Chief Minister Andrew Barr has appointed Liberal treasury spokesman Brendan Smyth as his first Commissioner for International Engagement, a $300,000 a year appointment for five years that creates a political headache for the Liberals in the lead-up to the October election.
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Both Mr Barr's office and the Liberal hierarchy laughed at the suggestion that a job offer had been made when it was put to them by The Canberra Times on Thursday, dismissing it as ludicrous. Mr Smyth also denied it, but at 10am on Friday, Mr Barr confirmed the appointment.
Mr Smyth starts on August 1. His appointment takes out a key member of the Liberal team, with the election just three months away and the Liberals already having one candidate slot to fill when anaesthetist John Ellingham withdrew from the line-up just two weeks after he was announced as a candidate in April.
There is also a question over who will fill Mr Smyth's vacancy in his Tuggeranong seat of Brindabella, with only one Liberal left in the countback race, Val Jeffrey. Mr Jeffrey, who runs the Tharwa general store, is not sure he wants to put his hat in the ring.
"For a start, I'm 81 and that's the No. 1 priority," he said. "I'm well and truly surprised that it's happened .... I haven't even had time to think about it let alone talk to anybody."
Liberal Leader Jeremy Hanson has urged him to stand. If Mr Jeffrey can't be persuaded, the seat will go to Labor, the Greens or an independent or minor party, depending on where Smyth voters sent their preferences after the Liberals.
The ACT Electoral Commission will advertise on Monday for candidates from the 2012 election to nominate for the countback, and will run the vote count on July 28, in time for the winning candidate to take his or her seat in August.
Mr Smyth is not only the most experienced of the Liberal team, with 18 years in the ACT parliament and a year in the federal parliament, he is treasury spokesman.
It is not the first time Labor has neutralised a well-known and long-serving Liberal opponent in the lead-up to an election. At the end of August 2008, then chief minister Jon Stanhope announced the appointment of Bill Stefaniak, a former Liberal leader, to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal. In 1996, Liberal chief minister Kate Carnell appointed Labor's Terry Connolly to the Supreme Court.
Mr Barr announced the position of Commissioner for International Engagement on Tuesday. On Friday, he said Mr Smyth was "eminently qualified for the new role", with a track record of representing Canberra overseas, including helping establish the sister city relationship with Beijing.
Mr Hanson refused to acknowledge any political motive on the part of Mr Barr.
"I have no problems with the decision that Brendan has made today. I congratulate him warmly. The team will adapt," he said. "I'm very delighted that Brendan has taken this position and I mean that absolutely genuinely."
He found out about the appointment at 9am on Friday, he said. Asked whether he had any concerns about Mr Smyth's denial to his office on Thursday, Mr Hanson said it had been handled appropriately by Mr Smyth. "He's played it straight. He's played it very straight and that's the right way to do it. There's no backroom deals here. This is a straight offer. I accept that ... I'm comfortable with this process."
Mr Smyth said he had been approached earlier this week and had submitted an application, discovering he had been successful on Thursday evening. He said he was ready to leave politics, partly for the sake of his family, including his 10 year old son. He had considered not putting his name forward for pre-selection earlier this year, he said.
Asked about the selection process, Mr Barr's spokesman said it was a government appointment and subject to cabinet approval next Tuesday. Mr Smyth said the package was worth about $300,000 a year for five years.
