly thought was now overdue.

Clifford recommends short cruises and even daytrips for the ferries when back at home. “Everything on the boats is ready to go. It’s just BS about the fit-out being done in Tasmania. It has all been done except for the knives and forks.”

Meanwhile, I had stopped with the remote lip-reading. Studying the plates it was clear the not-so-odd couple, David and Jeremy, had ordered the same dishes as the Doc and me.

Like mine, David’s main course was Angelo’s popular seafood spaghetti with a tomato base.

And like Dr Syntax, Jeremy had ordered the chicken risotto.

They matched their dishes with a Tasmanian Invercarron pinot noir. While we drank a Pooley pinot noir.

At the end of the evening, Jeremy and David came over to our table. Jeremy was pleased, he told me, that last week this column had heaped praise on his newest minister and former Sorell mayor Kerry Vincent.

In turn I congratulated the Premier for promoting Kerry, aka Lord Prosser, who should soon prove to be the most able person in the cabinet.

And so to bed.

Tasmanians all know who will pay the ferryman. But don’t ask who paid for our excellent dinners.

I imagine for our political friends, that theirs was a matter of state business and charged accordingly.

As for Syntax and myself. You will remember that I’d lost my wallet that afternoon and so out of the four of us the good Doctor might’ve been the only one who paid.

Finally, a footnote of praise for the Tasmanian police who somehow found my missing wallet, mysteriously way down south in the town of Cygnet, and were kind enough to return it to Hobart.

And my sincere thanks to whoever handed it in.

Charles Wooley is a Tasmanian-based journalist