From today’s Crikey email:
I hope Ruddy isn’t banking too heavily on Queensland parochialism.
And fix Queensland government in favour of the Labor Party under the mantle of the Fitzgerald reform process the Goss government did. These actions tell us as much about Rudd, as they do about the Goss government.
Certainly there were worthwhile procedural changes, departmental restructurings and overdue electoral reform. However, aided and abetted by partisans such as Rudd and others recruited from academe and elsewhere, the Goss government implemented a new political fix of increased centralised control, partisan appointments across the public service, media management, continued executive dominance of Queensland’s unicameral legislature and skilful containment of Fitzgerald’s anti-corruption watchdogs such as the Criminal Justice Commission.
Sunshine Coast Uni academic Scott Prasser probably understates the real achievements of the Goss government, but he’s captured the control freakery governing style of Goss pretty well. He also probably leans a bit too heavily towards the criminological and public admin academic critiques of the implementation of Fitzgerald and downplays the political realities, but the thrust and the detail of his assessment if not its bias are pretty much on the money. It’s a moot point of course how much of all this was down to Ruddy, and everyone who was involved with Queensland politics and bureaucracy at the time could name a few more of the usual suspects without thinking too hard.
But Rudd wants to claim his Goss era experience as a substitute for Ministerial experience, so he’s got to wear the record.
A number of then staffers and Ministers would certainly confirm Rudd and other apparatchiks close to Goss were more powerful in the notoriously centralised Goss administration than the Cabinet. Backbench MPs were under no illusion that their place in the pecking order was very low indeed, and Goss’ office micromanaged the work and appointments of Ministerial staffers.
Peter Beattie’s record of parliamentary and public statements at the time would also lend weight to this view. Beattie, to his credit, was prepared to go public with his criticisms, particularly on criminal justice matters and the implementation of the Fitzgerald reforms.
Cabinet was largely sidelined, with Rudd vetting departmental submissions, and sitting on a powerful committee with Goss and Deputy Premier Tom Burns that determined the Cabinet agenda, and some would say, presented decisions to be rubber stamped.
It will be interesting to see whether Wayne Goss himself, a proud man, is comfortable with the elision of his Government with Rudd’s influence. Greg Hunt attempted to lay a pretty silly glove on Rudd with his criticism of the Wolffdene dam cancellation, and reading his article, you’d be surprised to find that Goss had any input into his own administration at all. But there’s probably warrant in the way Rudd’s talked up his role for Goss to take a bit of umbrage.
The politics of Rudd’s record in Queensland will continue to play out in the lead up to the election. It might well be a net plus, but there’s also some danger for the Labor leader in highlighting his previous experience. One thing is certain – there’s a lot more on that record than there was in the case of a certain former Mayor of Liverpool.
The question is how much hay can the govt make out of it. Headlines about bankrupting Liverpool makes good election advertising. This all seems a bit wonky to cut through. (so the Wolfdene thing, which people who know seem to think it unfounded was at least on the right track politically)
RUDD CONTINUED EXECUTIVE DOMINANCE OF QUEENSLAND’S UNICAMERAL LEGISLATURE — CAN YOU TRUST HIM IN CANBERRA?
Dun dun duuuun.
Not seeing it, but that’s why I don’t get paid the big bucks I guess.
No, I doubt this stuff itself will have much of an impact, except to change journos’ and pundits’ impressions.
The worry for Rudd is that Goss did a lot of unpopular things.
Rudd isn’t well liked in many Queensland circles and there’ll be lots of people with scores to settle. If everything that Goss did that ever pissed anyone off is pinned on him, it’s a worry. My point in the article really is that his experience, and the way it’s talked up, could be a very double edged sword.
Not to excuse rampant centralism or anything, but I’m thinking it must have been pretty difficult to come into power in 1999 with a very dominant public service culture that was against any reform at all. The portfolios I had most to do with were in no position to lead any sort of change at all.
Mind you, the decision to bring up experienced public servants from NSW didn’t go down so well.
I found out from an in-law situation that before the last election in a certain ecclesiastical place inside the Bennelong Electorate that there was a little bit of the old ex-cathedra direction/instruction going on and it was not the Exclusive Brethren.The spiel went something like this: Senator Brown and Mr Latham have done a deal on preferences for the mainland states in return for protection to some old growth forests in Tasmania.Senator Brown is gay and the Greens are into drugs therefore if Labor gets elected the country will be run by drug addicted gays.The same place endorsed Mr Watkins (NSW Deputy Premier) apparently because he sometimes went to church.
Mr Latham in his last Lateline interview hinted that he thought the problem in Tasmania was that there were still some old Groupers around inside the Tasmanian Labor Party.The day after the election a short prayer painted on a sheet was hung from the Woodford pedestrian overpass giving thanks for the result and the salvation of the country.
I am trying to make the point here that Latham’s faults were seen by some to be the result of his stated lack of belief in God.Alleged big problems at the Liverpool Council? He should have asked for God’s guidance. Same goes for the old growth forests.
Mr Rudd surely must have asked for Guidance in his Goss days so it was probably all seen as God’s Will.
Even though Mr Rudd is now an Anglican I believe he cannot be the subject of attack by the vestiges of the Group because he was brought up a Catholic and his mother voted DLP.What went on in his Goss period will as Mark says only interest pundits .
Sometimes I go to St Andrews(Anglican) Church in Sydney and I have recently listened to a prayer for the guidance of our two state party leaders in the run up to the next election .The leaders were not mentioned by name and no favouritism shown.I have never experienced this sort of thing before in the Anglican Church and I therefore think God will play a big part in the next state election.
Having any involvment at all in QLD goverment is a bigger problem for Rudd to overcome than any micro detail about how any particular regime distributed its largesse in the Sunshine State.
Christian, white picket fence family man, centralist, pedantic party control freak and ruthless disciplinarian. Streuth this bloke might fill Howard’s boots better than Howard yet. All he has to do now is make Gillard his pet poodle to complete the morphing….err and win the next election of course.