Yesterday the NSW opposition were canvassing a possible Carl Scully comeback to the front bench if Labor won the March election.
Opposition legal affairs spokesman Chris Hartcher said the news would come as no surprise to the denizens of Macquarie Street.
“It was rumoured strongly around parliament when he was sacked for lying twice that it was part of a sort of a wink and a nod, that ‘If you go quietly now, we’ll bring you back should we win the election in March’,” Mr Hartcher told AAP.
“Now that’s simply becoming publicly known.”
Chris Hartcher was wrong. Today brings us the news that NSW’s worst ever minister (at least in my time) and the man who thought he could be Premier, is leaving politics for good.
Speaking exclusively to The Sunday Telegraph with his wife, Ann Leaf, at their western Sydney home, Mr Scully said he looked forward to a job in the private sector and had not ruled out returning to law.
“I’ve decided, after much reflection and discussion with my wife, family, close friends and colleagues whom I trust, to not renominate and, therefore, discontinue being the Member for Smithfield,” Mr Scully said.
“It’s been a very hard decision, made under quite difficult and traumatic circumstances for me personally, my family and for my close friends.
“Nobody ever said politics was easy, but I think I’ve had to endure more than most do.”
And so a small chapter in NSW politics ends; not with a bang, but a whimper.
What? He’s hoping for a gig with the Cross City Tunnel consortium?
Certainly there will be nothing holding him back from starting anywhere where previous ministerial experience will be an employer’s asset. My bet is that his good mate the Parrot will find a useful niche in the retinue for someone who so tirelessly brown-nosed him while a minister – as revealed in Chris Masters ‘Jonestown’. In fact you could say that Scully was the quientessential NSW example of the Parrot’s political power – so the guy is under some obligation for a leg up. Legal training might prove an asset.
Having listened to Scully this morning on NewsRadio, he kept banging on about how “the machine” determined that he was never going to become Premier, and determined what portfolios he would be shoved into. Rather amusing, because while he decries “the machine” of the NSW State Branch for impeding his progress, he is the perfect example (in my honest opinion) of the half-competant hack that such a “machine” tends to throw up from time to time. Maybe the poor bugger should get over himself and realise that the only thing “the machine” did greatly wrong was to recommend him for the front bench in the first place.
Incidently, he named the introduction of double-demerit points as his greatest achievement. The small cottage industry of lawyers dedicated to getting (often dangerous) motorists off traffic infringements would probably agree (with dollar signs in their eyes…).
Why would anyone hire Carl Scully?
Links to State Government: shaky. Minister for 10 years, the Premier can’t stand him, half the ministry and caucus let him down when he thought he could count on their votes to become Premier; they don’t fear him so they pity him. Ditto senior public servants. As soon as he wins any work from the State Government the Opposition will be all over it and his detractors in the media will follow, making him absolute poison from a PR/Govt Relations point of view. In terms of getting business out of State Government, you’d be better off hiring a staffer who’d work for half what Scully would want and deliver twice as much.
Links to Federal Government: none.
Links to Federal Government in Labor win coming election: few to none. See above.
Links to private sector: private sector management scorn politicians at the best of times, particularly Labor politicians, and most of all those who’ve never had practical line management experience (Scully wenrt straight from being a suburban lawyer into politics, and soon afterwards into the ministry). Long list of managers who quit public organisations micromanaged by Scully would happily piss in any pond from which he’d seek to drink. Not a lot of pulling power there.
Scully’s only hope would be to go back to suburban law and work for the downtrodden, avoid scandals, and burnish an image of righteousness that transcends actual incompetence. Any company/organisation that appointed him to some $quarter-mil role in the hope of him raking in the business would be wasting its time.
FWIW, as Roads Minister Scully was better for bicycles and bicycle infrastructure than anyone before or since. He got some particularly fine off-road paths built in his own electorate. For that I say ‘goodonim’. And I only say that because methinks ‘NSW’s worst minister ever’ is a tad harsh when one can so easily recall say, Barry Morris.
Barry Morris was never a minister, Mark.
After ten years.
I loved the way he said he’d had a harder time than most. That’s because he self-promoted more than most, and stuffed up more than most. And his stuff ups were, almost always, firmly located in his portfolios.
I’m sure he did do good stuff. I just can’t remember what it was. The M7? I love that. But I know his much-vaunted south-western Sydney road and bus links have yet to bear fruit. His management of the cops was OK, I guess – it is the worst portfolio for anyone who wishes to look good.
Still, you’ve got to give the guy credit for self-belief. Andrew E, maybe he can go into business after all? He’s certainly got the chutzpah. Business partners may include Peter Foster?
You may be on to something there lynn: all those off-road paths …
I’d be surprised if Scully doesn’t end up in private business with a nice director’s job or something similar. Incompetence counts for nothing at the big end of town.
Forgive me for being cynical, but I doubt that even Carl Scully could get a job with Macquarie Bank.
We’ll see Christine but I wouldn’t underestimate “jobs for the boys” in Sydney.