Carr’s Ministerial ‘Cut and Paste’
A particular day in this month of January brought to the helm a number of major announcements affecting the political sphere on a State and National level.
I refer to Tuesday the 18th January where Opposition leader Mark Latham and State Treasurer Michael Egan indicated that it was time to resign from their respective positions. Some will also remember that on this day General Peter Cosgrove, the head of the Australian Defence Force expressed his desire to retire from the military when his term expires in July.
Mark Latham resigned as Opposition leader and member of Federal Parliament due to continuing bouts of pancreatitis, a debilitating and often life-threatening illness. Mr Latham believed that he could not pay due attention to his health concerns and also lead life as a politician. He expressed that life in politics is more often than not incompatible with a balanced, family-centred life. Those living and breathing political life all too well know the needs and demands that they must meet as politicians.
Michael Egan resigned as treasurer after serving in this position for 10 years. He is in fact the State’s longest serving treasurer, having been appointed as treasurer when the Labor Government came into power in 1995. He has been actively involved in political life for around 35 years and when interviewed said that he had no firm plans for his own future and that “for the next six, seven or eight months I’m planning to do nothing more than a lot of reading, a lot of swimming, I’m going to learn to fish, I’m going to play a lot of tennis and I’m going to do a bit of travelling” (Sydney Morning Herald, ‘NSW Treasurer Michael Egan to quit politics’, 18 January 2004). Sounds delightful and clearly apolitical.
The news given on the 18th January prompted a lot of rethinking. On a party-political basis it meant that the government in opposition would need to find a new leader — someone with the tenacity, integrity and call to leadership to fill the void left by Latham. Potential contenders for the Labor leadership have come, Kim Beazley, Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd and one has already gone — being the current opposition leader for Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd. With Julia Gillard having withdrawn from the race, Kim Beazley won the Labor leadership unopposed at a Caucus meeting on Friday 28th January.
I also believe that many Australian citizens had mixed feelings about Latham’s resignation. Some stirred by compassion and sympathy will have extended Latham a “pat on the back” while others must have been left thinking about what state the prime ministership would have been left in if Latham had been successful in the Federal elections in October last year. In October last year, just 3 months ago, the media was touting Latham as the new prime minister in the weeks and days leading up to the election. The media tried to convince many that Latham’s leadership was a fait accompli. In hindsight, what were they thinking?
Mr Egan’s resignation also prompted a torrent of change and re-evaluation on a State-wide level. Premier Bob Carr has engaged in a “cut and paste” exercise in reshuffling his current Ministers into new and/or different positions. Egan’s resignation may, on one level, be perceived as one of the best moves that the current Government has needed. It may bring the freshness and change that the Government needs in order to better its public profile in relation to the troubled rail system, the health system and the tax system.
The new NSW ministry was officially sworn in on 21 January. In this “new-look” ministry, Deputy Premier Andrew Refshauge is the big winner taking on Mr Egan’s old position as treasurer. Other “so-called” promotions were given to former roads minister Carl Scully who has been given the responsibility of the police portfolio and Carmel Tebbutt who has been transferred from community services and youth to education and training. The added responsibilities that these portfolios bring will definitely grow these new Ministers in their leadership and management potential.
Former fair trading Minister Reba Meagher has moved to Carmel Tebbutt’s former portfolio of community services and youth while Industrial Relations Minister John Della Bosca has been given the added responsibilities of ageing and disability. A number of portfolios have remained unchanged, including health, legal affairs and energy, which have stayed with respective Ministers Morris Iemma, Bob Debus and Frank Sartor. Morris Iemma has proved to have done a better job than former Minister Craig Knowles in keeping the health portfolio this time round.
Perhaps one of the biggest downfalls of the current Government has been the management of the rail network, headed by Michael Costa.
The public outcry over the delays and inefficiencies in the rail transport system has left the Government searching for brownie points in a bid to improve its profile. Thus, many people may have benefited from the antics of legal secretary Rebecca Turner the “Erin Brockovich” type that instigated the fare free day last year.
Though the Government agreed to placate commuters by embracing this initiative, in my opinion, the fare free day did not accomplish anything at all except giving a free ride for many who do not commute regularly and placing the tab on the back of NSW taxpayers.
Consequently, Michael Costa was cut from transport services and pasted into roads, economic reform and ports — a latitudinal move. This portfolio is relatively less controversial and less high profile than transport services. John Watkins, the former police minister has taken over Mr Costa’s old job, and responsibility for the State’s troubled rail network. With his self-effacing and softly spoken style, the former teacher will inevitably create a different perception in the public eyes than that left by the Mafia-like “take it or leave it” style of Michael Costa.
Mr Carr has revamped his ministry to put himself in the best position for the next State election to be held in 2007. And, I believe that this change will be for the better.
One question remains unanswered and that is who will be the backbencher that will take up the cabinet position vacated by Mr Egan. Some say that Joe Tripodi, the controversial MP at the centre of the Orange Grove scandal is tipped to take Mr Egan’s previous position. Whether this is true or not is debatable — Mr Carr has left this decision to the caucus.
We all wait with anticipation and expectation to see the benefits that the NSW people will derive as a result of these changes.
This is GORDON MOYES.
