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ICAC dusts off the golf clubs | Delete the date | Political comebacks afoot

This week, the state’s anti-corruption chief mulls life after ICAC while others consider returning to politics, and a small edit to a major project catches our eye.

ICAC Ann Vanstone KC may be back on the golf course come September. Left photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily, right photo: Seth Wenig/AP

ICAC Ann Vanstone KC may be back on the golf course come September. Left photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily, right photo: Seth Wenig/AP

Not happy, Ann!

It’s been a whirlwind week for South Australia’s Independent Commissioner Against Corruption, Ann Vanstone KC.

The ICAC lobbed a strategically timed grenade into the government’s lap on Tuesday with a resignation statement blasting both the parliament for curbing her office’s powers in 2021 and the Malinauskas Government for doing nothing about it since.

Vanstone then went on ABC Radio two days later to take aim at Attorney-General Kyam Maher, accusing him of being “not interested” in her repeated concerns about the new laws.

Maher was happy to let those comments through to the keeper on Thursday, referring InDaily and other media to comments he made on radio the day before.

After a week spent proverbially “teeing off” on politicians, perhaps what Vanstone plans to do in retirement shouldn’t come as a surprise.

“First of all, I’ll have a bit of a rest and find my golf clubs and see how much rust they have on them,” Vanstone told ABC Radio Adelaide’s David Bevan.

“Lot of gardening, a lot of reading and relaxation, a bit of land care, a bit of travel.

“I think that sounds pretty good to me.”

Will the Attorney-General get an invite to join Vanstone on the fairway? If his response to Vanstone’s pleas for reform is anything to go by, we suspect not.

Coming from a lawyer, that’s pretty refreshing

There was no shortage of lawyers this week lining up to praise Vanstone’s resignation.

Among them was former New South Wales Court of Appeals Judge, Anthony Whealy KC, once an assistant commissioner to the New South Wales ICAC and now chair of the Centre for Public Integrity.

“It’s very courageous,” Whealy said of Vanstone’s actions.

“All strength to her for having the courage not only to step down but to step down and make a public statement which outlines, honestly, her reasons for so doing.”

Anthony Whealy KC

Former Judge of the NSW Supreme Court of Appeal Anthony Whealy KC. Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP

But Whealy went one step further with a candid moment of reflection about his profession.

“I mean, we lawyers are a bit of a timid and cowardly lot, you know,” Whealy mused to InSider.

“And it’s a great refreshment – very refreshing – to see someone who has the intestinal fortitude to actually state their reasons and point the finger squarely at parliament.

“I think she deserves a real pat on the back for that.”

Familiar faces weigh up political returns

One lawyer not considered timid or cowardly in his day is former Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Pallaras KC.

During his seven-year term as the state’s top prosecutor, Pallaras was no stranger to a good spat with the state government. Indeed, his public disagreements with then-Premier Mike Rann – who welcomed Pallaras to the job as his “Eliot Ness” – came to define his time in the job.

It logically follows that Pallaras would back in Vanstone’s decision to resign. He spoke to media this week about how “neither political party was serious in creating an ICAC that was going to be effective” and how the public should approach this week’s events with “outrage”.

But InSider also understands that Pallaras is weighing up a tilt for an Upper House seat at the 2026 state election.

The lawyer’s first run in 2022 fell flat with just 0.86 per cent of the vote, but that has not deterred him from considering a second run under his “Real Change SA” party banner.

Stephen Pallaras KC on the campaign trail in January 2022. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily

InSider received a media release from team Pallaras this week detailing his criticisms of the Malinauskas Government’s proposed reforms to political donations, particularly how they would affect small parties like his.

“Party Leader Stephen Pallaras labelled it a ‘direct assault on democracy’,” the release proclaims.

“Given his record of broken promises on ambulance ramping, housing and helping people with the sky-rocketing costs-of-living, perhaps it isn’t surprising that PM (presumably Peter Malinauskas) is trying to muzzle our voices,” Pallaras is quoted as saying.

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Also mulling a political comeback is former senator and self-described “transparency warrior” Rex Patrick.

The freedom of information enthusiast, who was ejected from the federal senate in 2022 with just over two per cent of the vote in a crowded race, might end up in an unlikely political alliance with firebrand Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie, who has asked him to run in SA on the Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN) federal senate ticket.

It comes after some SMS polling has been floating around gauging voter intentions if Patrick ran for the senate under the JLN banner.

Patrick confirmed the news on Facebook on Thursday.

“I’m still considering what I will do. I really enjoy being a full time ‘Transparency Warrior’, but I’m also disheartened on a daily basis by the old parties in Canberra who’ve lost their way,” he posted.

Rex Patrick

Rex Patrick during his days in the federal seat. Photo: Lukas Coch/AAP

“Jacqui and I are different. She’s a passionate, genuine person with great (not always perfect) instincts.

“I’m a nerdy (slightly introverted) engineering type who’s forensic and tenacious. Our styles are different, but they could be complimentary. Together we could do a lot of public good.”

Patrick said he would keep his followers posted on what he decides to do.

Delete the date

Back in March, InSider told you about how the stalled Aboriginal Cultural Centre on North Terrace was apparently going to open in 2025, because that’s what the big signs at Lot Fourteen told us – despite all evidence to the contrary.

Take One. Opening in 2025. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily

Even though the Malinauskas Government put the Tarrkarri project on ice in 2022, in 2024 it was apparently still all systems go to fling open the doors next year, according to the prominent signage along our main cultural boulevard – despite no decision on its future or any funding.

But there has indeed been action behind the scenes. To… err… delete the opening date.

Here’s how the signs now look. Similar, yes? But look closer… closer… There it is! Or isn’t. The date has been deleted.

Take Two. Not opening in 2025. Photo: InDaily

2025? What 2025? There was never any 2025. As if.

Jokes aside, it’s good to see the state government has acknowledged the very public farce and changed it.

But it’s still a vacant lot.

SA Aboriginal cultural centre

Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily

When you can’t bear to say their name

Carrying on from InSider spreading its tentacles outside the state last week, today our snoops have sent this in from Queensland.

The editorial is all about Biden, but what caught InSider’s eye was the quotes taken from “David Fagan, a former editor of The Courier Mail” said “elsewhere in a column”. That column happened to be in InQueensland, our very good sister publication in Brisbane.

Seems that having axed Fagan in 2013 after 30 years at News Ltd, they still can’t do without him.

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