Is a former banking doyen teaching bureaucrats empathy?

The government is paying big bucks to learn about empathy. And the people they're paying have very interesting resumes.

Justine Landis-Hanley

Nov 14, 2019

Scott Morrison economy speech liberal party — (Image: AAP/Darren England)

Remember how Senate estimates revealed the Morrison government had paid consultants almost $200,000 of taxpayer money to teach them how to empathise with drought-affected communities?

The Department of Infrastructure’s Inland Rail project hired the firm FutureEye to smooth over relations with landowners in northern Victoria, central New South Wales, and southern Queensland, where its controversial rail line will be built.

Well, it turns out that one of FutureEye’s advisers is former Australian Bankers’ Association CEO, Steven Münchenberg — the man best known for telling us we didn’t need a royal commission into the banks.

Other FutureEye team members include the former senior policy adviser to Water Resources Minister (and known climate-change sceptic) David Littleproud, and Rio Tinto’s former manager of environmental policy.

About the Author

Justine Landis-Hanley

Reporter @justinel_h

Justine has worked as a casual reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald, was an international fellow to the Agence-France Presse Tokyo bureau, an editor of student newspaper Honi Soit and was The New York Times Australia bureau’s first reporting intern.