Steve Bracks's sacking from the NY consul general post looks like Coalition vindictiveness

THE new Abbott Government's nasty side is already on show with the sacking of New York Consul General Steve Bracks.

Bracks sacking looks vindictive

THE new Abbott Government has not even been sworn in but its nasty side is already on show with the sacking of New York Consul General in waiting former Victorian Labor Premier Steve Bracks.

Foreign Minister-elect Julie Bishop's first act as Australia's chief diplomat was to order her departmental head Peter Varghese to call Bracks and tell him that his appointment to the plum diplomatic post had been revoked.

Bracks was given the job in May by the former Gillard Government before it entered the caretaker period for the September election.

The coalition expressed anger at the time, particularly over the lack of consultation, but given Labor's record of appointing and keeping former Coalition politicians in diplomatic postings Bracks was entitled to believe his job was secure. He began in the role in August with high-level briefings in Canberra.

The fact that Labor had left ex-Howard Government minister Amanda Vanstone in Rome and had appointed two former senior coalition politicians, Tim Fischer (the Vatican) and Brendan Nelson (Brussels) to prominent diplomatic jobs, clearly counts for nothing.

Attorney General-elect George Brandis explained the Bracks decision away in typical lofty language saying that his credentials for the New York job "were not obvious to us".

It is doubtful that a non-Italian speaking Amanda Vanstone or the Catholic hat wearing former deputy prime minister and farmer Tim Fischer were especially qualified either, but they were still appointed by their political foes.

Both sides of politics are guilty of using plum diplomatic postings, and the vast array of perks that accompany them, to look after old political mates. John Howard elevated it to an art form, but all governments are guilty to some degree.

If the Abbott Government is drawing a line under these jobs for the boys and girls and reserving these important jobs for professional diplomats, then it will be applauded. If, on the other hand, it intends to sack all Labor appointees and put their own lackeys in places such as New York, London and Washington, then it will leave itself wide open to charges of hypocrisy and petty vengeance.

Tony Abbott promised us better and he should remind the likes of Bishop and Brandis that government is a privilege not a right and that taxpayer funds should not be used to reward party hacks.

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