The No way: Price, Mundine formally join forces to oppose the Voice

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For anyone out there thinking the No campaign for the upcoming referendum was looking a little disjointed, great news.

We’re delighted to confirm that an outbreak of unity among the naysayers will be formalised this week as Warren Mundine’s Recognise a Better Way group, which has a distinctly home-spun feel, officially merges with the much slicker Fair Australia group – a subsidiary of Liberal-linked attack operation Advance Australia – and fronted by Country Liberal Party senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.

Who will take the backseat now that Warren Mundine and Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price are sharing the limelight?Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The two groups will come together under the Fair Australia banner, Warren told us on Wednesday, but who’s going to be the main face of the campaign, and who’s going to take a back seat?

Under the terms of the merger, Mundine and Price will be joint campaign spokespersons.

Mundine will sit on the board of the No campaign’s main fundraising vehicle – Australian for Unity – which is going to need every cent it can gather; the former Labor national president says the No camp expects to be out-spent by its opponents by a ratio of 10 to one.

THAI-ED UP

On the other side of the fence, our informants spotted former Liberal Indigenous affairs spokesman-turned referendum dissident Julian Leeser dining with Marcia Langton, who’s in the government’s advisory group for the proposal, at Canberra lakeside Thai eatery Morks on budget night.

It’s nice to see Leeser – who has not given up his quest for changes to the proposed Voice model – pursuing his lobbying activities in such a civilised way.

BAR FIGHT

What better way to resolve your approach to a referendum than to have a, well, a referendum about it. That’s what Victoria’s barristers – who are bitterly split on the question – have decided to do.

The Bar Council’s 21-member ruling committee got together in Melbourne to discuss whether the organisation should take a stance on the Voice to parliament, and decided – wait for it – to put it to a vote.

It’s an electronic secret ballot of the state’s 2200 learned friends. The question: support the Voice or take no position on it – the option to abstain is there too. Voting closes on May 31. May it please the court.

CHALMERS OFFENSIVE ROLLS ON

In keeping with tradition, the budget pageantry continued well into Wednesday, as seemingly every lobbyist and creature of the Canberra swamp worth their salt packed into the Great Hall of Parliament House for Jim Chalmers’ National Press Club address.

Departing Qantas boss Alan Joyce – not around on budget night, we assume because he was on one of his planes – got a special indulgence from NPC’s Maurice Reilly. He was seated between Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy and Home Affairs plain-spoken supremo Mike Pezzullo, well away from any Australian Financial Review journalists.

Working for Liberal-aligned lobbyists outfit Premier National didn’t stop ex-Labor factional hardman Graham “Richo” Richardson scoring a spot next to Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on a table with Housing Minister Julie Collins and ALP national secretary Paul Erickson. A better table than Richo’s new boss, Liberal powerbroker Michael Photios, who was at the back with Sportsbet.

Former Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate, who no doubt appreciates the change of government, had a prime location right near the front, while the ever-chipper Christopher Pyne worked the room.

We spotted British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell there, courtesy of multinational weapons manufacturers BAE Systems.

Meanwhile, amid the missile makers and fossil fuel firms that sponsored their way into the lunch, we noticed just three of the big four accounting companies bought tables. No prizes for guessing which was conspicuously absent.

CONSULTING WIDELY

Speaking of PwC, the firm is involved in an interesting event in Melbourne on Thursday, with the Institute of Public Administration holding a chat about “the public sector and the future of inclusive employment” at the consultants’ office at Southbank.

The educational talk – which PwC is hosting, not sponsoring – is going ahead despite the firm’s desire to keep a low profile as the scandal over its use of confidential ATO information to plan tax avoidance schemes for clients rumbles on.

The institute didn’t respond to our questions on Wednesday, so details are scant. But with a mostly Victorian Public Service crowd expected to attend, our advice is for everyone to be careful what they say. Loose lips and all that …

PORTRAIT OF SUCCESS

Ministers are on a fiendishly packed schedule during budget week, so Helen McCabe’s Future Women pulled off a coup with its Budgeting for Women’s Success networking event at the National Portrait Gallery on Wednesday night.

Finance minister Katy Gallagher gave the keynote, and was joined by her ministerial colleagues Clare O’Neill, Michelle Rowland, Anika Wells and Kristy McBain. Labor senator Marielle Smith and independent MP Sophie Scamps rounded out the political contingent.

Chief Executive Women head Sam Mostyn, who we spotted posing for photos with O’Neil and Gallagher outside the great hall, also made an appearance, as did spy chief Kerri Hartland and recently departed sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins, whose much-needed review into the culture of parliament house is hopefully, finally, cutting through.

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