Appointing David Gonski to lead the Future Fund at the expense of Peter Costello would be 'petty politics' - but opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey would still welcome the businessman.

Cabinet is expected to discuss a replacement for Future Fund chair David Murray next week.

Mr Gonski was hired to advise the government on the views of the seven Future Fund guardians, which include Mr Costello, about who the new chair should be.

On Friday, the Australian Financial Review said while Mr Gonski made no recommendation on who should be appointed, he himself has emerged as a leading candidate.

Mr Hockey says he has a great deal of respect for Mr Gonski.

But he will be disappointed if the former coalition treasurer - who helped establish the $73 billion fund - misses out.

'It seems petty politics that Peter Costello would not be appointed,' Mr Hockey told Sky News.

'Even Kevin Rudd was fair dinkum enough to appoint him to the Future Fund board, the Future Fund that he established.'

But he said Mr Gonski had been a terrific servant of the community in many ways, including completing the recently released review of school funding.

'He is a formidable character and quite frankly I'd welcome his appointment (as Future Fund chair) if it's to be the case,' he said.

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Bypassing Costello 'petty' says Hockey

TWO senior Surrey county councillors have defended their conduct after they were removed from their high profile cabinet posts.

Ian Lake and Denise Saliagopoulos, who represent Weybridge and Staines respectively, were sacked by leader David Hodge over matters which are now being referred to the councils standards committee.

Councillor Saliagopoulos said involvement in a private company had led to the pair's dismissal. Both she and Cllr Lake are listed as directors of Charter House Chancery Ltd, which was set up more than a year ago to build alliances between UK business and other countries across the world, particularly China and West Africa.

The company, which has its registered address in Cobham, arranges packages for visitors to the UK, in particular for the London Olympic Games.

Cllr Saliagopoulos, who is losing her post as cabinet member for community services and the 2012 Olympics, said: "I have absolutely nothing to hide. The company does not work in conflict with what I am doing and there is no conflict of interest whatsoever.

"I was asked to join the company. It's not a problem because the company has not made any money - I have nothing to show for it thus far."

She said she would have more time to commit to her business interests and to being the company's secretary now she was no longer a cabinet member, adding that she was "happy" to speak to the standards committee.

Cllr Lake, who was the cabinet member for transport and environment, said: "Surrey County Council have alleged that a conflict of interest in my day-to-day workings for the authority existed and I was dismissed from my cabinet post.

"I completely and utterly deny this allegation. I look forward to the opportunity of proving to the standards committee in due course that this has not been the case and to receiving an apology from the leader."

Cllr Hodge said it was "disappointing" that he had to dismiss his cabinet members.

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Sacked councillors deny conflict of interest

REGINA -- Saskatchewan Party cabinet minister Ken Cheveldayoff has outlined a list of factors he said would be needed to make an NHL franchise in Saskatoon a reality.

"There'll be those that say it can happen, those that'll say that it can't happen, but four things indeed have to happen," said Cheveldayoff, who previously led the province's unfruitful feasibility study into a replacement for Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

"We have to have a building that's NHL ready," he said Monday. "We have to have a business community that's ready to support this initiative. We have to have individuals who are willing to buy season tickets for the long term. And the NHL has to want it to happen."

Cheveldayoff noted efforts by Western Hockey League founder Billy Hunter to bring a team to the city in the 1980s "had the first three, but he didn't have the fourth."

"That's the challenge that's going to be in front of any type of promoter or any type of business group that wants to put this together," the minister said. "We'll provide them with information and we'll try to be as helpful we can, but it will have to be done by the private sector ... It's very early to talk (about whether) there will be a franchise or not."

Cheveldayoff confirmed the government has been approached by a group interested in bringing an NHL team to Saskatoon, but he wouldn't elaborate about who might be involved. The group that has approached government is On Ice Management Inc., which is being led by Toronto-based John Graham, who has brokered a number of successful ventures to bring pre-season NHL games to Saskatoon, a number of sources say.

"The government is not leading this thing in any way, shape or form," Cheveldayoff said. "This is a private-sector-led initiative - people have contacted the government and said they're very interested in putting forward an initiative that involves Saskatoon and the NHL and very recently we all learned that the NHL is interested in the Saskatoon market and is asking a lot of questions."

The resurrection of the Winnipeg Jets and the business model involved with that team "changes things substantially" for Saskatchewan's chances, especially considering the economic boom in the province, he continued.

"I think the NHL is looking across North America and saying, 'Where's the strongest economy?' and they're seeing that it is indeed Saskatchewan," he said.

"I think what's happening in Winnipeg has really changed the economic modelling," he continued.

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Province sets factors for Saskatoon NHL team

Published: 12:54PM Monday March 05, 2012 Source: Fairfax

Lombard Finance's former directors. - Source: ONE News

Former cabinet minister Bill Jeffries has stood down as chairman of NZX-listed Insured Group citing ''personal reasons''.

Jeffries, along with former National Party cabinet minister Sir Douglas Graham and two other former Lombard Finance directors were last month found guilty yesterday on four charges of making false statements in documents seeking money from the public in December 2007.

In a statement to the NZX posted this morning Insured Group said Jeffries had stood down effective March 1.

''Hon William (Bill) Patrick Jeffries has been a fine Chairman of unquestionable integrity, honesty and efficiency in his role, which possesses an impeccable skill with corporate governance,'' managing director Wayne Miller said in a statement.

''The Board of Insured unequivocally supports him and wishes him well in his future endeavors.''

He has been replaced by Barry Driscoll. The company said it would seek a waiver from NZX to give it time to find a replacement New Zealand resident director. In 2010 the company was censured and fined $7500 by the NZ Market Disciplinary Tribunal for failing to have the required two New Zealand directors for around a month in 2010.

Insured Group is a general insurance intermediary which specialises in insurance distribution which was spun out of Lombard Group, the parent company of Lombard Finance, after a reverse takeover of Australian Consolidated Insurance. Most of its operations are in Australia.

Copyright 2012, Television New Zealand Limited. Breaking and Daily News, Sport & Weather | TV ONE, TV2 | Ondemand

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Disgraced Bill Jeffries quits

Published: 12:54PM Monday March 05, 2012 Source: Fairfax

Lombard Finance's former directors. - Source: ONE News

Former cabinet minister Bill Jeffries has stood down as chairman of NZX-listed Insured Group citing ''personal reasons''.

Jeffries, along with former National Party cabinet minister Sir Douglas Graham and two other former Lombard Finance directors were last month found guilty yesterday on four charges of making false statements in documents seeking money from the public in December 2007.

In a statement to the NZX posted this morning Insured Group said Jeffries had stood down effective March 1.

''Hon William (Bill) Patrick Jeffries has been a fine Chairman of unquestionable integrity, honesty and efficiency in his role, which possesses an impeccable skill with corporate governance,'' managing director Wayne Miller said in a statement.

''The Board of Insured unequivocally supports him and wishes him well in his future endeavors.''

He has been replaced by Barry Driscoll. The company said it would seek a waiver from NZX to give it time to find a replacement New Zealand resident director. In 2010 the company was censured and fined $7500 by the NZ Market Disciplinary Tribunal for failing to have the required two New Zealand directors for around a month in 2010.

Insured Group is a general insurance intermediary which specialises in insurance distribution which was spun out of Lombard Group, the parent company of Lombard Finance, after a reverse takeover of Australian Consolidated Insurance. Most of its operations are in Australia.

Copyright 2012, Television New Zealand Limited. Breaking and Daily News, Sport & Weather | TV ONE, TV2 | Ondemand

Excerpt from:
Disgraced former minister quits insurance firm

HAMISH RUTHERFORD

MAARTEN HOLL/The Dominion Post

From left, Sir Douglas Graham, Michael Reeves, William Jeffries and Lawrence Bryant.

Disgraced former cabinet minister Bill Jeffries has stood down as chairman of NZX-listed Insured Group citing ''personal reasons''.

Jeffries, along with former National Party cabinet minister Sir Douglas Graham and two other former Lombard Finance directors were last month found guilty yesterday on four charges of making false statements in documents seeking money from the public in December 2007.

In a statement to the NZX posted this morning Insured Group said Jeffries had stood down effective March 1.

''Hon William (Bill) Patrick Jeffries has been a fine Chairman of unquestionable integrity, honesty and efficiency in his role, which possesses an impeccable skill with corporate governance,'' managing director Wayne Miller said in a statement.

''The Board of Insured unequivocally supports him and wishes him well in his future endeavors.''

He has been replaced by Barry Driscoll. The company said it would seek a waiver from NZX to give it time to find a replacement New Zealand resident director. In 2010 the company was censured and fined $7500 by the NZ Market Disciplinary Tribunal for failing to have the required two New Zealand directors for around a month in 2010.

Insured Group is a general insurance intermediary which specialises in insurance distribution which was spun out of Lombard Group, the parent company of Lombard Finance, after a reverse takeover of Australian Consolidated Insurance. Most of its operations are in Australia.

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Bill Jeffries quits Insured Group

Governor-General Quentin Bryce will this morning swear in members of the new look federal ministry during a ceremony at Government House in Canberra.

Under the changes announced on Friday, Brendan O'Connor will enter Cabinet as the Minister for Small Business, Housing and Homelessness.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has also promoted new faces into the outer ministry - Senator Kate Lundy will be sworn in as the Minister for Sport and Multicultural Affairs, and David Bradbury as the Assistant Treasurer.

The incoming Foreign Affairs Minister, Bob Carr, will not be sworn in as a member of Cabinet until the New South Wales Parliament officially endorses him as Mark Arbib's replacement in the Senate.

The endorsement is expected early this week.

The reshuffle was prompted by the resignation of Kevin Rudd and Senator Arbib's decision to quit politics.

One who missed out in Ms Gillard's Cabinet reshuffle was former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon.

Mr Fitzgibbon was defence minister until 2009 but stood down after admitting to a breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct.

Reports emerged on Sunday that Mr Fitzgibbon and the Prime Minister shared an angry phone call during the week when she rang to offer him the role of parliamentary secretary.

It is believed Mr Fitzgibbon threatened to resign over the offer of the junior portfolio.

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New federal ministry set to be sworn in

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Gov. Nikki Haley has chosen a 34-year-old attorney to lead South Carolina's labor and business licensing agency.

Haley on Friday introduced Holly Gillespie Pisarik (peh-ZAR-ik) as her choice to run the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Pisarik will serve as interim director while legislators debate her confirmation.

She graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2007 and worked as an attorney in Columbia. Last year, she became an attorney for the agency, where Haley says Pisarik helped then-Director Catherine Templeton streamline the agency of about 400 employees.

Templeton was confirmed this week to lead the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. The Republican governor had chosen her to run the labor department because of her legal specialty in fighting labor unions.

Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Haley expected to announce LLR replacement

SYDNEY (AP) Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard named a retired politician her foreign minister Friday in place of Kevin Rudd, who tried to oust her during a chaotic, short-lived rebellion in the ruling Labor Party.

Rudd's resignation as foreign minister last week required Gillard to reshuffle her Cabinet. In the process, she demoted Emergency Management Minister Robert McClelland, who publicly backed Rudd's effort to remove her as prime minister.

The appointment of Bob Carr, former premier of New South Wales state, as Rudd's replacement was a surprise. He retired from politics in 2005 and said he initially wrestled with whether to return to public service.

"But in the end, when the distinctive voice of the prime minister rouses you from your slumber and says, 'Will you be foreign minister of Australia?' I couldn't have found it in me to have said no," Carr said.

Many political observers had expected that Defense Minister Stephen Smith, who held the foreign ministry post before Rudd, would be given the coveted job. Smith said he was happy to continue in his defense role.

"There are no entitlements in public life," he said. "I don't have any entitlement to be disappointed."

After quitting, Rudd attempted to oust Gillard in vote of Labor Party lawmakers on Monday. Gillard, who deposed Rudd as prime minister two years ago in an internal party coup, easily defeated him and has been trying since to reunite her fractured party and Cabinet.

At a news conference Friday in the capital, Canberra, Gillard insisted the drama-riddled power challenge did not factor in the Cabinet reshuffling.

"The decisions I've made about my team are about merit, about the strongest possible team," she said.

But McClelland later said Gillard told him she was ousting him in part because he had "gone further" with his advocacy for Rudd than others.

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Australian PM names new FM, axes rival's supporter

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard pulled a veteran politician out of retirement and named him foreign minister on Friday in place of Kevin Rudd who tried to oust her during a chaotic, short-lived rebellion in the ruling Labour Party.

Mr. Rudd resigned as Foreign Minister last week, making it necessary for Ms. Gillard to reshuffle her Cabinet. In the process she also demoted Emergency Management Minister Robert McClelland, who publicly backed Mr. Rudds effort to remove her as Prime Minister.

The appointment of Bob Carr, former premier of New South Wales state, as Mr. Rudds replacement was a surprise. He retired from politics in 2005 and said he initially wrestled with whether to return to public service.

But in the end, when the distinctive voice of the Prime Minister rouses you from your slumber and says, Will you be Foreign Minister of Australia? I couldnt have found it in me to have said no, Mr. Carr said.

Many political observers had expected that Defence Minister Stephen Smith, who held the Foreign Ministry post before Mr. Rudd, would be given the coveted job. Mr. Smith said he wasnt upset about being passed over and was happy to continue in his role.

There are no entitlements in public life, he said. I dont have any entitlement to be disappointed.

After quitting, Mr. Rudd attempted to oust Ms. Gillard in vote of Labour Party lawmakers on Monday. Ms. Gillard, who deposed Mr. Rudd as Prime Minister two years ago in an internal party coup, easily defeated him and has been trying since to reunite her fractured party and Cabinet.

Strongest possible team

At a press conference on Friday in the capital, Canberra, Ms. Gillard insisted the drama-riddled power challenge did not play a role in the Cabinet reshuffling.

Asked whether Mr. McClellands support of Mr. Rudd had affected her decision to drop him from the ministry, Ms. Gillard replied, The decisions Ive made about my team are about merit, about the strongest possible team.

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Gillard axes Rudd’s supporter from Cabinet