NSW Labor picks former Liberal premier Dominic Perrottet for top government position
NSW Labor Treasurer Daniel Mookhey has recruited former Liberal Premier Dominic Perrottet to bolster the government's investment strategies.
The Saturday Telegraph revealed Mr Perrottet, a former Treasurer and later Premier would serve as the newest member of the NSW Treasury Corporation board known as T-Corp.
The call was made by NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey.
Mr Perrottet served as the state's 46th Premier from 2021-23 following the resignation of former Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
He is currently working in Washington DC for Australian multinational mining and metals corporation BHP as head of corporate and external affairs.
TCorp is the financial services partner to the NSW public sector, providing investment management and financial management solutions and advice to the government.
With $117bn of assets under its management, TCorp also serves as the NSW government's sovereign investment manager.
TCorp further acts as the central borrowing authority for the state with a balance sheet of $198bn.
Mr Perrottet is the only former politician on the board, with the majority of members coming from a banking, superannuation and auditing background.
It is believed Mr Perrottet will sit on the board while continuing his role at BHP.
Mr Mookhey met with the former premier during his trip to Washington DC four months ago, with Mr Perrottet writing on his LinkedIn at the time that the two spoke about matters that were 'critical to both the US and Australia.'
'Yesterday I had the privilege of hosting NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey at the BHP Washington DC office for an important and timely discussion about issues that are critical to both the US and Australia,' Mr Perrottet wrote.
'It was a great opportunity for us to bring together business and opinion leaders as well as policymakers at a dynamic time to discuss the trends shaping the US market, the importance of critical minerals in the energy agenda, and the global competition for capital investment.
'The event underscored the importance of international collaboration and strategic engagement in navigating economic challenges and opportunities. It was a valuable platform for exchanging ideas and building partnerships that will benefit both countries.'
However, Mr Perrottet is not the only former NSW Liberal figure to take up a post with a Labor government, with ex treasurer and energy minister Matt Kean appointed as chair of the federal Climate Change Authority by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last year.
Mr Kean who passed legislation to cement NSW's net zero emissions reduction targets said the CCA was 'close' to handing down its recommendation to the federal government on the highly anticipated 2035 carbon reduction targets.

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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
State Liberals hit back at critics and launch campaign
Embattled Premier Jeremy Rockliff has hit back at growing criticism of his government's budget management as he formally launches his campaign to recapture the hearts, minds and votes of Tasmanians. The island state heads to the polls next month after parliament declared no confidence in the Liberal minority leader in early June. It will be Tasmania's second election in successive years and the fourth since 2018. Debt is the number one issue, with the dissenting opposition and crossbench lashing Mr Rockliff over his handling of the state's finances. Figures released last week by treasury forecast a worse position than estimated in the May 2025/26 state budget, with net debt to reach $13 billion in 2027/28, above the budget forecast of $10.2 billion. It called for "explicit policy choices", warning the rate of debt growth was unsustainable. Mr Rockliff will head to Tasmania's north on Sunday to officially hit "go" on his re-election bid. However, in an attempt to beat him to the punch, Labor leader Dean Winter on Saturday unveiled plans to immediately find $1 billion in savings if he wins power and to put any windfall tax revenue gains towards debt reduction. Mr Rockliff immediately dismissed the move as "a recycling of a number of policies already in existence". "His plan to 'maximise government business profits' means higher charges, including increased car rego and power prices," he said. "The truth is Mr Winter will increase taxes." The major parties also traded barbs on Saturday on support for the proposed Marinus Link project. The undersea electricity and data connector would link Tasmania's northwest with Victoria's Latrobe Valley and allow the smaller state to import surplus solar while exporting hydropower to the mainland grid where it could help reduce the risk of brownouts. "After promising the project for 11 years - and delivering nothing - Jeremy Rockliff is now unsure whether he supports it," according to opposition energy spokeswoman Janie Finley. Government counterpart Nick Duigan accused Mr Winter of wanting to "trade away" Tasmania's economic future by forfeiting a seat at the Marinus table and leaving Victoria to call the shots in any deal. The Liberals (14 seats) and Labor (10) face an uphill battle to reach the 18-seat mark required to govern in head to the polls on July 19. Embattled Premier Jeremy Rockliff has hit back at growing criticism of his government's budget management as he formally launches his campaign to recapture the hearts, minds and votes of Tasmanians. The island state heads to the polls next month after parliament declared no confidence in the Liberal minority leader in early June. It will be Tasmania's second election in successive years and the fourth since 2018. Debt is the number one issue, with the dissenting opposition and crossbench lashing Mr Rockliff over his handling of the state's finances. Figures released last week by treasury forecast a worse position than estimated in the May 2025/26 state budget, with net debt to reach $13 billion in 2027/28, above the budget forecast of $10.2 billion. It called for "explicit policy choices", warning the rate of debt growth was unsustainable. Mr Rockliff will head to Tasmania's north on Sunday to officially hit "go" on his re-election bid. However, in an attempt to beat him to the punch, Labor leader Dean Winter on Saturday unveiled plans to immediately find $1 billion in savings if he wins power and to put any windfall tax revenue gains towards debt reduction. Mr Rockliff immediately dismissed the move as "a recycling of a number of policies already in existence". "His plan to 'maximise government business profits' means higher charges, including increased car rego and power prices," he said. "The truth is Mr Winter will increase taxes." The major parties also traded barbs on Saturday on support for the proposed Marinus Link project. The undersea electricity and data connector would link Tasmania's northwest with Victoria's Latrobe Valley and allow the smaller state to import surplus solar while exporting hydropower to the mainland grid where it could help reduce the risk of brownouts. "After promising the project for 11 years - and delivering nothing - Jeremy Rockliff is now unsure whether he supports it," according to opposition energy spokeswoman Janie Finley. Government counterpart Nick Duigan accused Mr Winter of wanting to "trade away" Tasmania's economic future by forfeiting a seat at the Marinus table and leaving Victoria to call the shots in any deal. The Liberals (14 seats) and Labor (10) face an uphill battle to reach the 18-seat mark required to govern in head to the polls on July 19. Embattled Premier Jeremy Rockliff has hit back at growing criticism of his government's budget management as he formally launches his campaign to recapture the hearts, minds and votes of Tasmanians. The island state heads to the polls next month after parliament declared no confidence in the Liberal minority leader in early June. It will be Tasmania's second election in successive years and the fourth since 2018. Debt is the number one issue, with the dissenting opposition and crossbench lashing Mr Rockliff over his handling of the state's finances. Figures released last week by treasury forecast a worse position than estimated in the May 2025/26 state budget, with net debt to reach $13 billion in 2027/28, above the budget forecast of $10.2 billion. It called for "explicit policy choices", warning the rate of debt growth was unsustainable. Mr Rockliff will head to Tasmania's north on Sunday to officially hit "go" on his re-election bid. However, in an attempt to beat him to the punch, Labor leader Dean Winter on Saturday unveiled plans to immediately find $1 billion in savings if he wins power and to put any windfall tax revenue gains towards debt reduction. Mr Rockliff immediately dismissed the move as "a recycling of a number of policies already in existence". "His plan to 'maximise government business profits' means higher charges, including increased car rego and power prices," he said. "The truth is Mr Winter will increase taxes." The major parties also traded barbs on Saturday on support for the proposed Marinus Link project. The undersea electricity and data connector would link Tasmania's northwest with Victoria's Latrobe Valley and allow the smaller state to import surplus solar while exporting hydropower to the mainland grid where it could help reduce the risk of brownouts. "After promising the project for 11 years - and delivering nothing - Jeremy Rockliff is now unsure whether he supports it," according to opposition energy spokeswoman Janie Finley. Government counterpart Nick Duigan accused Mr Winter of wanting to "trade away" Tasmania's economic future by forfeiting a seat at the Marinus table and leaving Victoria to call the shots in any deal. The Liberals (14 seats) and Labor (10) face an uphill battle to reach the 18-seat mark required to govern in head to the polls on July 19. Embattled Premier Jeremy Rockliff has hit back at growing criticism of his government's budget management as he formally launches his campaign to recapture the hearts, minds and votes of Tasmanians. The island state heads to the polls next month after parliament declared no confidence in the Liberal minority leader in early June. It will be Tasmania's second election in successive years and the fourth since 2018. Debt is the number one issue, with the dissenting opposition and crossbench lashing Mr Rockliff over his handling of the state's finances. Figures released last week by treasury forecast a worse position than estimated in the May 2025/26 state budget, with net debt to reach $13 billion in 2027/28, above the budget forecast of $10.2 billion. It called for "explicit policy choices", warning the rate of debt growth was unsustainable. Mr Rockliff will head to Tasmania's north on Sunday to officially hit "go" on his re-election bid. However, in an attempt to beat him to the punch, Labor leader Dean Winter on Saturday unveiled plans to immediately find $1 billion in savings if he wins power and to put any windfall tax revenue gains towards debt reduction. Mr Rockliff immediately dismissed the move as "a recycling of a number of policies already in existence". "His plan to 'maximise government business profits' means higher charges, including increased car rego and power prices," he said. "The truth is Mr Winter will increase taxes." The major parties also traded barbs on Saturday on support for the proposed Marinus Link project. The undersea electricity and data connector would link Tasmania's northwest with Victoria's Latrobe Valley and allow the smaller state to import surplus solar while exporting hydropower to the mainland grid where it could help reduce the risk of brownouts. "After promising the project for 11 years - and delivering nothing - Jeremy Rockliff is now unsure whether he supports it," according to opposition energy spokeswoman Janie Finley. Government counterpart Nick Duigan accused Mr Winter of wanting to "trade away" Tasmania's economic future by forfeiting a seat at the Marinus table and leaving Victoria to call the shots in any deal. The Liberals (14 seats) and Labor (10) face an uphill battle to reach the 18-seat mark required to govern in head to the polls on July 19.


Herald Sun
2 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Victoria: Priciest homes revealed including Toorak record-buster
New and old rich-listers splashed an eye-watering $540m-plus on Victoria's 20 most expensive homes of the past 12 months. A record-busting sale reported to fall between $115m to $135m for Toorak mansion Coonac topped the pile. It was also the nation's biggest deal for the 2024-25 financial year although industry sources indicated the transaction likely fell at the range's lower end. RELATED: Arrotex boss billionaire Dennis Bastas firming as buyer of $100m+ mansion PropTrack: Melb six months from record prices Geelong trophy home Raith on track to break record at circa $9m Other Toorak listings clocked up individual circa-$70m and $40m sales. Elsewhere, luxurious pads in Canterbury, South Yarra, Brighton and the Mornington Peninsula scored eight-figure sales. But it was the circa-1867 Italianate mansion Coonac that smashed Melbourne's $80.88m benchmark. Industry insiders linked the off-market sale to Kay & Burton managing director Ross Savas and chair Gerald Delany. While it's not been officially confirmed, billionaire Dennis Bastas was widely tipped to have purchased Coonac. Mr Bastas runs a healthcare empire through his leadership roles at Arrotex Pharmaceuticals, myDNA and DBG Health. Mr Savas said the upper end of the Melbourne market has remained resilient. 'Many are taking a generational view — prioritising long-term security, lifestyle alignment and legacy over short-term market fluctuations,' he said, 'At the same time, favourable economic conditions, including the low Australian dollar, continue to attract international interest — particularly from expatriates and global buyers looking to establish roots in Melbourne.' The luxurious six-bedroom mansion at 2-4 Macquarie Rd fetched a figure in the vicinity of $70m shortly before Christmas. Automation platform Neota chairman John Lord and his wife Sue sold the home where visitors are greeted with a sweeping marble staircase, and are likely to enjoy a dedicated basement cinema or the home's temperature-controlled wine cellar and tasting room. Forbes Global Properties' Michael Gibson handled the listing – along with another $40m Toorak pad that changed hands off market. Mr Gibson said there was often multiple buyers for homes prices at $10m to $30. 'The premier market over the past year has been as strong as ever … one thing we are short on is properties to sell,' he added. When it came to luxury features it wasn't uncommon for homeowners to want double-level basements for entertaining, exercising and storing car collections, said Forbes Global Properties director Robert Fletcher, who oversaw a $29m Toorak deal in March. 'I think people who have a large amount of cars tend to look for space for between six to eight cars,' he said. Forbes colleague, senior associate Tracy Tian Belcher said some buyers were more hesitant to buy amid uncertainty about many cuts will be made to Australia's official cash rate across the second half of 2025. Ms Belcher said that even if clients were quite well off, the 13 hikes interest rates across the nation between May 2022 and November 2023 had affected many of them – while reporting on current economic conditions could impact people's emotions. 'Last year, one of my buyers was involved in a six-month long negotiation process for a Toorak home,' Ms Belcher said. Melbourne Sotheby's International Realty managing director Antoinette Nido and colleague Max Ruttner oversaw a $25.6m South Yarra transaction in December. 'Look at me addresses' were important to many recently cashed-up buyers, Ms Nido said. 'What's notable is that a lot of young business people who have made money in IPOs are doing very well,' she said. 'People who you have never heard of will call and when you ask how much they want to spent, it can be $40m to $50m.' Marshall White group sales director John Bongiorno said demand in the Melbourne prestige market's top end had consolidated in the past 12 months as the city's population boomed. 'I think that there are more buyers in the $10m-plus category,' Mr Bongiorno said. 'The amount of people out there with substantial wealth, it's a far bigger than what it was 12 months ago, two years ago, five years ago.' Marshall White handled the $30m-plus sale of a French Provincial-inspired Canterbury house boasting a 16-car showroom, eight bathrooms, a cinema and day spa with a sauna in March, listed by agents Andy Nasr and Marcus Chiminello. Many top-end buyers were taking a long view, prioritising the security, prestige and practicality of homes over price movements, Kay & Burton Stonnington director Darren Lewenberg said. 'These aren't short-term flips, they're generational homes,' Mr Lewenberg said. Many homes that transacted had been fully rebuilt or renovated by architects and interior designers well before being listed. 'Buyers at this level don't want to lift a finger. They want to walk in and start living,' Mr Lewenberg said. Industry Insider Property founder and prestige buyers agent Andrew Date said the surge in off-market deals was one of the most notable shifts in 2024–25. 'Most of the biggest sales never hit the portals. They're done over lunch, through networks, and only involve a few key people,' Mr Date said. 'These homes are so rare, they're not just about location, but land, architectural pedigree, and lifestyle.' Mr Date said prestige demand had also crept further afield especially towards the Mornington Peninsula. Additional reporting by David Bonaddio VICTORIA'S MOST EXPENSIVE HOME SALES, 2024-25 FINANCIAL YEAR Coonac, Toorak Price: $115m-$135m Agents: industry sources linked the off-market sale to Kay & Burton's Ross Savas and Gerald Delany. 2-4 Macquarie Rd, Toorak circa $70m Agent: Forbes Global Properties' Michael Gibson Address withheld, Toorak $40m Agent: Forbes Global Properties' Michael Gibson 38 Monomeath Ave, Canterbury circa $30m+ Agents: Marshall White's Andy Nasr and Marcus Chiminello. 27 St Georges Rd, Toorak circa $29m Agent: Forbes Global Properties director Robert Fletcher 177-181 Walsh St, South Yarra $25.6m Agent: Melbourne Sotheby's International Realty Antoinette Nido and Max Ruttner 5 St Ninians Rd, Brighton $23m Agents: Marshall White's Ben Vieth and Andy Nasr 10 Struan St, Toorak $22m Agents: Marshall White's Marcus Chiminello and Nicole French Address withheld, South Yarra $21.2m Agency: Withheld 12 Lansell Rd, Toorak $21m Agent: Kay & Burton's Gowan Stubbings 7 Gawith Court, Toorak circa $20-22m Agents: Marshall White's Marcus Chiminello and Nicole French 3520 Point Nepean Rd, Sorrento $20m+ Agents: Kay & Burton's Liz Jensen and Gerald Delany 6 Macquarie Rd, Toorak circa $20m Agents: Marshall White's Marcus Chiminello and Nicole French 10 Highgate Hill, Toorak $19.3m Agent: Kay & Burton's Oliver Booth 4 Grant Ave, Toorak $19m Agent: Forbes Global Properties' Mike Gibson 8 Robertson St, Toorak $19m Agent: RT Edgar's Mark Wridgway 3786 Point Nepean Rd, Portsea $19m Agents: RT Edgar's David Gillham and Ilze Moran 11 Berkeley Street, Hawthorn $18,888,999 Agents: Jellis Craig's Perry Zhou and Elsa Li 11 Kent Court, Toorak circa $18m Agents: RT Edgar's Tim Brown and Sarah Case 14 Grandview Grove, Hawthorn East $17.5m Agents: Marshall White's James Tostevin and John Bongiorno 444 Musk Creek Road, Flinders circa $17.5m Agency: Forbes Global Properties Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox. MORE: Leo's Fine Food & Wine Kew sale linked to James Packer Time-capsule house of Aussie artist to the stars for sale Luxe hotel hits market for just $2 — but there's a catch

Sky News AU
3 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Labor's Veteran Affairs Minister Matt Keogh's 'strategically incoherent' naivety on the Middle East war is cause for concern
Neville Shute's haunting Cold War parable On the Beach imagines Australia as the final, fading refuge from a nuclear apocalypse. 'The world will go on just the same,' says naval officer Peter Holmes, 'only we shan't be in it. I dare say it will get along all right without us.' The line captures a persistent illusion in Australian foreign policy: that we can remain untouched by conflicts beyond our shores. This delusion has become dangerously entrenched, reflected most recently in the Albanese government's hesitant response to war in the Middle East. On Wednesday, Veterans Affairs Minister Matt Keogh provided the standard government response to a question on ABC Perth about potential involvement in the Middle East. "It's not our primary focus area," he replied. "We are very much focused on our region." Yet only two days earlier, a Qantas Boeing 787 from Perth to Paris was forced to turn back more than seven hours into its flight, prevented from reaching its destination by the closure of air space over the Gulf. The geographical reality for an open trading nation like ours is that Australia has had a stake in peace in the Middle East since 1869, when the opening of the Suez Canal reduced the journey to Europe by weeks. Australian troops fought and died in the Middle East in two world wars, not just out of imperial loyalty but because it was in our interests. Our trading links have diversified, and freight handling is more sophisticated. Yet, Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi are the first or last ports of call for nearly 400,000 passengers a month arriving or departing from Australia. Last year, more than 100,000 tonnes of air freight came by that route. As Australians, we should understand better than most that the threat to aircraft flying 30,000 feet over a war zone is not merely theoretical. Malaysian Airlines flight MH 17 Is one of three commercial airliners confirmed to have been brought down by surface-to-air missiles. Among the 298 people who died when the plane came down over eastern Ukraine were 38 Australians. What is unfolding in the Middle East is not an isolated conflict - it is part of a broader confrontation between liberal democracies and revisionist regimes. Iran, through its proxies, joins Russia and China in challenging the rules-based order that underpins global security. Australia's security and prosperity depend on that order. We are a trading nation that relies on open sea lanes, established legal norms, and stable regions. The notion that we can "focus on our region" while ignoring wider threats is strategically incoherent. In short, trade routes, military engagements, and energy security irrevocably bind Australia to the region. Far from being a distant or irrelevant conflict zone, the Middle East is - and always has been - part of Australia's geopolitical backyard. The Middle Eastern diaspora in Australia provides a human link to countries across the region and a profound interest in maintaining their sovereignty. Add to that Australia's historic resistance to nuclear proliferation and naivety of the Albanese government's attempts to distance itself from events in the Middle East becomes screamingly clear. Australia was drawn irreversibly into the geopolitics of the Middle East and, more broadly, the global system that binds the liberal democratic world together. The idea that we can stand aside from today's conflicts - whether in Gaza, the Red Sea, or the broader confrontation between open societies and authoritarian powers - is not just naïve. It is dangerous. Yet there is more to Albanese's foreign policy error than cartographic illiteracy and topographical detachment. The insistence of the intellectual Left to view every conflict through a colonial lens has created uncertainty about which side to support. The framing of Israel as a Western colonising force is no longer a fringe position on the Left. The resale to acknowledge the Jewish people's ancient historical ties to the Middle East and brush aside the significance of international involvement in Israel's creation has become mainstream thinking in Labor. Counter-evidence is dismissed through the selective use of colonial framing. The October 7, 2023, atrocities have not tarnished Hamas' reputation as freedom fighters. Open calls for the destruction of Israel, a genocidal objective incompatible with any liberation narrative, are discounted or justified. The narrative ignores genuine colonial regimes like China in Tibet or Russia in Ukraine, where national cultures are actively suppressed. Nick Cater is a senior fellow at Menzies Research Centre and a regular contributor to Sky News Australia