Backroom Baz: Allan’s new chief of staff gets Spring St talking
If anyone had thought the Premier could be swayed on the $35bn-plus Suburban Rail Loop, best they think again after her new chief’s links to the controversial project were revealed.
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Jacinta Allan has appointed a new chief, and didn’t it get people talking in Spring St.
Either people had never heard of Damian Karmelich, or rated him highly, such was the varied response to news that he had joined the office. He previously worked as a director of marketing and corporate affairs for Dun & Bradstreet, and last worked for federal MPs over in Western Australia many, many moons ago where he was accused of being involved in sandgroper version of Victoria’s infamous Red Shirts.
Now, Baz is not alleging, accusing or suggesting Karmelich was involved in any wrongdoing, only that questions were raised back in 2000 about whether or not he’d contravened electorate officer employment guidelines.
What is far more interesting to Baz, though, is Karmelich’s links to the Suburban Rail Loop, given his sister Alison was, for five years until March, the director of engagement for the Suburban Rail Loop Authority.
Now, if anyone had thought the Premier could still be for turning on the $35bn-plus mega project, best they think again. Karmelich replaced Diana Tremigliozzi who had been acting in the role since former chief Matt Phelan’s shock resignation early last month.
Ms Tremigliozzi, who worked as Ms Allan’s chief of staff before she became premier, will continue to work in the Premier’s office as a special adviser.
Can Karmelich turn Allan’s sinking ship around and reverse the downward trend in polls? Those that know him say if anyone can, he can. Watch this space.
Guerra finally makes his escape
He finally got out! That was Baz’s first thought when hearing that business heavyweight Paul Guerra was standing down as chief of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The new chief of the Melbourne Demons has for at least 18 months been eyeing off jobs outside of the chamber. And why wouldn’t he, given his enormous efforts advocating for Victoria’s business world throughout the pandemic, Baz is surprised Guerra lasted this long.
He almost got out more than 12 months ago when he was the hot favourite to take over from Australian Grand Prix Corporation boss Andrew Westacott. But the short priced favourite turned quickly to long odds and was ultimately pipped at the finish line by Travis Auld.
Guerra was then linked to a potential run as Lord Mayor, but it went nowhere. Now he’s finally out, vowing to turn the Demons’ fortunes around on and off the field.
Which begs the question, who will fill the big shoes and flash jackets he’ll leave at VCCI’s Collins St headquarters?
Former Property Council head turned podcaster Danni Hunter’s name keeps getting mentioned, as does that of Committee for Melbourne boss Scott Veenker. Long running VCCI chief of staff, and sometime acting boss, Chanelle Pearson, is also considered a contender, if only an outside chance.
Minister’s curious Welcome to Country claim
Minister Ingrid Stitt made a curious claim this week, one that almost went unnoticed.
Enter Baz. Speaking in the wake of Peter Dutton’s comments about the overuse of Welcome to Country ceremonies, Stitt said: “It costs us nothing to show respect and I think it’s important to acknowledge that everyone’s experience growing up in this country is different.”
Really? Costs us nothing? Welcome to country ceremonies at a federal level cost Aussie taxpayers more than $450,000 in the past two years, according to Freedom of Information documents released earlier this year.
Now, Baz reckons there would be a similarly big figure at a state level too, given the Allan government’s penchant for First Nation politeness. FOI submission going in in three, two, one …
Where there’s smoke there’s fire?
We all know Dan Andrews loves a smoke. Maybe minister for fun Steve Dimopoulous was being secretly suggestive when he said last week anyone peddling ideas he could make a tilt for leaders was “smoking something”.
Because word has reached Baz that it is the Dear Leader himself who is beyond a push for Premier Dimo. Now, don’t mistake that for Dan losing faith in Jacinta Allan, his personal pick to take his place. Not at all.
But in a world in which Allan was no longer there, sources say Dan wants Dimo to stick his hand up to block potential moves by Ben Carroll and Gabrielle Williams, from the party’s Right, taking the top spots.
“It’s ludicrous but Dan hates Williams and Carroll so much that he’s casting around for an alternative,” one spy told Baz.
“I don’t think he thinks she’s cooked. But he’s pathological about trying to rule from beyond the grave so wants to stop the other two at all costs.” Watch this space.
Another battle could be looming for Pesutto
After writing about the looming preselection battle in Liberal MP Moira Deeming’s Western Metropolitan Region last week, Baz was reminded about the MP’s Federal Court win over John Pesutto.
Party figures are dubbing the preselection a referendum on the party’s future, depending on whether “extreme-Conservatives prevail” in preselecting Deeming or the moderates take the win. Baz was fairly reminded that indeed one of the country’s highest courts ruled there was no evidence to support the idea of Deeming being extreme at all.
Quite the opposite. In fact Justice David O’Callaghan found Pesutto’s evidence that “Deeming had a bad reputation, particularly for giving succour to hateful and/or extreme social or political views” was blatantly “untrue”.
“When pressed about the allegation, he was unable to provide a skerrick of evidence to support it,” O’Callaghan said of Pesutto. “That is a shameful state of affairs, because the allegation – which went as far as saying that he “[knew] of no other person with such a bad reputation who has been allowed into the Party” – was self-evidently calculated to defeat Mrs Deeming’s case that she had, or was likely to have, suffered serious harm as a consequence of the impugned publications. The allegation that Mr Pesutto made that Mrs Deeming had a bad reputation also flies in the face of objective facts, including most obviously the fact that it was Mr Pesutto himself who proposed that Mrs Deeming be elected to the position of Party Whip in the Legislative Council in December 2023.
Final costs orders in the multimillion-dollar defamation battle could be made as soon as this week. If they don’t go Pesutto’s way, strap in for a potential Hawthorn by-election, despite the efforts of multiple senior party people trying to do everything they can to stop that from happening.
Originally published as Backroom Baz: Allan’s new chief of staff gets Spring St talking
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