Gladys Berejiklian supersizes the cabinet frontbench to keep faction gangs happy
GLADYS Berejiklian has been forced to defend her Cabinet overhaul as one of merit — despite the promotion of key factional backers.
NSW
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PREMIER Gladys Berejiklian has been forced to defend her Cabinet overhaul as one of merit — despite the promotion of key factional backers and having to expand it to a Coalition record of 23 ministers amid last minute deals.
Ms Berejiklian yesterday unveiled her new-look team in Queanbeyan where she declared: “People just want us to get on with the job and that’s what we’re doing.”
A new Counter Terrorism portfolio and a portfolio solely responsible for the WestConnex project were among the changes. There were also a number of familiar faces dumped from the frontbench.
Education Minister Adrian Piccoli and Roads Minister Duncan Gay are among those leaving Cabinet, with the latter saying he is now considering retiring from the Legislative Council “sooner rather than later”. Mr Piccoli — who was yesterday described by Nationals Leader John Barilaro as “the best education minister this state has seen and probably the nation” — took to Twitter, well before the formal announcement that current Planning Minister Rob Stokes would replace him, to defend his record.
Early Education Minister Leslie Williams has been demoted to a parliamentary secretary role, while Multiculturalism Minister John Ajaka will give up his ministerial portfolios to serve as the President of the Legislative Council.
Ms Berejiklian yesterday said: “Every person we’ve appointed to a senior position and junior position in our Cabinet are there because of their merit.”
MPs were last night speculating that giving Ray Williams the 23rd and extra cabinet spot of multicultural affairs ahead of John Sidoti and Geoff Lee, who have ethnic backgrounds, was the result of a deal between the moderates and Centre Right factions.
Mr Williams, who is of the Centre Right, gets the cabinet spot and in return the moderates will have their preferred candidate preselected for North Shore ahead of right winger Tim James.
One MP denied this, saying: “Ray was picked because he was team Gladys from day one.”
Centre Right factional leader David Elliott will take on the Counter Terrorism role, while moderate Stuart Ayres will handle the WestConnex portfolio as a quid pro quo for the Liberals losing trade and industry to the Nationals.
Key moderates faction figure Don Harwin has made his Cabinet debut. At number four in the order, he will serve as government leader of the Upper House and also takes the portfolios of resources and energy. Meanwhile, Anthony Roberts has been promoted to planning minister. This is despite being named in the ICAC illegal donations inquiry — dubbed Operation Spicer — as having enjoyed a holiday on a developer’s yacht in the Whitsundays.
Mr Roberts joined former minister Chris Hartcher and former MP Andrew Humpherson on a yacht owned by Nabil Gazal senior, the head of Gazcorp, in 2007. The trio were in opposition at the time.
Nabil Gazal Jr was found by ICAC to have attempted to evade electoral laws by funnelling donations into a sham PR company called Eight by Five.
Mr Roberts was never called to the inquiry.
Pru Goward gets Family and Community Services in the new look Ministry despite calls for her sacking last time she had the role.
Ms Goward was forced to deny that she misled parliament in 2013 after it was revealed she knew about a shortage of Community Services workers but failed to tell parliament.
She was demoted from the portfolio when Mike Baird became premier in 2014.
The cabinet was finally arrived at late Saturday night after a row over the Cabinet Secretary role.
It is understood there were moves to make Mr Sidoti Cabinet Secretary, however this never eventuated. In the end, Mr Williams — a Centre Right faction candidate — was appointed. Liberal insiders said Mr Elliott and powerbroker federal MP Alex Hawke were at the centre of the deal to get Mr Williams into an extra spot in Cabinet.
Mr Hawke last night said Mr Williams was “selected on merit and no deal was done to put him in (Cabinet)”.
Gabrielle Upton will lose her Attorney-General role and will take on the environment and local government portfolios — even though she has previously opposed Woollahra Council being merged with others. Ms Upton’s appointment is another sign the Premier is set to reverse some local government amalgamations.
Opposition Leader Luke Foley accused Ms Berejiklian of handing out ministries “like presents at a child’s birthday party” just to placate factional figures.
Nationals MP Melinda Pavey will get the roads portfolio. And Paul Toole moves from local government to racing, which will also look after liquor and gaming.
IF YOU BELIEVE OVERHAUL WAS ON MERIT YOU’LL BELIEVE ANYTHING
ANALYSIS Andrew Clennell
NEARLY every single Cabinet spot announced yesterday by Gladys Berejiklian is part of a factional deal.
As much as the new Premier talked up “merit” at her Queanbeyan press conference in front of protesters (couldn’t her team organise for it to be somewhere without protesters) the deals are thick and fast — in a very Labor vein.
Sometimes deals produce good and talented ministers.
Ms Berejiklian better hope so here because the whole thing is very transparent, starting at the top. Dominic Perrottet is now the Treasurer and Deputy Leader in a deal with the Right to get Ms Berejiklian power.
Anthony Roberts is now the Planning Minister because he is a leader of the Right.
Rob Stokes has moved from Planning to Education to allow the Roberts move to occur without being demoted.
Don Harwin, a Moderates faction powerbroker, has been allowed into Cabinet when Barry O’Farrell and Mike Baird never put him there.
He is now fourth on the cabinet list as government leader in the upper house.
Matt Kean, another Moderates powerbroker, is into Cabinet. David Elliott, the Centre Right leader, has been promoted to the new Counter-Terrorism portfolio after the Liberals had to give the Nationals his Emergency Services portfolio.
Stuart Ayres, a Berejiklian supporter, has been given West Connex because to get Education, Ms Berejiklian had to give the Nationals his Trade and Tourism jobs.
Andrew Constance has been kept in Transport and Infrastructure to avoid trouble.
Troy Grant has been kept in police to head off the Nats.
Niall Blair in Trade and Industry was a deal done to get Education back.
Ray Williams has been given an extra spot in cabinet to keep the Centre Right happy. Melinda Pavey was rewarded for backing John Barilaro.
John Ajaka was given president of the Legislative Council because Don Harwin felt bad about shafting him out of cabinet. If ever there was proof that the Cabinet was put together more by the factions than Premier Gladys Berejiklian, it was yesterday.
You can also chalk up Victor Dominello in Finance, Brad Hazzard in Health and Mark Speakman in Attorney-General as appointments without factional implications.
When Mike Baird first foreshadowed this reshuffle in August, he talked about a “refresh and renewal”.
Berejiklian has responded with a 65-year-old Health Minister and the promotion of a couple of factional hacks.
The guys in the backroom, in case you are wondering, are the likes of Kean and Harwin, Elliott and Roberts and Perrottet, lobbyist Michael Photios and federal minister Alex Hawke.
Another ghost looms over this premiership, the ghost of leaders past — O’Farrell and John Brogden. Both have a say with Berejiklian.
It is not coincidence that O’Farrell’s good friend Hazzard has ended up in health, nor that his former communications director Brad Burden is understood to be joining Ms Berejiklian’s office.
Berejiklian stood with a straight face yesterday and said it was a Cabinet based on merit. Believe that and you’ll believe anything.
THE NEW FRONT IN OUR WAR ON TERROR
Jason Tin and Andrew Clennell
INCOMING Counter Terrorism Minister David Elliott has rejected suggestions the new role is a factional favour, saying he would “hate to see people throwing rocks” at a position that will help NSW combat a threat that “knows no borders”.
The Corrections Minister has also revealed he has been waking up at 4am over the past four days to get up to speed on terrorism-related literature.
Mr Elliott was named as the state’s first Minister for Counter Terrorism yesterday.
The Baulkham Hills MP said his new job is part of the government’s obligation to use a “multi-jurisdictional and multi-agency response” to tackle terror.
“It’s working with everyone, from local councils to the FBI, and I think that’s probably why the Commonwealth government had a counter terrorism minister separate from Defence, and I suspect that’s the motive behind the Premier’s decision,” he said.
Mr Elliott told The Daily Telegraph he and Premier Gladys Berejiklian spoke about the new role last week.
He told her he wanted to keep the Corrections portfolio if he was going to take up the new role.
Meanwhile, Mark Speakman said that his focus in his new role as Attorney-General would be on “safety and fairness”.
He denied he would bring a Left wing perspective to the role — similar to former attorney-general Greg Smith, who watered down bail laws.
“I want to make sure the community has confidence and that (the justice system) does everything to protect public safety, but is also fair,” Mr Speakman said.
“I’m not there with any civil libertarian agenda in mind.”
HOW THE CABINET LOOKS NOW
Premier: Gladys Berejiklian MP
Deputy Premier, Minister for Regional New South Wales, Minister for Skills, and Minister for Small Business: John Barilaro MP
Treasurer, and Minister for Industrial Relations: Dominic Perrottet MP
Minister for Primary Industries, Minister for Regional Water, and Minister for Trade and Industry: Niall Blair MLC
Minister for Resources, Minister for Energy and Utilities, Minister for the Arts, and Vice-President of the Executive Council: Donald Harwin MLC
Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing, and Special Minister of State: Anthony Roberts MP
Minister for Transport and Infrastructure: Andrew Constance MP
Minister for Health, and Minister for Medical Research: Brad Hazzard MP
Minister for Education: Rob Stokes MP
Attorney General: Mark Speakman SC MP
Minister for Police, and Minister for Emergency Services: Troy Grant MP
Minister for Finance, Services and Property: Victor Michael Dominello MP
Minister for Family and Community Services, Minister for Social Housing, and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault: Pru Goward MP
Minister for Lands and Forestry, and Minister for Racing: Paul Toole MP
Minister for Counter Terrorism, Minister for Corrections, and Minister for Veterans Affairs: David Elliott MP
Minister for the Environment, Minister for Local Government, and Minister for Heritage: Gabrielle Upton MP
Minister for Western Sydney, Minister for WestConnex, and Minister for Sport: Stuart Ayres MP
Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight: Melinda Pavey MP
Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation: Matthew Kean MP
Minister for Tourism and Major Events, and Assistant Minister for Skills: Adam Marshall MP
Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Women, and Minister for Ageing: Tanya Davies MP
Minister for Early Childhood Education, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, and Assistant Minister for Education: Sarah Mitchell MLC
Minister for Multiculturalism, and Minister for Disability Services: Raymond Craig Williams MP
PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE HOLDERS
President of the Legislative Council (elect): John Ajaka MLC
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly: Shelley Hancock MP
Deputy President and Chair of Committees: Trevor Khan MLC
Deputy Speaker: Thomas George MP
Assistant Speaker: Andrew Fraser MP
Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council: Donald Harwin MLC
Leader of the House: Anthony Roberts MP
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council: Niall Blair MLC
Government Whip: Christopher Patterson MP
Government Whip in the Legislative Council: Natasha Maclaren-Jones MLC
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