Nick McGowan, the Victorian Opposition leader, has been appointed as his new chief of staff after he was appointed by Matthew Guy, his childhood friend and best man at his wedding.
Mr. McGowan, who has been elected as a Liberal candidate for the upper house, will take over from Mitch Catlin, who resigned last week after he asked a billionaire donor to pay more than $100,000 for his private business.
It is not a new role for McGowan, who was Mr Guy's chief of staff when he was planning minister in 2010.
In his maiden speech to Parliament in 2006, Guy thanked Mr McGowan and described him as one of his good friends Across more than three decades of involvement in Liberal politics, Nick has distinguished himself with his strong work ethic, determination and enthusiasm, he said.
Nick's core beliefs are liberal. He believes in equality, individual responsibility and reward for effort. Mr McGowan was selected to run for the Liberal Party in the North Eastern Metropolitan Region in the second winnable spot last month, beating former federal MP Gladys Liu.
Mr Guy said that he would not campaign for his personal election during ordinary work hours and would take leave when he lodges his nomination with the Victorian Electoral Commission VEC The VEC nomination deadline for candidates who have been endorsed by a political party is November 10.
Nick, like so many Victorians, understands the importance of the upcoming election and brings a focus on delivering real solutions for all Victorians. During a press conference on Monday morning, Mr Guy refused to answer questions about last week's events and whether Mr Catlin was interstate.
He said last week I was not answering anything, I don't need to answer any more questions on that, because I'm not answering anything.
The appointment has caused some frustration within the Liberal Party, with one Liberal MP who didn't want to be named, labelling the move a shocker and a job for a mate. They said it sent a poor message to the party's other candidates that they didn't need to bother campaigning until they lodged their nomination.