Politics

OUTSKI: Left MP Carlo Carli has "had enough"

Victorian Socialist Left MP Carlo Carli has decided not to recontest his inner suburban seat of Brunswick at the next state election. He’s told colleagues “I’ve had enough, I’m going nowhere”, after failing to be promoted to the Ministry after the 2006 election.

The self-described “Transport scholar” is understood to have received enticing offers from within the infrastructure industry and is thought keen to cash in while his contacts within government are still strong.

The move will draw the seat into focus, with a looming fight within Socialist Left forces over who will succeed Carli.

OF VIKING DESCENT HE COMES TO PILLAGE THE BRUNSWICK VILLAGE

A former ALP state secretary and Jennings sub-faction disloyalist Erik Locke is an early starter, even rather ambitiously claiming support from factional rivals in the form of the Labor moderate Health Services Union supremo Jeff Jackson. A source close to Jackson laughed when VEXNEWS asked whether they’d be supporting Locke which they said might suggest Locke’s conclusion was alcohol influenced.

Locke – a lobbyist – recently attended the testimonial function of Senator Robert Ray, a prominent identity in the Labor Right, and was seen in intense discussion with Jackson and others at the glittering occasion. One observer said “Jeff probably promised him the seat if he stopped ear bashing him. He’s very pragmatic.”

LOBBYISTS GO WILD

The lobbyist is seen as part of an increasing number of industry practitioners like Hawker Britton’s Danny Pearson, CPR’s Rob Larocca and others who are contemplating making a move into government. Usually the traffic goes the other way, with the more traditional path being going into lobbying after a political career, to use one’s connections to advantage.

Some will see the best and brightest of lobbying going into elective politics where they’ll be using their advocacy skills for the people as a good thing, as long as the quality of the candidates is high as would be the case with Pearson and Larocca.

Others, particularly from the Socialist Left, Greens Party and their Age newspaper, will be concerned that bumping the paid advocates of large corporates including property developers into Parliament could trigger a range of conflict of interest concerns. Ironically, The Age has previously admitted hiring Hawker Britton to lobby the state government to increase their employment ads job spend.

How Locke – a shareholder in the CPR lobbying firm’s parent company Photon Group Ltd – could manage his many potential conflict of interests between public duties and former clients will be of considerable interest to his competitors for Brunswick.

© 2008 VEXNEWS 2010©.