By Kishor Napier-Raman and Liam Mannix
If Instagram is to be believed, Indian-born businessman Maninderjeet “Manu” Kala, named the Gold Coast’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023, has a penchant for luxury cars and posing with federal politicians.
High Rollers: Kala, Hunt, Tudge and Brandis. Credit: SMH
In a recent social media video, Kala is seen getting out of a Rolls-Royce (number plate: MK DAWN) and heading to a Liberal function where he rubs shoulders with former PM Tony Abbott.
Pictures of Kala hobnobbing with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce and speaker Milton Dick adorn the feed alongside snaps of his McLaren supercar.
“Purchasing expensive toys isn’t a display of extravagance; it’s an investment in expanding your mindset to exceed your own expectations,” was how Kala put it in one post.
Maninderjeet “Manu” Kala has a penchant for expensive cars.Credit: Instagram
Kala can indulge these expensive habits thanks to the success of his company, KnG Group. Its website reveals it was heavily involved in strategy and policy development with governments during the COVID-19 pandemic; it had interests in vaccine booking platforms, vaccine and testing hubs, and made its own test kits.
From those humble origins, Kala and co-director Dr Anuj Gupta are pivoting toward conglomerate status, with fingers now in healthcare, education, technology, and even security.
And KnG is now emerging as a bit of a political player. In the last year, the company has donated $5000 to the Coalition and $5500 to Labor in Queensland. Meanwhile, Kala has been drawing ex-pollies into his orbit, with former senior Coalition ministers Greg Hunt, George Brandis and Alan Tudge all featuring on the company’s advisory board.
Tudge, best known for his scandal-prone stint in the ministerial wing, told CBD that his work with KnG was focused on “transnational education in the Middle East and India”.
Hunt, a former federal health minister, going to work for a healthcare company that was “heavily involved in strategy and policy development in close association with the federal government” might raise a few eyebrows about the old revolving door.
Maninderjeet “Mannu” Kala (left) with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.Credit: Instagram
But KnG Group said they never received any funding from the federal Department of Health. “As we are continuing to expand our work internationally including in health and education, their ability to offer strategic advice and their international standing was considered an important contribution to our advisory board,” Gupta said in a statement.
A spokesman for Hunt said all contracting during the pandemic was handled by the Department of Health via independent procurement units and that the former minister “does not lobby on behalf of KNG”. Tudge confirmed he also had not met the government about KnG. The Department of Health did not return requests for comment by deadline.
We reckon the trio could learn a thing or two from Kala’s flashy, motivational social media posts.
“Rise and shine you sassy little taco,” is the text accompanying one clip of Kala exiting the aforementioned Roller and getting to work.
“It’s time to kick the sh*t out of today”.
We’re inspired.
MELTDOWN SEASON
After years of documenting the NSW Liberals’ abject incompetence, CBD was hardly shocked by the division’s amateurish failure to submit its local government election nominations on time.
Despite resistance from state Liberal leader Mark Speakman, there’s increasing momentum for a push for federal intervention. Former federal director Brian Loughnane (aka Mr Peta Credlin) is preparing a report into the debacle and is set to be involved in any takeover, we hear.
In other matters, the role of state director is now vacant after Richard Shields took the fall for last week’s enrolment stuff-up. It’s something of a poisoned chalice. Shields wasn’t even the party’s first pick. That was Luke Dixon, who was dumped before he’d even started after this column published some of his old snarky Facebook comments about Tony Abbott.
Other names in the mix today include former premier Gladys Berejiklian’s old chief of staff, Neil Harley, who followed his erstwhile boss to Optus in 2022. He’d be bonkers to return to the NSW Liberals. As would former state director Chris Stone, who took his own sweet time moving on after last year’s election loss and is also being touted for an unlikely return.
There’s even chatter about keeping on party affairs manager Wilson Chessell, who took the state director job on an interim basis after last week’s debacle. He’s a relative unknown, but honestly, who would want to put their hand up right now?
JOBS FOR MATES
The Minns government drew outrage for appointing Morris Iemma’s chief of staff, Josh Murray, as the state’s transport secretary last year. Now, they’ve partially learned their lesson, making it very clear when new appointments have Labor links.
On Tuesday, Treasurer Daniel Mookhey and Housing Minister Courtney Houssos announced their intention “to appoint Kris Neill, former chair of Women’s Community Shelters, former Macquarie Group executive director and former chief of staff to premier Bob Carr, to the Port Authority of NSW Board.”
Their press release added that Neil was also interim chief of staff to … Houssos.
Former Labor minister Craig Knowles was also appointed to the board of government-owned developer Landcom.
It wasn’t all jobs for mates, though. Former trade minister Niall Blair, a National, got a director spot at Sydney Water and is set to be the next chair. Bipartisanship isn’t dead yet.