By Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
As the final votes are recounted in Bradfield, and the Coalition parties promise to listen better and to go to therapy after their brief separation, CBD’s eyes are now turned to the latest position up for grabs in the upcoming 48th parliament.
We’re talking about the semi-official role of crossbench whip, or the MP responsible for ensuring their crossbench colleagues all get their voices heard during the chaos of question time.
Crossbench MPs could have significant influence over the next parliament.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
In the past, this task had fallen to former Greens leader Adam Bandt, or rather, his office. And when the crossbench swelled to a record 16 MPs after the 2022 election, it took on an outsized role, particularly after Labor’s leader of the house Tony Burke increased the amount of airtime crossbenchers got in question time.
It made sense for Bandt to take on the role since, as leader of a designated political party, he had more staff. This put him in a different category than the teal independents, who were left livid when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese slashed their staffing allocations after the 2022 election in a manner that made Scott Morrison seem like Santa.
But then Bandt suffered a shock, losing his seat of Melbourne to Labor’s Sarah Witty on what was a forgettable night for the Greens.
So who will take on Bandt’s old role as king (or queen) of the crossbench? Nationals leader David Littleproud’s decision to come crawling back to the Coalition makes things a lot easier. And while Bob Katter, famed for his Homeric approach to question time, would be the banter choice, we’re not sure anyone else would ever get a word in edgeways.
Heart of the natter: Bob Katter in parliament last year.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
There’s been some suggestion out of the teal universe that one of the posse who now occupy the Liberal Party’s old leafy turf could step up. Warringah MP Zali Steggall has been touted as a possibility. She’s been around a bit longer, and she has a sharp grasp of parliamentary procedure. But CBD understands that Steggall is yet to decide whether she wants to take on the role.
Separately, there’s been persistent chatter that some members of the teal movement would like to form a separate political party – perhaps headed up by Steggall – which would solve the staffing question, if anything.
“The notion of party has been thrown around but hasn’t got beyond first base,” a teal source said.
But it’s a divisive concept within the tent, and a move that would no doubt thrill Liberals, who’ve spent years crying foul about “fake” independents instead of doing the hard work to win back their old seats.
Still, the teals, or community independents, as they prefer to style themselves, have always had different views, both among the MPs and the adjacent Climate 200 cash machine, about the form the movement should take going forward.
Certainly at the parliamentary Midwinter Ball last July as CBD watched a wave of teal MPs flood onto the dancefloor to groove to Oh What a Night, or somesuch anthem, they looked to be a pretty cohesive grouping to us.
Stop the teal!
At a drab warehouse in Asquith, the final dregs of psephological excitement for the 2025 election are slowly slipping away.
The latest recount between Liberal Gisele Kapterian and teal independent Nicolette Boele has the two candidates separated by single digits, and it may be weeks before a final result.
Scrutineers oversee the recount of votes in Bradfield.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
As the votes are recounted, Liberals, already trying to find a way forward after their ballot box battering, are being called on for one final duty – to get out and scrutineer. Last week, an email from acting NSW state director Chris Stone called for experienced scrutineers (i.e. party members who observe the count to make sure everything is kosher) to put their hands up for the final push.
The missive came after some moderate Liberals expressed disgruntlement about the troika of elderly, federally appointed administrators, who hadn’t pushed hard enough to get scrutineers out to the Bradfield recount.
The administrative committee appointed to run the NSW Liberals after the party failed to register candidates at last year’s council election remains a very sore spot. It is set to expire at the end of the month, and new Liberal leader Sussan Ley will be pressured to make a call this week on its future.
Moderates who helped give her the leadership are dead against it, but conservatives, most prominently former PM Tony Abbott are pushing for it to remain in place until the party has a new constitution.
Whatever Ley decides, many in the party will remain very mad.
Mecca waits
All is not glowing (or should we say Mecca Weekend Skin Glow Serum glowing) at Mecca, the Aussie cosmetics giant founded by ex-L’Oréal executive Jo Horgan.
First there was that issue of the company being tardy in filing its accounts, prompting the corporate regulator to “note the concerns raised”. Mecca promised to get its homework in soon.
In December, this masthead reported that the brand’s giant three-floor retail colossus, dubbed by Horgan as the “biggest dedicated beauty store in the world” was on track to open in 2025, but we reported that a key heritage permit had only recently been lodged.
As this masthead previously reported, Newmark Capital bought the Bourke Street Mall building in 2020 for $121 million and planned to complete the fitouts in the art deco listed heritage building in the last quarter of 2024. After promising to open in the first quarter of this year, then May, there’s now a further delay for the 4000 square metre outlet.
Which means the new space will not be ready in time for British beauty queen Charlotte Tilbury, one of Mecca’s biggest brands, who is visiting Australia in June.
“Naturally, when you’re building one of the world’s largest beauty stores, there are bound to be a few challenges along the way,” a spokeswoman said.
“Some recent unexpected discoveries in the building’s original infrastructure mean we’re now set to open later this year. While the wait is a little longer, it will be well worth it.”
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