Up Late: Why Ben Harvey doesn’t begrudge Mark McGowan over Penfolds dinner

Ben Harvey has revealed he doesn’t hold McGowan’s feet to the fire over his attendance at ‘the Great Penfolds Dinner’.

On Wednesday, West Australian Premier Mark McGowan defended his decision to attend a private dinner at the home of a major property developer, where they drank a $1000 bottle of wine.

Mr McGowan told reporters state leaders often attend events hosted by prominent people, and he could not “help if there is some wine that is served there that is expensive”.

The Penfolds Grange wine tasting dinner was held at the Peppermint Grove mansion of property developer Nigel Satterley on Friday night.

“My invite to the great Penfolds Dinner was clearly lost in the mail,” Harvey said.

“The Premier’s was not.

“The shindig was held on Friday night at the home of the traditional owner of most of the land from Perth to Esperance… Nigel Satterley.”

Harvey joked the wine was paired with “sausage”, a notable lack of women. Guests reportedly included Mineral Resources managing director Chris Ellison, West Coast Eagles chairman Russell Gibbs, APM chief executive Mike Anghie, Wesfarmers chairman Michael Chaney and Crown Resorts Perth chairman John Van Der Wielen.

Harvey admitted he would “have dinner with Putin if he was serving me Grange, but I’m not the Premier.

“I don’t begrudge Mark McGowan getting his wine wings on at these sorts of events… cause for every social event that’s actually fun, the Premier attends two dozen mind-numbingly boring events at locals schools and charity award nights.

“The question for taxpayers and voters is whether government policy will be bent to benefit these dinner companions.”

On Wednesday, Mr McGowan said he would rather have stayed home.

“I’d rather be at home with my wife and children, but that’s not the way my life works,” he said.

“My life works that I go out to functions, to events, I get invited to many things.

“I do many fundraisers, I do many public events.

“I actually knock back most invitations – probably nine out of 10 invitations, eight out of 10 I knock back. I accept what I can.”

Mr Satterley, who is a Liberal member, has previously hosted events for WA Labor.

Some other states have cracked down on political donations from property developers due to the potential for corruption, but Mr McGowan has no plans to do the same in WA.

“Once you start selecting various groups in terms of these things, you head down very difficult areas,” Mr McGowan said.

“For instance, is someone who puts in place a battle-axe at the back of their house, is that person a property developer?

“You may not even know that person has done that. So you have dinner or attend a fundraiser or something of that nature, therefore you are potentially criminalising yourself and you didn’t even know it.”

However, the state government is overhauling election donation laws to increase transparency, Mr McGowan added.

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