When Australian business titan Ken Myer publicly backed Gough Whitlam to become prime minister in 1972 it sent shockwaves through his family, his company and the broader community.

Then-CEO of the Myer retailing behemoth, Ken's endorsement was unprecedented: a wealthy businessman calling for an end to 23 years of conservative rule in favour of a progressive visionary.

It was influential too, and Whitlam certainly appreciated it. He later offered Myer the job of governor-general. Myer declined, so the job eventually went to John Kerr – and the rest, of course, is history.

But the Myer apple doesn't fall far from the tree. More than 40 years later Ken's eldest son – the normally media shy Michael Myer – has decided to make his own public endorsement: of the Australian Greens.