I know
they do things differently in Queensland, but
gee some things are still a bit unique in the small world of Brisbane
business.

Take
this quote from former Price Waterhouse Brisbane managing partner, Darryl
Somerville in the Courier-Mail on August 15:

“For
him (Somerville), a board position is simple: ‘It has to be in a field I am
interested in, such as property or the like, and secondly it has to be a bit of
a challenge, something with good growth in it.'”

And hey
presto on September 5, it happens, as this statement from Brisbane property group, Devine Ltd, reveals Daz has a gig as a property
developer.

This on top of his chairmanship (from May of this year)
of the Brisbane Broncos. That means he’s a safe chap
insofar as the Courier-Mail and News Corp are concerned, seeing as how News owns
the Courier-Mail and the Broncos.

Daz is also well-connected with the
Beattie gang: he led the inquiry into the state’s electricity boards (set up
after the Queensland blackouts of last year) that did
such a sterling job of giving the Queensland Government the safe result it
wanted.

And in an equally amazing example of getting what you wish for, the other
director appointed to the board of Devine was Terry Mackenroth, the just
retired Queensland State Treasurer. He’s the man who boasted earlier this
year of a multi billion dollar budget surplus for which his former
Premier Peter Beattie is paying the price.

The
Labor Party lost the Brisbane seat of Chatsworth that Mackenroth held for nearly 28 years in by-elections
last month.

Those
polls helped put a big dent in Beattie’s reputation as a clever politician. And now
his former treasurer will be out making hay in the private sector, on top of the
very nice super pension. But how advisable is it for a
former treasurer to join the board of a company involved in
property?

I know
it’s Queensland and things are done differently up there, on all sides of
politics, but surely there should be a period of grace before such a senior
politician from an important and sensitive economic portfolio jumps into the
boardroom, especially of a property company.

Now I
suppose it will be standard issue white shoes and park them under the Devine
board table now for Messrs Somerville and Mackenroth.

Ah
Queensland,
sunny one day, rich the next!