Premier Gladys Berejiklian makes the ‘difficult decision’ to drop four ministers from new Cabinet
Gladys Berejiklian has unveiled her new Cabinet Opposition Leader Luke Foley her of caving in to Liberal Party powerbrokers. FULL CABINET LIST HERE
NSW
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OPPOSITION Leader Luke Foley has accused NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian of caving in to Liberal Party powerbrokers in deciding the make-up of her new cabinet.
Several senior MPs, including Roads Minister Duncan Gay and Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli, have been dumped in the reshuffle while several of the premier’s allies have been promoted to the frontbench.
“This isn’t about what’s in the best interests of NSW, this is about deals with Liberal party powerbrokers,” Mr Foley said following Sunday’s announcement.
It follows Premier Gladys Berejiklian announcement of her new Cabinet, saying she had to make “difficult decisions”.
As well as Mr Gay and Mr Multiculturalism Minister John Ajaka and Early Education Minister Leslie Williams are all departing Cabinet.
A new Counter Terrorism role will be created, with Corrections Minister David Elliott to take on the portfolio.
Ms Berejiklian said the new portfolio was “unfortunately because of the times that we’re in”.
Mr Elliott has lost the Emergency Services portfolio, which has gone to Police Minister Troy Grant.
On Friday, Ms Skinner — who was set to be dumped as Health Minister — announced she would be walking away from politics while Mr Gay this morning said he was considering leaving the Legislative Council “sooner rather than later”.
Ms Berejiklian said she and Deputy Premier John Barilaro had had to make “difficult decisions”.
“It’s not about personalities, it’s about who is going to do the best job in delivering for NSW,” she said.
She praised Mr Piccoli, saying he had done an “outstanding job in Education”.
Stuart Ayres, meanwhile, has swapped the Trade, Tourism and Major Events portfolios for a new role as Minister for WestConnex and Western Sydney.
Gabrielle Upton has been moved from the Attorney-General role to Environment, Local Government and Heritage.
Mark Speakman will become Attorney-General.
Melinda Pavey takes on Duncan Gay’s portfolios, while Moderate factional player Matt Kean will serve as Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation.
Pru Goward will retain Prevention of Domestic Violence and picks up Family and Community Services and Social Housing, but loses Mental Health and Women to Tanya Davies.
Incoming health minister Brad Hazzard will take Ms Goward’s medical research portfolio.
Local Government Minister Paul Toole loses that role to Ms Upton and takes on Lands and Forestry and Racing.
Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair will pick up the Trade role, while Adam Marshall will take on Tourism and Major Events.
Don Harwin will become Minister for Resources, Energy and Utilities, with Anthony Roberts to get Planning, Housing and Special Minister of State after losing Energy and Resources.
Mr Ajaka will be President of the Legislative Council.
Mr Piccoli wished his successor, current Planning Minister Rob Stokes, “all the best in the portfolio”, adding that he was satisfied with what he had achieved.
“It has been a great privilege to have served as Minister for Education in NSW for nearly six years,” he said in a statement.
“Like everyone who goes into public office, I entered politics hoping to make a difference.”
Ms Williams addressed her demotion to Parliamentary Secretary for Rural and Regional Health.
“It has been a privilege and an honour to serve as a Minister in the Liberal-Nationals Government for almost two years and I am very proud of what I have achieved as Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs,” she said.
“Regional and remote communities have been a priority for me during this time.”
Mr Foley argued it was “scandalous” that the size of the cabinet had been increased by three spots to 23.
“They’ve just created new jobs to employ more people so they can give every girl and boy in the Liberal Party a prize,” he said.
Greens MP David Shoebridge, meanwhile, said he was particularly worried about current Community Services minister David Elliot’s appointment to the new counter-terrorism portfolio.
“David Elliott drove a policy of greatly expanded private prisons in NSW and now he has a new super-terror portfolio where he can do a lot more social damage,” he said.
“Combating terror in a multicultural society like Australia means working in good faith with communities, not upsizing prisons and police powers. But more force and bigger jails is the Elliott playbook.”
Gabrielle Upton’s switch from Attorney-General to Minister for Local Government was also sending mixed messages, Mr Shoebridge said.
“(Ms) Upton is a longstanding critic of forced mergers in her local electorate and now she has a real chance to put an end to them across the state,” he said.
The Police Association of NSW congratulated Ms Berejiklian for retaining Troy Grant in the police portfolio, saying it will provide “the stability and continuity especially needed at this time”.
“One of the first priorities for the new premier should be to select the next Police Commissioner and to move forward the re-engineering of the NSW Police Force,” the group’s president Scott Webber said in a statement. The NSW Federation of Housing Associations said it would be seeking early meetings with the new Planning and Housing Minister Anthony Roberts and Social Housing Minister Prue Goward to ensure housing affordability stays at the top of the government’s agenda.
How the Cabinet now looks
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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