Reshuffle pushes out ministers Melinda Pavey, Don Harwin and Shelley Hancock

Three veteran NSW ministers were dumped from cabinet on Saturday as Premier Dominic Perrottet began his long-awaited ministerial reshuffle.

Three of the state’s longest-serving ministers were dumped from cabinet on Saturday as Premier Dominic Perrottet began his long-awaited ministerial reshuffle.

The first to go was Arts Minister Don Harwin, who declared he would stay on until the end of his term in 2023, with Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock also announcing she would retire at the next state election.

Both declared they had asked not to be appointed to the new cabinet, despite senior Liberal sources claiming the pair were to have been demoted to make way for new blood.

Melinda Pavey has been dumped from cabinet. Picture: Richard Dobson

Water, Property and Housing Minister Melinda Pavey — who is the most senior woman in the lower house — was told by Nationals leader Paul Toole that she would not longer have a ministry.

However, the Oxley MP who entered state parliament in the upper house in 2002 before winning the mid-north coast seat in 2015, said she would continue to fight for the people of rural and regional NSW while also being a “team player”.

“I’m incredibly proud of the billions of dollars in funding that I secured for country timber bridges and local roads in the roads ministry, the record amount of public housing and the reforms that I made in the Murray Darling Basin plan,” she said.

“I will continue to serve and be a team player. While I’m disappointed, I respect the decision made.”

Ms Pavey, while a Nationals MP, was supportive of Ms Berejiklian during the former premier’s row with ex-deputy premier John Barilaro.

Arts Minister Don Harwin will serve out his term, to 2023.

The majority of ministers were last night sweating on phone calls, with only a select few purporting to know what their new role might be, and others preparing for the worst.

Mr Perrottet told The Sunday Telegraph last month that he had asked Health Minister Brad Hazzard to stay on in his portfolio as he prepared the team that would take the Coalition to the next state election.

The big question is whether Mr Toole has asked Mr Perrottet for police — a move that would mean Police Minister David Elliott would have to let go of the portfolio despite having indicated he would like to stay.

Some MPs were also hopeful that Mr Perrottet would expand his frontbench from 24 to 26. Those mentioned as potentially being in line for a promotion included Cootamundra MP Steph Cooke, Miranda MP Eleni Petinos, Upper House politician Natasha Maclaren-Jones, Manly MP James Griffin and Oatley MP Mark Coure.
On Saturday night MPs were also speculating whether Holsworthy MP Melanie Gibbons would be offered a promotion to withdraw her nomination as the candidate for the federal seat of Hughes.

Moderate powerbroker Matt Kean is backing rival left-winger Jenny Ware to become the Liberal candidate for the seat, prompting speculation among some Liberals about whether a deal would be crafted to ensure Ms Gibbons stayed in state parliament.

It is understood the swearing in of the new team could occur at Government House as early as Tuesday.

Premier Dominic Perrottet thanked the ministers for their service.

Mr Harwin, who was elected to the Upper House in March 1999, has long been the moderate “numbers man” who was duly promoted under former premier Gladys Berejiklian, a close friend and confidante who appointed him the Upper House Leader of the Government.

Last year, Mr Harwin sensationally resigned from cabinet after he was accused of breaching Covid restrictions after being photographed at his holiday home with a friend in Pearl Beach on the Central Coast.

However, Mr Harwin was reinstated to cabinet after the matter was thrown out of court, with the evidence unable to establish that he left his place of residence “without a reasonable excuse as provided by the Public Health Order”, and that the order “did not restrict a person to a single place of residence”.

Mr Harwin said he would stay on in the Upper House until the end of his term.

“Yesterday I informed the Premier that I did not want to be considered for a place in his new Ministry,” he said.

“In the last few weeks I have been giving consideration to whether I could commit to another eight-year term in the Legislative Council beyond March 2023.

“I have now decided I will not recontest my seat and, therefore, this is the right time to end my ministerial service.”

Mr Harwin, whose time as Arts Minister has been preoccupied dealing with the controversial Powerhouse Museum relocation, held the portfolios of Special Minister of State, Public Service and Employee Relations and Aboriginal Affairs.

Stepping down … Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock.

Ms Hancock, who was elected to state parliament in 2003, said challenging family circumstances and the departure of former Premier Gladys Berejiklian had influenced her decision not to recontest the seat of south coast.

“Gladys’ resignation is a loss for NSW and a personal loss for me, and something that I have found difficult to move past,” she said.

Mr Perrottet thanked Mr Harwin and Ms Hancock for being strong community advocates.

“I thank the Ministers for their contribution to public life and their excellent service, especially over the past two years,” he said.

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