Martyn – a smoother operator than his combative predecessorLyle Shelton – announced last week via the lobby’s email list that his employment had been “terminated” by the board after differences of opinion emerged over the ACL’s direction.
Iles reckons he was told the group’s new strategy would focus “primarily on political tactics,less on the gospel”.
“I absolutely agree with them that I am not the right person for that vision,” Iles wrote. “I have always been a preacher first and politician second (or third … ).”
The new strategy sounds to us a lot like the old strategy,and although Martyn was eager to stress that he was leaving without bitterness and urged supporters to pray for the board,his sign-off letter appears to have gone down like a Safe Schools pamphlet with his former colleagues.
ACL board chairJim Wallace wrote to members,“in grace and peace” on Tuesday,expressing “great disappointment” at the events surrounding Iles’ departure.
All very nice,until he gets to the bit about Martyn’s claims about the direction of the Lobby.
“The objectives of ACL have not changed,” Wallace wrote. “As the Australian Christian Lobby,it is the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that drives every aspect of the work that we do – from phone canvassing to our board decisions.”
He went on a bit,but you get the picture.
These boys are certainly moving in mysterious ways,their wonders to perform,so we called both Martyn and Jim,through their respective people.
We haven’t heard back.
GOVERNOR FLIES AWAY
We brought word last week that NSW GovernorMargaret Beazley was inexplicably her own World Pride reception at Government House slated for Wednesday. Turns out it’s because she’s attending the biennial Avalon Airshow,at the cursed mistake of an airport outside Melbourne.
The show is less a quaint gathering of geeky plane spotters and more a full-on orgy of chest-thumping,boys-and-toys military pageantry. A brand new lethal drone will be unveiled! The Chinese and Russians are banned! Sponsors include Thales,Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin – companies whose core business is building increasingly sophisticated killing machines!
On the whole,a far more bloodthirsty vibe than World Pride,so no surprise that Beazley – a self-described human rights advocate – was keen on cancelling and staying in Sydney for the event,where PremierDominic Perrottet will be attending. Especially after hearing the praise heaped on another towering judicial figure,former High Court judgeMichael Kirby at last week’s opening concert.
Alas,we hear Beazley’s staff directed her not to snub the big loud planes. Government House told CBD they wouldn’t discuss the governor’s program in advance,pointing us to Her Excellency’s attendance at last week’s concert.
BIG MICK NOT IMPRESSED
Our piece on the friends and admirers of high-profile brain surgeonCharlie Teo,currently facing a by the Health Care Complaints Commission into allegations of unsatisfactory conduct,committed a sin of omission.
We failed to mention that colourful Melbourne identity,industrial relations mediator and debt collectorMick Gatto is also a good mate of Teo’s with the friendship going back over 15 years.
Gatto told CBD that he became acquainted with the celebrity surgeon when he connected an acquaintance – who’d been told her brain cancer would prove fatal within three months – with Teo,whose subsequent operation bought the woman another 10 years of life.
Nor was Gatto,memorably portrayed by actorSimon Westaway in Channel 9’sUnderbelly series back in the noughties,impressed by the proceedings against Teo by the Health Care Complaints Commission whose allegations of unsatisfactory conduct are strenuously denied by the surgeon.
“It’s not right,” Gatto said on Tuesday.
“The man’s a gentleman,he wears his heart on his sleeve and he does things for people that nobody else will do. So I don’t understand all this nonsense that’s going on.”
THE UNION GETS US JOBS
Tempted by ministerial advisers’ salaries far exceeding what the labour movement pays,plus that sweet proximity to power,union staff are being hoovered up in droves byAnthony Albanese’s ministry.
“Everybody’s lost at least one or two of their people,” one union bigwig told CBD.
But theSally McManus-led Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) must be feeling it worse than most.
Since the change of government,McManus’ media directorPeter Green has gone to Home Affairs MinisterClare O’Neil’s office,while political directorShawn Lambert has returned toBill Shorten’s office along with press secretaryIsabella Tilley.
The retirement of veteran campaigns directorGeoff Derrickand the departure of the council’s digital political directorMatt Burke to NSW Labor to help getChris Minns elected haven’t helped either.
Things reached the point at the ACTU where PR outfit The Shape Agency – which works with several unions – was drafted to field media calls.
Our formerAustralian Financial Review colleagueMonica Crouch, who’s recently assuming spin duties for the council,was off to a flying start on Sunday with this effort in response to CBD’s inquiries.
“The ACTU has no comment on this,” Crouch told us.
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