By Noel Towell and Kishor Napier-Raman
To help pass the time while Labor MPs waited, and waited, and waited, in the party room for Jacinta Allan and Ben Carroll to hammer out a leadership deal between Labor’s Left and Right factions yesterday, someone struck up a singalong. The tune? The revolutionary standard La Marseillaise, which is also the French national anthem.
Trouble was, not enough of the revolutionary comrades knew the words – “to arms, citizens” and all of that – so they used lyrics of the Brisbane Lions’ AFL club song, which is set to the near 250-year-old tune. In doing so, they managed to alienate the old guard of the labour movement as well as fans of the Collingwood footy club as it prepares to face the Lions at the MCG on Saturday.
Newly anointed Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and Deputy Premier Ben Carroll.Credit: Getty Images
Perhaps the person feeling most aggrieved by the end of the long meeting was Treasurer Tim Pallas. Not only was he put forward unsuccessfully as a potential deputy premier, but because the deliberations took so long he missed out on a sumptuous meal at the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s grand final lunch at the MCG (you had the chicken, Tim, not the beef).
CBD helpfully grabbed the treasurer’s miniature Sherrin souvenir for safe keeping. Tim, you know where to find it when you’re ready to pick it up.
The chamber of commerce’s CEO, Paul Guerra, meanwhile, was no doubt pining for a time when the Brownlow Medal was the most important vote count in grand final week, what with the absence of Pallas and other senior Victorian MPs.
LIKE FOR LIKE
Maybe the signs had been there for some time that Carroll might prove an impediment – albeit temporarily – to the smooth transition of leadership of the state Labor government from Daniel Andrews to Allan, if only we’d read them.
Because why else, back in July, would Carroll have hit “like” on an Instagram post by Allan’s shadow, deputy Liberal leader David “DJ Dave” Southwick, which branded the new premier “Victoria’s Economic Wrecking ball”.
As is the way of these things, the “like” quickly vanished. But on the internet, some things are for keeps.
ROBBIE RUMOUR CONFIRMED
While we’re all thrilled at the prospect of US glam rock veterans KISS being on hand to fire up the half-time interval at the big game on Saturday, AFL boss Gillon McLachlan was good enough to confirm that it may not have turned out that way.
Robbie Williams and Carlton’s Tom De Koning.Credit: Getty Images
McLachlan told the room at the chamber of commerce lunch that pop star Robbie Williams – no stranger to the big day in September – was deadly serious about showing up in Melbourne on Saturday and performing at the game. That would only happen if the Carlton footy club, to whom the ex-Take That star has taken a shine, made it through to the decider.
FIRM FRIENDS
The reputationally challenged consultants at PwC must be thanking their lucky stars for Daniel Andrews.
The big-four firm already had the cunning plan to drop Ziggy Switkowski’s report into its internal culture on Wednesday, in the middle of grand final week, and just hours before Qantas bosses were set to be grilled at a Senate inquiry.
But on Tuesday, Andrews’ decision to retire as Victorian premier created even more news for PwC, still recovering from the tax leaks scandal, to compete with.
Which is a shame because the Switkowski report’s scathing description of PwC’s “growth at all costs” culture, unaccountable CEO and tolerance for poor behaviour was important viewing.
PwC Australia’s chief executive Kevin Burrowes.
To be fair, the firm had so much grovelling material on its internal failings to share, it had to create a whole new microsite, titled “enhancing governance, culture and accountability”. The site contained the report, management’s response, PwC’s responses to questions from various parliamentary inquiries, plus a letter from chief executive Kevin Burrowes.
FAMILY AFFAIR
We brought word on Tuesday that banished Liberal senator David Van’s forays into the employment market might dismay those of his former party colleagues dreaming of an early exit from politics for Van, giving the Liberals back a much-needed Senate seat.
We have more distressing news for those Liberal blue-sky thinkers, with Van further strengthening his team with the appointment of a new diary manager. His cousin Jill Van, as it happens, clinched the position, with the now-independent senator noting the hiring in his parliamentary disclosures so that everyone knows that it’s all above board.
David Van, readers will recall, is the subject of an investigation by the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service into allegations of sexual harassment which he vehemently denies. An outcome of some sort is expected within weeks.
He declined to comment on Wednesday. But CBD’s tip: he’s not going anywhere.
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