Candidate nominations for the March state election close on Friday (if the NSW Liberal executive doesn’t push it out another week to get the backroom arrangements in place),and it’s shaping up to resemble a game of musical chairs conducted byFreddy Krueger.
Liberal MP Felicity Wilson is facing a likely challenge in her prized North Shore seat.James Alcock
Serial document falsifierFelicity Wilson,despite being protected by PremierGladys Berejiklian,will almost certainly face a challenge from the Right’sTim James,whom she defeated for the prestigious North Shore electorate last year.
As one senior Liberal quipped to CBD,the last time a leader made their favourite known (when Prime MinisterScott Morrison ordainedKatherine O’Regan the Wentworth candidate in waiting),things did not turn out too well for either.
And we can report there have been discussions about the possibility TreasurerDominic Perrottet will shift back to the Castle Hill electorate he moved on from in 2015.
Illustration:John Shakespeare
It all depends on whether Berejiklian can convince Multicultural Affairs MinisterRay Williams,who holds the seat with federal powerbrokerAlex Hawke’s support,to retire.
Then there’s the shuffling of chairs in the Upper House where there are three people elected in what is known as"at-large"positions,which are untied to any region,vying for one winnable spot.
Natasha Maclaren-Jones looks likely to nominate for both her current"at-large"position and for the safer spot held by long-time conservative warriorDavid Clarke,who may retire.
Catherine Cusack,another"at-large"member best known for her extraordinary targeting Energy MinisterDon Harwin,hasn’t exactly been quiet about challengingScot MacDonald for his safer position.
That would leave Berejiklian’s pick,the outspokenPeter Phelps,as the last man standing for the one safe"at-large"gig.
That’s unless a Moderate-faction candidate appears.
Watch this space.
Aitken's annus horribilis
Aitken Investment Management,run by Charlie Aitken,pictured here with his wife Ellie,has had a rough year.Belinda Rolland
Media mogulKerry Stokes probably has a full plate what with the revelations of his fireside chats withMalcolm Turnbull andRupert Murdoch,but when he's got the time we recommend a check on the money he's stashed with eastern suburbs stockpickerCharlie Aitken.
Aitken runs Aitken Investment Management with his wife,Russell Crowe's gym buddyEllie.
And what a bomb it’s turning into.
Good thing Stokes andJames Packer’s former palRob Rankin has plenty of cash,because this thing isn’t doing anything for their bottom line.
They went in last July,even taking a combined 40 per cent stake in the management vehicle through the Stokes family’s Australian Capital Equity and Rankin’s Pacific Point Partners.
Maybe Stokes should have trusted his first instincts three years ago when he pulled the $150 million he was initially expected to tip into the Aitken fund.
Aitken’s grandiose Global High Conviction Fund has made a decidedly less impressive 12.5 per cent loss since January 1,according to investment updates seen by CBD.
It was down 3.5 per cent in August alone.
(The ASX 200’s up 4.2 per cent since the start of the year,and 0.7 per cent in August.)
"The fund remains open to new investors,"the note reads.
No surprise.
Stokes is believed to have sunk $25 million into the fund,and Rankin $20 million,leaving them respectively down $3.1 million and $2.5 million since the start of the year.
At least,for Stokes,it’s not as big a bust as aged care outfit Estia Health.His investment in that trash heap is down $17 million,or around 23 per cent,in just one year.
Fran's early morning mystery
Estia Health founder Peter Arvanitis seemed to make plenty of money from the aged care industry,which some say needs more funding.Cole Bennetts
And while we’re on aged care,StewartBrown partnerGrant Corderoy wound up onFran Kelly’s RN Breakfast yesterday,putting the case that the industry was suffering from a lack of funding.
Not that you’d know from former Estia founderPeter Arvanitis,who managed to get his hands on both a Ferrari and a Lamborghini Aventador (base price $440,000) before being sent packing.
What you’d also not know from listening to the ABC was what Corderoy did.
He was described as an"industry expert"and a"chartered accountant".
No mention of StewartBrown,which provides audit services to a large number of aged care homes,all dependent on government funding,including Astoria Aged Care,Peninsula Villages,Southern Cross Care and a bunch of others.
They’ve even done some work for the industry lobby,the Aged Care Guild.
No word on why none of this was worth a mention.
Correction:An earlier version of this column attributed comments made on Four Corners to the Aged Care Guild. However,they were made by Sean Rooney of Leading Aged Services Australia.