After all these years, Tim Wilson still not right for Price

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Columnist Jenna Price and former Liberal MP Tim Wilson have had an interesting relationship over the years. The pair began duelling back in 2014, soon after Wilson’s unorthodox hiring by then attorney-general George Brandis to the post of human rights commissioner.

Price’s pointed criticisms that ran in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times once described Wilson as a “henchcommissioner” of Tony Abbott’s government, prompting a rejoinder from Wilson to be printed in The Crimes in which he rejected Price’s charges.

Tim Wilson still hasn’t won over columnist Jenna Price.Credit: Darrian Traynor

She later called for his resignation from the commission and was back for another crack in 2019 as Wilson, then a Liberal government MP, prosecuted an effective campaign against Bill Shorten’s ill-fated franking credits policy, with Price alleging her Liberal target’s behaviour was falling well short of decent parliamentary standards and that he should, yes, resign.

Spoiler alert: he didn’t. But he did get bundled out of his seat of Goldstein by teal independent challenger Zoe Daniel at the 2022 election, and although he is doing a bit of consulting these days, Price has had a better idea.

Why not put some of Wilson’s campaigning nous, for which the columnist harbours a grudging admiration, to use in the cause of the faltering Yes case for the Indigenous Voice to parliament, Price wrote in these very pages.

Wilson must have enjoyed that one, posting some of Price’s back catalogue on his socials and quipping: “I always admire that some people are prepared to change their mind” and “we are all on a journey, and we should respect that journey”.

He’s also got a screen grab of Price’s Voice column taking pride of place on his Facebook page.

Sadly, this is not the tale of reconciliation you might hope for. Price told us on Tuesday that it would take more than a couple of social media posts for her to change her mind about Wilson, adding that it was high time he removed the title MP from his witter handle.

The former MP did not respond to a request for comment.

LUKE’S LUCK

Luke Sayers has had a lot to think about of late. The former PwC Australia boss copped a name-check last week from the scandal-plagued firm’s pursuer in chief, Labor senator Deb O’Neill, who told the Senate the “profoundly unethical behaviour” by PwC “occurred under the watch of Luke Sayers”.

Former PwC CEO Luke Sayers.Credit: Louise Kennerley

Sayers denies having anything to do with the breaches of Australian Taxation Office confidentiality which have plunged the consulting giant into crisis.

Then there’s the Carlton footy club, where the misfiring season has put everyone under pressure, reportedly leading to a confrontation between club president Sayers and director Craig Mathieson last month, after which Mathieson quit the board.

Fortunately Sayers has been far away, in sunny Italy, while the latest chapters in the PwC saga have been written.

So, CBD was relieved at news on Tuesday that he had lightened his load a few weeks ago and stepped down as chairman of Inclusion Foundation, the charity founded by his wife, Cate Sayers.

If that name rings a bell, it’s probably because Inclusion Foundation played a minor role in the bitter tussle for the seat of Kooyong at last year’s federal election when incumbent Josh Frydenberg produced a series of flyers spruiking endorsements from local charity leaders, but without, in the case of Cate Sayers, disclosing the close links between the politician and her family.

Still, could have been worse. Guide Dogs Victoria chief executive Karen Hayes was stood down from her job before resigning after she helped out with another one of Josh’s pamphlets without giving her charity the heads-up.

Luke Sayers’ people told us that the change of chair position was decided six months ago – long pre-dating any of the drama at PwC – and that he would be staying on the charity’s board as a director.

GOOGLE IT, MATE

Since the change of federal government last year, it’s been a lean time for Liberal-linked lobbying firms, who’ve watched big-name clients march out the door to the many booming outfits run by former Labor staffers.

But one former Liberal doing well in the lobbying game is ex-defence minister Christopher Pyne, whose Pyne & Partners continued its recent run of success by signing Google as a client.

Pyne didn’t respond to CBD’s request for comment by deadline, but Google aside, much of that success has come thanks to defence companies, with the AUKUS pact of particular interest to the professional South Australian and his firm.

Christopher PyneCredit: John Shakespeare

As CBD reported recently, Pyne & Partners flew a bipartisan parliamentary delegation to the United States for an AUKUS-related junket in April.

That trip involved a swanky dinner at Washington DC’s Cosmos Club with missile manufacturers Northrop Grumman, attended by US Navy Secretary Carlos del Toro, where the new ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, gave a speech.

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