While appointees almost always have qualifications that make them suitable board members, the current Liberal government is showing a strong propensity to appoint people who are also friends of the party.

The issue has come back on the radar with strong rumours that Nihal Gupta is about to be made chairman of SBS. Gupta is a longtime supporter of the Liberal Party, a fund-raiser and a friend of the former Premier Barry O'Farrell.

He is managing director of Digital Electronics Corporation Australia and chairman of the listed company JCurve Solutions, but hardly a household name, except perhaps in the O'Farrell household. His lack of broadcasting experience or involvement in dealing with public sector organisations has already raised queries about his future role at SBS.

Mr Gupta has already won a number of appointments from Barry O'Farrell's NSW government, including a coveted seat on the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust, a $27,500-a-year part-time position with the NSW Judicial Commission, the body overseeing judges and magistrates, and chairmanship of the NSW Multicultural Business Advisory Panel.

On the advisory panel he is among political fellow travellers. The MBAC, which falls under the trade and investment portfolio of the Deputy Premier, Andrew Stoner, is peppered with people who have strong Liberal Party links.

The deputy chair is Ben Chow, a property developer and director of two ASX-listed companies. His official biography on the MBAC website is a testament to his good works within the Chinese community - he is on numerous community boards. But it omits one role: his membership of the NSW Liberal Party 's fund-raising committee and the Chinese Liberal Association. Mr Chow is very close to John Howard and other senior Liberals and a donor to the party in his own right.

At least four other members are either donors or have Liberal party connections.

Also on the board is Joe Carrozzi✓, national managing partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers, chairman of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and one of the founders of the North Sydney Forum, which is the fund-raising arm for Treasurer, Joe Hockey's federal electoral conference.

Accountant Johnny Ching, a prominent member of the Filipino community, also has good Liberal connections. The partner at Deloitte Private's Facebook page reveals his friendships with numerous Liberal Party politicians including the Liberal MP for Parramatta, Geoff Lee and Tony Issa, MP for Granville. He's liked numerous politicians' pages  from the Premier Mike Baird to federal MP Bob Baldwin.

Susan Sook Jin Lee is managing director of Jae My Holdings and the publisher of TOP Media Group, and a big wheel in the Korean community. Her company has been a regular donor to both parties, though more recently to the Liberals.

Hensen Liang, an entrepreneur with many positions in the Chinese business community, ran on the Liberal ticket for the Upper House in 2011.

Mr Gupta also has a seat on the other major advisory panel in Mr Stoner's portfolio, the NSW Export and Investment Advisory Panel, chaired by former Liberal minister Warwick Smith.

All the members have fine pedigrees to serve on such a board, but many are also close to the Liberals.

For example, investment banker Ken Allen is a former Liberal party fund-raiser, who was appointed by former Prime Minister, John Howard as Australia's consul general in New York until 2006.

Chris Barnes, the managing director of PT ICONa communications firm in Jakarta, and a long-standing advocate of trade with Indonesia, was an advisor to former federal finance minister John Fahey.

And Jason Collins was executive director of the NSW Millennium Forum, the Liberals' major fund-raising arm, before he left to become the chief executive of the European Australian Business Council.

Of the major donors to the NSW, Victorian and federal Liberals, Servcorp Ltd and Sovori Pty Ltd stand out. In the past decade, the two companies have poured more than $1.3 million into the party coffers. Taine Moufarrige, a director of both, is on the EIAP as well as the federal government's European Australian Business Council.

Of the prestigious boards within the aegis of the NSW government, few are more sought after than the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sports Ground Trust.

When the Liberals came to power in 2011, it was time for a cleanout of those perceived to be close to Labor. The chairman, Rodney Cavalier, a former Labor minister and cricket tragic, was told his services were no longer required, as were the services of former Labor premier Morris Iemma and two other board members.

Mr Cavalier's job was saved for a time by broadcaster Alan Jones - a long-time board member appointed by the former Labor government. Despite Iemma's deep involvement in youth cricket - his daughter is an under-18 NSW player and his boys all play in representative teams for St George, where Iemma is a club official and umpire - it seemingly didn't count for much.

Cavalier has now been replaced by Tony Shepherd, the former Business Council chair and former CEO of Transfield Services. Other appointees include Mr Gupta, who will be able to swap notes on chairing a public broadcaster  with Maurice Newman, a former Howard appointment as chair of the ABC. He might also pick up some tips from former News Ltd CEO John Hartigan, who is also on the board and more recently has been appointed as head of Events NSW, another prestigious board.

The Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust also has a certain cache. The trust is now chaired by the Property Council's lawyer, Tony Ryan, and board members include former Liberal councillors Shayne Mallard (City of Sydney) and Lesli Berger (Woollahra) as well as Opposition leader John Brogden's chief of staff, Adam Boyton, who is now the chief economist at Deutsche Bank.

A spokesman for the NSW Deputy Premier said: "These appointments are based on merit and approved by Cabinet."