New Victorian Premier makes teacher training a priority

The new Victorian Coalition government has created a ministry dedicated to the training and development of teachers.

The new Victorian Coalition government has created a ministry dedicated to the training and development of teachers.

Ted Baillieu explained his decision to appoint both a Minister for Education, Martin Dixon, and Peter Hall as minister responsible for the teaching profession as the Premier and his 22-member cabinet were sworn in by Victorian Governor David de Kretser.

"We want to have a particular focus on the training of teachers and the development of teachers, and the industrial arrangements for teachers," Mr Baillieu said.

"Peter Hall has got a good track record in that area and this is simply a matter of balancing the department." Other appointments include Andrew McIntosh as Minister for Crime Prevention, Corrections and the establishment of an anti-corruption commission and Gordon Rich-Phillips to another newly created post, minister responsible for the aviation industry. Mr Baillieu also announced his government would have a dedicated Environment and Climate Change Minister, Ryan Smith, instead of the shadow cabinet arrangement, which saw Mary Wooldridge overseeing both community services and the environment.

Ms Wooldridge will now take on Community Services, Mental Health and Women's Affairs.

The portfolio of Water has been rejoined from urban and rural, and given to Nationals MP Peter Walsh who also has the title of Minister for Agriculture and Food Security.

Mr Baillieu will be Minister for the Arts as well as Premier. His deputy, Peter Ryan, will take on the significant portfolios of Bushfire Response, Regional and Rural Development and Police and Emergency Services.

The Premier said the cabinet was humbled by the victory and read to work. "We are going into government with a stable team," he said. "This is the team that took us into office."

Mr Baillieu rejected allegations that his cabinet was bigger than the previous Brumby government, despite the fact it has two more ministers. "We believe we have around the same (cabinet) as we have fewer parliamentary secretaries than the previous government," he said.

Mr Baillieu also said that unlike his Liberal predecessor Jeff Kennett he would not be sacking key public servants hired under the 11 years of Labor government.

"We are not looking at departmental head changes; they will all continue in their roles," he said.

Australian Education Union Victorian president Mary Bluett welcomed the move to have a minister focus solely on teachers. "It will be very interesting to see how it works out," she said. "It will require the two ministers to work very closely together."

Ms Bluett will be dealing with Mr Hall -- who is also in charge of Higher Education and Skills -- when she starts negotiations in March for a new enterprise bargaining agreement for teachers.

Mr Baillieu said one of the key tasks of the new Water Minister was to examine the Murray-Darling Basin plan.

"There is going to be a significant focus on water north of the divide, the Murray-Darling Basin plan is going to have a significant impact as it is currently proposed," he said. Mr Ryan said the reason why the portfolios of Crime Prevention and Police were split and given to different ministers was that crime prevention dealt with "whole-of-life issues".