The Cabinet Picks and Pans

OK, here’s the list.

A couple things. The big promotions are Combet and Emerson, who come from outer Ministry roles into the Cabinet. Both are good decisions. Combet at Defence as was rumoured I think was a jump too far – and I think he is a much better fit in the role of climate change than was Wong. Emerson in Trade is good as well – the guy actually understands economics. I would have actually liked him in Finance, but probably was never a chance.

None of the former Cabinet who are still there were dumped. Combet, Emerson and Rudd come in for Faulkner and Tanner. The reason three fit into two is that Simon Crean gets a new Department, and Gillard’s old Ministry of Employment, Education and Work Place Relations gets split up twelve ways from Sunday, and the Minister of Human Services is no longer a Cabinet position.

The ones who don’t change – Swan, Roxon, Conroy, Carr, Albanese, Fergusen, Macklin, McClelland. The rest have moved in some way.

Simon Crean gets a brand new spanking Department. In the last government, Warren Snowden was Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery, so the regional aspect of that will presumably move from the Health Department into the new Department. Albanese was formerly Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, so the last part of that will shift to Crean as well. Crean also get Arts which used to be with Garrett in the Dept of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (which is no more). Arts is used to being shifted around, but it is a bit of an odd fit.

Wong gets Finance instead of the rumoured Bowen, who gets the rather unfun Immigration and Citizenship – poor bugger. Don’t know what he did to Julia to deserve that, but he’ll be in the firing line.

I like Wong at Finance. The Minister for Finance needs to be adept at saying no and not being pushed around. She fits the bill nicely (and you can take that anyway you like!).

Smith going to Defence was pretty much the rumour last week, and it seems sensible.

Burke shifts from Agriculture and picks up Environment and Water – the first of which was Garrett’s, the second was Wong’s.

Garrett’s been pretty well demoted to the oddly titled “Schools, Early Childhood and Youth”. Have no idea what this means. Kate Ellis was the Minister for Early Childhood and Youth, but she was not in Cabinet. I have no idea why he is “schools’” Minister and not education. Very odd. He will not have carriage of the Building the Education Revolution stimulus package; that will be run by Chris Evans who moves from Immigration to all things jobs related (and the skills part of education).

Joseph Ludwig goes form the ubiquitous Cabinet Secretary and Special Minister of Sate role to Agriculture. A promotion of sorts I guess.

Within the Cabinet it’s a bit hard to always judge what is a demotion or not – eg Burke going from Agriculture to Environment and Population is really neither here nor there. Bowen goes from Human Services to Immigration – yes a promotion, but would you want it?

Now the outer Ministry:

Plibersek gets a promotion from Housing and the Status of Women (the last part no longer exists – UPDATE – this now goes to Kate Ellis). Human Services was in the Cabinet, but now isn’t. Not sure why, might have something to do with Plibersek taking time off to have a baby, and thus Cabinet responsibility on top of everything may have been too much to ask.

O’Connor gets Privacy and FOI – all of which fits nicely together (and under the Attorney General Department).

Nick Sherry goes from Assistant Treasurer to Small Business. A slight Demotion perhaps, but not really – Emerson was Minister for Small Business so it’s no minor role.

Shorten, Gray, Butler and Clare are the big winners – getting promoted from Parliamentary Secretary roles to Ministers. Clare is all of 38 years of age, and holds Keating’s old seat of Blaxland, so keep your eyes on him.

Shorten had to be promoted. And I don’t give a stuff about the “he’s just getting rewarded for knifing Rudd”. He should have been a Minister under Rudd. He was wasted (even though he did good work in Disability Services).

Arbib has been moved from”Employment” to a whole bunch of things, none of which smacks of a promotion. The Indigenous community may be somewhat miffed by getting Arbib and losing Snowdon (who was Minister for Indigenous Health – which no longer exists), but I think you really have to over-egg it to say he has been rewarded fro his role in getting rid of Rudd.

Kate Ellis has been promoted from Early Childhood Education, Childcare, Youth and Sport to Employment Participation and Childcare. Employment Participation is getting pretty hard core economics. She can expect to get a few more difficult questions in parliament than she did in the past. People will be watching to see how she does.

Only one Minister was dumped – Justine Elliot who becomes a Parliamentary Secretary.

Speaking of which, the Parliamentary Secretary list…

Of the old, gone are Maxine McKew and Bob McMullen (no longer in Parliament). Richard Marles and Mike Kelly stay at the same level, and dropped are Ursula Stephens, Laurie Fergusen, Anthony Byrne.

In come two of the Rudd knifers – David Feeney and Don Farrell. Farrell assumes a position that should be for an up and comer at the spritely age of 56, an utter waste of a pick I have to say.

Nice to see Kate Lundy finally get a job .

The weird position is Mark Dreyfus. He is Cabinet Secretary which used to be a Cabinet Position, but is now just parliamentary secretary level. Guess he won’t be wielding quite the power that John Faulkner did when he had the role. 

And now to the really interesting part! Let’s look at the old and new Departments (because isn’t everyone excited about the bureaucracy?). On Monday the Administrative Arrangements Orders will outline where everyone goes, but for now we can make some educated guesses.

First the ones that haven’t changed:

These three will just say goodbye to some staff (and hello to some new ones), but most will stay put. I have no idea where “communities” will come from. They also get to have some new acronyms. DIISR (pronounces disser) becomes DIIS. Albo’s of Dept was always just called DITR, so now it’ll just be DIT. And DEWHA becomes errr DSPCEW. Good luck with that.

Now the real shake ups:

The first gets split into two. Those who work in there will be wondering who will move where, which buildings and what part of education goes to schools, what goes to skills etc etc. There’ll be some who will have transferred for a short period, and now have the joy of wondering if they are permanently in a different Department to their old area etc etc. Lots of fun.

The second lot have no idea what the hell is going on – including where they’ll be working (ie not even the suburb).

And the acronyms? How about DJSWR, DSECY and RARDALGA?

Fun for bureaucrats a plenty!