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MOUNTING YARDS: Colts from Kooyong assemble with dark horse ready for big run
Kooyong’s dark horse candidate, the highly regarded IR Lawyer, John Pesutto, is slowly emerging as a potential rival against the clear frontrunner, Josh Frydenberg who has a three-year head-start in lobbying and stacking. As a sign of his dominance, Frydenberg also installed long-time backer former Minister Richard Alston as President of the Kooyong FEC.
It is said by party insiders that some members are looking for alternative to Frydenberg who will be less obnoxious, less overtly interested in factional plays, macho displays of number-crunching and head-kicking and with a thorough grounding in public policy at a nationally recognised level.
Some say – if he doesn’t manage to catch Josh – Pesutto would also be a good option in an eastern suburbs state seat in the sadly unlikely event that the party consciously moves for generational change.
Pesutto’s standing within the Liberal Party appears not to be in question – as the former Chair of the Constitutional Committee, he re-wrote the Victorian Party’s Constitution last year and is clearly associated with the Party’s future as a key figure in its reform process. Party leaders from across the factions and fractions seem to acknowledge that Pesutto has passed the heats and earned a place in the final.
But in the public stakes, it’s Frydenberg who appears to be dominating most of the talk. This is possibly because he talks so much.
Pesutto has had to work hard in the early months of the Kooyong campaign to assert public presence, although he appears to have been making small gains. Recently, the well-groomed Melissa Fyfe of the Age referred to his work on Party reform and also his likeability in Kooyong, while last week the Herald Sun’s well-informed scribe, John Ferguson, included Pesutto in the group of likely Kooyong candidates referring to him as the ‘well-known Liberal lawyer’. Modest, but gains nonetheless.
This week, the national Italian/Australian newspaper, Il Globo, published [PDF] (apologies for wrong link – now correct) an interesting profile piece on Pesutto that has him adroitly positioning himself and his campaign.
Pesutto’s rise from a working class background with Italian heritage should be a great Liberal Party ‘rags-to-political-riches’ story as it struggles to stay connected with the Howard Battler built majority it so long enjoyed, but some say it’s hard to imagine that the good grandees of Kooyong backing the outsider. On the other hand, the emerging ‘fairytale’ story could gather momentum so it would be worthwhile keeping an eye on this campaign.
Pesutto reveals substance, something Frydenberg is not famous for, and demonstrates an ability to be a serious contender who is an expert on workplace law, an area of lingering obsession for many Libs.
Kooyong is still Frydenberg’s to lose, but Pesutto is obviously determined to cause the upset of the year. If Kooyong’s dark horse is the ‘Italian Stallion’ of working class origins, the question is: Is this Rocky I or Rocky II?
Discussion
65 comments for “MOUNTING YARDS: Colts from Kooyong assemble with dark horse ready for big run”
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Joshy has Noooooooo chance.
PS I have decided not to run.
What a crap candidate. He hasn’t even been a Jackaroo.
He lives where he is enrolled to vote. He does not deserve the seat once held by Menzies.
I don’t support either man because they are both in the Liberal Party. I wish Peter McMullin would run.
Let’s hope Pesutto gets up. His story and profile will win the hearts of much of the ethnic community in Melbourne who can relate to the rags to riches story.
His victory would be the best avertisement for a party wishing to convince the electorate that it is serious about change and rewards hard work — not only of the elite class.
Pesutto is where the votes are. Josh is where the loss is.
The Greeks and Italians are backing you!! Hope you win mate.
A vote for Pesutto is a vote for change and a contribution of Coalition victory at the next election.
Pesutto is an all round no nonsense good guy. If the party doesnt put him up for pre-selection, they deserve more resignations from their membership.
Josh is insufferably insincere and shallow. He has about as much genuine ability to connect with, and relate to ordinary people as a set of breast implants.
If Pesutto doesn’t get up, I am voting for the other team. Why? Because the party will have shown themselves to be a pack of short-sighted losers.
This article nicely summises Pesutto’s talents, achievements, what he brings to the party by way of concrete proven valuable abilities, and thus what sets him apart from the vaccuous rhetoric- spinning user (Josh).
Yeah, ok Pessutto is a bright guy. Maybe he should consider going into State parliament. But we’ve just endured one wog in Kooyong and look how that turned out!
Oh, what a lovely thought 21:06. Of course we all know that all “wogs” as you put it, are the same…cant trust those foreigners…ooohhh no.
And tell us 21:06 rascist, which particular nazi concentration camp did one of your grandparents work in, or aspire to work in?
Are you writing from Victoria? If so, think that the Racial & Religious Vilification Act just may well capture your comments.
I shall bring it to the attention of the relevant authorities tomorrow.
21:06, if you are really a member of the Liberal Party, then I am glad I have never joined.
What a horrible poisonous, rascist, narrow-minded dweeb you are. Clearly not a wog, so what are you? Apart from the obvious: a tool.
A wog is far better than a whinging kike.
It seems that you must, because the only group you target are the “wogs” as you put it.
So Josh has rascist supporters, does he?
How hypocritical.
Perhaps Il Globo and Neos Kosmos would be interested in this news story and the feedback that it is attracting.
John Pesutto is a very genuine person who will make a great MP for Kooyong.
Josh, on the other hand, reminds me of a used car salesman.
Not sure why John Pesutto is being referred to as the Dark Horse – the man is a sure thing!
Josh Frydenberg is at best the Dark Horse. But this descriptor gives him too much credit as he is rapidly loosing pace against the Pesutto stallion.
As more Kooyong Branch members meet Josh, the fewer votes he has.
Tim Wilson should run for Kooyong. He has experience running a bookclub. And he campaigned against Fatty Doyle, but for Peter McMullin. He is a total legend.
Running against Fatty Doyle was an egregious error.
Tim Wilson ran against my dear friend, the dearest of all dear Fatties, Fatty Doyle – a loyal servant of the Liberal Party.
Honeys….
Total hilarity.
If Josh wins: progressive liberal gets 24.3%
If Pesutto wins: progressive liberal gets 22.3%
Who then is that progressive liberal candidate???
Definately NOT Timmy Wilson!!!
Timmy is still occupied with McMoron – and still swinging there.
Isn’t Wilson the Conservative who wants to repeal the Marriage Act because he thinks it is discriminatory?
Heard that on the ABC Q&A program, when he sat next to Penny Wong.
First time I ever saw her laugh!
The last thing we need in Parliament is another banker, look what bankers have done to the global economy and Australia. Josh, is a banker. Bankers need to be rounded up and put somewhere where they cannot hurt the world again.
Persutto on the other hand is a good guy and not a banker, he has to be a contender, and he has actually contributed to the party and Kooyong.
However what we really need is a community qualified candidate, one with political experience, and one who has worked hard for the party as well. There is only one with this trifecta… and he hasn’t nominated yet….
The fat lady will sing when he nominates so you know who to vote for…. the Kooyong will be safe
the fat lady, so do you really think that I should nominate?
The thing about Pesutto is that he is running for the right reasons, not to further boost an already over inflated ego (like some other greasy, supposedly front running, candidates).
In an area that relies heavily on personal votes for the current member its important that the candidate who is preselected is able to relate to the area and maintain the same focus on making the right decisions rather than towing some factional party line.
The candidate for that job is clearly John Pesutto!
Frydenberg knows he has a weak chance in Kooyong.
Don’t be fooled into thinking Kooyong Branch members will be supporting him because Dicky Alston is the FEC Chairman.
Respect for Alston does not equate to votes for Josh.
Just wait and see.
Josh & Alston used fundraising as the “Vote for me” card at the recent AGM. Has it occurred to anyone that as Patron, the fundraising responsibility was Alston’s in the first place? Effectively someone who had not done their job was voted into replace themselves. Quite bizarre really.
How much money have they raised to date, since the night of the AGM?
ahhhhh…. fundraising. How easy it is to promise hundreds of thousands and then fail to deliver.
Anyone who votes for Joshy on the basis of alleged fundraising prowess is a fool.
Who said anyone had respect for Alston?
But can Pesutto play tennis?
Hmmmm – Pesuto is single, plenty of cash, no kids or family, doesnt live in the electorate (probably in Prahran), and he recently had his foreskin snipped off for hygeine (clearly gay) purposes!!!
Really 15:51? If all this is true, then I’m beginning to like this Pesuto guy already. In fact, maybe I will invite him over for a meal. A little ‘pork’ perhaps?
Pesutto is a ham – you are full of sh!t. Pesutto is married and is proudly straight.
He also lives in Hawthorn, in the electorate. So take your vile lies elsewhere, you scumbucket.
Pesutto is married, lives in Hawthorn, and earns as much money n a year as Joshy pays to keep up his yearly membership at the Koyyong Tennis and Lawn Club.
Joshy is single though.
No body will be crying if Timmita disappeared up his own progressive rear end. Progressive is a shallow self bestowed tag thought up by Tedistas to try and disguise the fact that they don’t believe in anything.
Pesutto is undoubtedly a bright and good guy who continues to do good work for the Libs.
None of this means he should get Kooyong. The best interests of the Libs (psychologically as much as anything) is to have a shallow, cv building, coltesque smoothie like Frydenberg in their.
Petro should have a Pinochet – Senator For life instead. Pesutto should get a nice safe and very boring seat like Aston or Dunkely.
Joshy and Alston must be held to account for their promise to raise 2 million. Word is they have already worked out that they will struggle to keep this promise and are starting to panic. Maybe it was a non core promise but most of Kooyong are watching.
The real issue is not about fund raising, it has to be about holding Kooyong. When will people realise that you can have all the money in the world with an unelectable candidate and still lose.
Kooyong is vulnerable and the average elector out there is who preselectors should be thinking about first, not mates, nor the self proclaimed heir apparent and his self awarded birth right.
The key to the best candidate for Kooyong is mostly about who will be elected by the public, it is hard to see that anyone outside Liberal circles knows who Josh is. The Kooyong AGM disenfranchised more than half of the membership so the loss of Kooyong looks inevitable for at least one candidate.
The swinging voter has never been more important, and the swinging voter was a key Petro asset, not one that is passed over to the preselected nominee.
Find someone who can win Kooyong, not just Kooyong pre-selection, because you cannot do to the public what was done to the AGM!
Apoligies to Team Josh, my polling shows you need a new candidate
If Josh is preselcted I will be visiting Kooyong….often… Burwood Bob tells me it will be in the bag!
The Kooyong Lament
I won’t sing for the Wolfman
I won’t sing for Josh, and I won’t sing for Johnston, and I won’t sing for Rosk.
I will sing softly for John.
No song for the squadron leader, no song for Paul, but I will sing mostly for the one who is yet to call!
kroges for kooyong
The party has killed itself if it votes Josh.
The comments section is hyping this up because the media love a contest. Josh has the numbers. Pesutto is quality though and will get his chance. The best candidate doesn’t always win.
To Anon Annonski, why would you say Timmy doesn’t believe in anything. He believes in the ALP holding Town Hall.
I met Josh at a Rave Party in 2006. He is an energetic young man, I could not sit down comfortably for over a week.
Josh does not have the numbers.
Heared of the concept “party before self”?
Suggest you look into it before you destroy Kooyong and hand it to Labor at the next election
When is vex news planning on doing a story about the pre-selection skirmishes that have started to reveal themselves in the Corangamite pre-selection?
It is a sort of the litmus test for what will happen elsewhere, and the power that certain faction members hold or are losing hold of.
Dig dig dig. Lots of precious golden stories in the ground over there I hear.
Josh is a Ronno boy, so he will definitely get up. You are all kidding yourselves that he wont.
strange that Josh is still single given his age and background. Very strange indeed!
Has anyone ever heard that he has had any kind of serious girlfriend, apart from trying to date daughters of other Liberal Party politicians in order to further his career and build networks…while always being sorry that the relationship cant go any further if the girls arent Jewish. How transparent!
Conclusions??? Any ideas???
What is happening in Corangamite?
Does anyone have any goss to share?
The New Kooyong comittee resemble Dad’s Army with all the decision making ability and leadership of Henry Blake of MASH, trouble is there is no Radar to tell them what needs to be done, be afraid, very afraid.
No Way – NO KIKES FOR KOOYONG
Pesutto will win and win comfortably.
a-anon, I’m no Josh fan and there is no way I will be voting for him at the Kooyong preslection, but suggestions that he is g@y are rubbish.
Trust me, Joshi the Ronno boy, being Ronno’s boy does not mean you will get preselected.
I learned this lesson the hard way.
Only Jackaroos should be preselected.
Only jackaroos that are Kooyong tennis champs should be preselected.
Did someone mention a ‘mounting yard’?
Josh and Richard how are you going raising the 2 million? We want to know, perhaps you can tell us your progress in the next Kooyong Liberal…
Yes, Richard you better be pulling in those dollars! As you said if Higgins can do it, so can Kooyong. I’ll let you off the hook – If you can get $1mill I’ll be happy.
Imagine, for a blue ribbon seat you need to be able to raise that kinda money to sell the candidate.
Whoa, a candidate who needs that kinda money to sell them, is already a loser!
Josh will be easy for us to beat, please elect Josh as you candidate
Toorah, I am off to save the world
I am getting practice for hosting my current affairs show on the ABC by hosting a book club.
I am passionate about Freedom.
In addition to assisting ALP member Peter McMullin and getting a taxpayer funded job on the ABC, I’d like to run for Burwood. Time to mover on, Burwood Bob.
I think the best candidate for Prahran is someone who has experience running a book club.
Honeys…
It’s just all too funny for words!