Paul Starick: Kingmaker Christopher Pyne puts SA in Scott Morrison’s winner’s circle
SENIOR South Australian Liberals are relieved at avoiding a Peter Dutton prime ministership that they believe would have robbed the state of influence, particularly around the Cabinet table.
- Recap the day as Scott Morrison got elected PM
- The SA Dutton backers who swung to ScoMo
- The day Morrison’s new deputy met Jay Weatherill
SENIOR South Australian Liberals are relieved at avoiding a Peter Dutton prime ministership that they believe would have robbed the state of influence, particularly around the Cabinet table.
But the same powerbrokers are trumpeting the benefits of Scott Morrison’s ascension to the top job, despite the crushing blows to the Federal Government’s public standing after an unprecedented week of leadership turmoil.
Senior SA Liberal Christopher Pyne has emerged as a kingmaker, having been the key numbers man behind Mr Morrison’s ascension and the point man between him and outgoing prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
An important tactician in Mr Turnbull’s fight to cling to the leadership, Mr Pyne swung his bloc of support behind Mr Morrison, as The Advertiser predicted yesterday.
It is understood the Defence Industry Minister did not demand a quid pro quo, recognising Mr Morrison’s right to allocate portfolios, but both he and Education Minister Simon Birmingham are expected to retain Cabinet spots.
Senator Birmingham, having drawn significant heat for his funding talks with Catholic schools, likely would be open to a portfolio switch.
The state’s other frontbencher, Assistant Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Anne Ruston, also is likely to remain.
There had been extreme concern within SA Liberal ranks, both at state and federal levels, that a Dutton government would result in Mr Pyne moving to a more minor Cabinet portfolio and Senator Birmingham being demoted.
The frontbench trio are all from the Liberal Moderate faction, while Mr Dutton and his backers are from the Right. The Moderates, led by Mr Pyne, control the state Liberals and also count Premier Steven Marshall and Deputy Premier Vickie Chapman in their ranks.
It is now thought that Mr Pyne will be a confidante of Mr Morrison’s, having played an important role in engineering his victory without demanding political favours.
Presciently, Mr Pyne indirectly paid tribute to Mr Morrison when he emailed comments to The Advertiser on Wednesday afternoon, backing Mr Turnbull and praising him for, among other things, making “sure SA kept its share of GST”.
As Treasurer, Mr Morrison in July announced a major change to how the GST is divided, ensuring no state gets back less than 75c in every dollar its residents raise. This is set to deliver SA an extra $257 million between 2021 and 2027.
After Mr Morrison’s victory, Mr Marshall swiftly issued a congratulatory statement, also paying tribute to Mr Turnbull’s service, in an echo of Mr Pyne’s earlier supportive statement to The Advertiser.
“I look forward to the South Australian Government’s strong working relationship continuing with the Federal Government under Mr Morrison’s leadership as we seek to create more jobs, lower costs for households and businesses, and deliver high-quality public services,” the Premier said.
Outgoing Liberal deputy Julie Bishop was born in Lobethal and raised in the Adelaide Hills but incoming deputy Josh Frydenberg, a Victorian, also has key links to the state.
In 2004, Mr Frydenberg spent a month as a jackaroo at Commonwealth Hill sheep station, about 100km southwest of Coober Pedy, just after finishing as a senior adviser to the-then prime minister John Howard. Mr Frydenberg also worked as an adviser for former Mayo MP and foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer.
He also is a former Oxford University mate of Supreme Court Justice Sam Doyle and attended his swearing-in ceremony in early 2016.
As Environment and Energy Minister, Mr Frydenberg struck up a professional friendship with former Labor treasurer Tom Koutsantonis. But Mr Frydenberg infamously traded verbal blows over energy policy with the-then premier Jay Weatherill in an awkward press conference in March last year.
Now SA is, at least, in the winner’s circle of the new PM and part of his power base.