‘Accidental’ minister Kerry Vincent vows to roll up sleeves to fix Spirit of Tasmanian berth fiasco
Taking the oath of office at Government House just months after considering retirement, former Sorell mayor Kerry Vincent is the Tasmanian minister who almost never was.
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Kerry Vincent is the Tasmanian government minister who almost never was.
Preparing to take the oath of office at Government House on Wednesday just months after his maiden speech to parliament, the state’s new Minister for Infrastructure reflected on a whirlwind political ascent predicted by nobody – least of all himself.
Despite admitting he was considering retirement following a marathon stint as Sorell mayor which ended earlier this year, the former carpenter said he was more than ready to take on the hottest of political potatoes in the stalled Spirit of Tasmania berth project.
“I’m feeling extremely excited - you don’t get these many opportunities many times in life, and when you do, you just have to grab them with both hands and have a go at it,” Mr Vincent said before the swearing-in ceremony with Governor Barbara Baker.
“But I didn’t even plan to be in politics.
“At the start of this year, I was planning to retire, or at least slow down.
“Everybody laughed at that.
“But when I had the opportunity to stand for the Legislative Council, I went into that not having any plans at all to take on a ministry.
“It was just to do my part.”
While Mr Vincent may be a stranger to the cabinet table, he brings to his new role a wealth of experience across construction, local government, and business.
And having lived and worked in all three of the state’s major regions, the affable Member for Prosser said parochialism was simply not in his vocabulary.
“I think my first priority is to get out across the state to touch and feel projects, talk to the people involved, including the community, and understand the importance of those projects for the future of Tasmania,” Mr Vincent said.
“You don’t have second thoughts when you come into those roles.
“The ability of somebody to be a leader in the community, whether it’s at a council level or government, is being able to stand up and make decisions and work through those decisions.”
Wednesday’s cabinet reshuffle was triggered by the resignations of Michael Ferguson from both the Treasury and Infrastructure portfolios, and the decision of Member for Franklin, Nic Street, to relinquish his responsibilities for Finance, Sport and Events, and Local Government.
Mr Vincent, who has also taken on the Local Government portfolio, said he had recently received initial briefings on the report by infrastructure experts Ben Moloney and Peter Gemell on the Devonport berth facility, and promised to take a “conciliatory” approach to fixing the Spirits bungle.
“I certainly will be talking with the GBEs involved, taking a lot of briefing and advice, and sitting down and talking to all people concerned,” Mr Vincent said.
“I can’t do anything about the past, but what I can do is summarise what’s happening at the moment and the importance of those projects, and use every ability I have … to make these projects happen.”
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Originally published as ‘Accidental’ minister Kerry Vincent vows to roll up sleeves to fix Spirit of Tasmanian berth fiasco
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