United Firefighters Union drama loosens Premier Daniel Andrews’ grip on team
THE performance of Daniel Andrews’s ministers today captures perfectly so much that is wrong with his government, writes James Campbell.
James Campbell
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THE performance of Daniel Andrews’s ministers today captures perfectly so much that is wrong with his government.
Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett on Monday stared the Premier down over the Fair Work Commission’s recommendations on how to end the CFA EBA dispute.
Garrett made it clear that the only condition on which she would allow the proposed deal to be debated by Cabinet was if the Premier agreed to say it would not be endorsed by Cabinet.
The Premier agreed and that’s what happened on Monday.
But behold!
Today, as the Premier’s “Special” Minister of State, Gavin Jennings, walked into parliament, he told reporters the deal was still alive and would, with a little bit of tweaking, be finalised by the end of the week.
Deputy Premier James Merlino was on the radio trying to flog the same horse.
The only explanation for this — obfuscation is too kind a word — is that the two were trying to manage the reaction of United Firefighters Union chief Peter Marshall.
Marshall is in the position of a two-year-old child who thought he had grabbed a chocolate to find he’s only got the wrapper. Labor folk long experienced in dealing with him expect him to take his disappointment as well as a two-year-old would.
The reason his deal is dead is not just because Garrett and the CFA board won’t sign up to it. In addition to those two, Marshall now has another formidable opponent in getting this through Cabinet — Women’s Minister Fiona Richardson.
Richardson has studied the agreement and, according to those familiar with her thinking, has concluded it is no good, if not unlawful, on equal opportunity and diversity grounds. Getting it past her is going to be a problem.
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