Murdoch’s men take stock of strange acquisition

Intellectual stimulus will come in the form of former British Supreme Court judge turned anti-lockdown activist Lord Jonathan Sumption, who was last seen chinwagging on YouTube with former deputy prime minister John Anderson.

The Institute, which was controversially set up at the University of Melbourne last year thanks to a generous $7 million from the Morrison government, is a joint venture between the university and the Menzies Research Centre, a Liberal-aligned think tank.

And we have no doubt the company will be exhilarating at its first big shindig. Leading Menzies’ legacy is twice-failed Liberal candidate Georgina Downer (daughter of Howard-era foreign minister Alexander Downer), who is the institute’s chief executive. Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff and Sky News talking head Peta Credlin sits on the board, alongside Downer senior’s old ministerial colleague David Kemp and former Qantas chair Leigh Clifford.

Sounds like a hell of a party!

Don’s dreamin’

Trade Minister Don Farrell made his name in politics, such as it is, as a backroom factional bruiser using the institutional clout of the shopworkers’ union to push a socially conservative agenda within Labor.

So it is surprising that the arch-shoppie reveals himself, exclusively yesterday in the Herald, as a bit of a dreamer with a claim that a free trade agreement between Australia and the European Union can be completed within 12 months.

FTA’s can be a graveyard for a politician’s credibility, just ask Simon Birmingham about the kite he flew back in mid-2019 – when Boris Johnson was steering Britain towards crashing out of the EU – that Australia and the UK could complete a deal in “weeks if not months” of Brexit.

A deal – “gold standard” no less – between the two nations was signed. About 28 months after Simon’s fever dream, and another eight months on, not a single bottle of Jacob’s Creek has changed hands under the agreement with the ratification process snarled in both the Australian and British parliaments.

In fairness to Don, New Zealand, which kicked off negotiations with the EU at the same time as Australia back in 2018, signed a deal with the bloc last month, but goods and services won’t begin to flow for at least 18 months – and that’s optimistic – as the European Parliament and the union’s 27 member states go about the tortuous ratification process.

Australia, on the other hand, still has another round of talks – the 12th – to complete with the Europeans in November with no guarantee that sticking points can be hammered out and then there’s the question of ratifying the thing.

We wish Don the very best of luck.