Kevin Rudd has announced a bigger reshuffle than most observers were expecting – with Greg Combet and Chris Bowen the big winners. Jan McLucas and Bob Debus have been dropped from the frontbench. No sign of the much touted Mark Arbib ascendancy, which just goes to prove you can’t trust everything you read in Glenn Milne’s columns.
Both Combet’s and Bowen’s elevations are no great surprise. But I’m disappointed to see Bob Debus go – he seemed a reasonable, measured and sensible Minister in a potentially trouble ridden portfolio. In some ways, I think he was a much better performer than Robert McLelland, his senior portfolio minister.
Nick Sherry appears to have been demoted, which is bizarre and undeserved.
Fitzgerald & Combet take on Defence. The forensic filleter and Chris Corrigan/ Patrick’s nemesis. That’ll teach them to whiteant their minister!
Fitzgerald?
Sam, it’s not clear to me that Nick Sherry’s been demoted. Assistant Treasurer’s not like a Parliamentary Secretary.
Er, Mark Arbib has become Minister for Employment Services in addition Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Government Service Delivery. What does that say about Milne’s columns?
Debus is retiring at the next election, that’s why he’s taking a smaller role.
I thought Debus did a great job on the asylum front. Showed the opposition how to be big kids in the grown-up world. Aside from that, seems reasonable.
Bob Debus seemed like a most compassionate bloke and perfect for the job but everyone needs to retire sometime. He is no spring chicken and if he plans to leave next election you might as well get somone fresh to get moving.
I came across an interesting link about some pretty shabby behaviour, in his regard, by the Australian Crime Commission. I missed it at the time I suspect because this pretty serious matter received little publicity.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/investigations/debus-file-sparks-condemnations-20081003-4tl1.html
It’s a bit hard to follow Rudd’s thinking in this PM ‘freebie’ for a revamp. Is there an element of ‘competition policy’ in making some ‘minister’s assisting’ and I’m not much up on what exactly a parliamentary secretary does for their additional income. Take Kate Ellis for example, gets early childhood education, childcare and youth to go with her existing sport portfolio. Let’s just call her the minister for growing up. Must be some room for buck-passing in that lot with those above (health, education, training) and those who might be snapping at her heels. I make no comment on her competence, but in passing childcare from Maxine McHugh at this post-ABC Learning phase to the grab-bag ministry for growing up seems odd.
I’m really starting to warm to Combet as a future big’un, but Debus going is kind of sad, as I think it’s probably a result of ageism as much as standard caucus up-and-down politics (he’s pushing seventy).
Debus tended to be quite impatient in press conferences, with a tendency to snap or get cranky with journalists when given repeated questions or pressed for details… which would have somewhat given the impression that he was confused/angry/not-in-control. Probably why Rudd decided to stand him down.
“No sign of the much touted Mark Arbib ascendancy, which just goes to prove you can’t trust everything you read in Glenn Milne’s columns.”
I think moving from Parliamentary Secretary to Minister would generally be viewed as “ascendant,” particularly in your first parliamentary term. In fact given the way Rudd operates and prioritises it would hard to be more ascendant than to be appointed Minister assisting the Prime Minister with Government Service Delivery….
Woah, with Faulkner going to defence this could mean Arbib is about to become the bigstick…
I still think the Debus departure is more obviously to do with his decision not to stand at the next election and the need to have someone new in his place who is around that portfolio. Afterall, Turnbull is likely to shamelessly play the fear card on asylum seekers. It may, indeed, become a critical issue at the next election.
As mentioned, he is heading towards 70 -66 actually- and he might just as well start enjoying that huge pension he will be entitled to after such a long, distinguished, political career.
Sam, at #1, wrote:
Nick Sherry appears to have been demoted
No, he’s been promoted from number 3 Treasury minister to number 2. Effectively Nick and Chris Bowen have swapped portfolios with Chris also given Human Services (Minister for Centrelink) from Joe Ludwig who takes on John Faulkner’s old job of SMOS.
– Syd
Debus only just entered Federal Pprliament in the Kev07 election – why give up after less than a full term- makes no sense. Prior to that he had been a long serving (including as a very able Attorney General) of the NSWG Govt. Why would you quit a positon of power in NSW to face preselection and campaigning in a marginal seat only to give up in the first term? Must be a story there.
I believe he had already decided to hang up his boots and went to Federal politics to help defeat Satan at the last election.
Angela@15
Debus came in to specifically win that seat as a high profile and relatively popular candidate, he was always near the end of his career. He’s achieved what he and the ALP set out to achieve.
What Thomas said.
There’s maybe not a whole lot of upside presenting for Bob, pushing 70, running in a notionally marginal very outer Sydney seat in 2010 from a background of lengthy Ministerial experience in the Carr/Iemma government….
I imagine Rudd will be keen to present a youth/vigour/renewal face in 2010 in marked comparison with the perceived enescence and time-serving decrepitude of the Coalition.
Nickws@9 – I suspect Kevin decided to oust Debus after he saw the footage of the hip young thangs all over the White House, hanging out with the Prez in hip shoes, and felt jealous. It won’t have been on the basis of age exactly. There are groovy oldies, like Peter Garrett … and Senator Faulkner, who cuts it because he looks like Jemaine Clement from the ConChords …
Was anyone else disturbed that Joel Fitzgibbon had allowed his brother Mark Fitzgibbon, the head of NIB and a representative of Humana to use the ministers office to discuss the Defence Department Health contract?
So what?
NIB is the only health insurer listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, it listed in 2007 when Howard was planning to privatise Medicare.
Humana is a large American hospital operator that has been the subject of a 4 Corners report. It operates in poor areas, makes patients pay up front and charges exhorbitant rates for treatment. $1000 for 1 litre of saline drip.
So any one with a keen interest in preserving our system of universal health care would be disturbed by the minister’s tacit approval of the Humana bid.
Angela, Macquarie isn’t really a marginal seat – just above 57% ALP (it’s Ben Chifley country). It’s possible it could become marginal – though only if a really big swing was on.
It’s not that big a surprise. Bob Debus was never a publicity hound – he’s always had a reputation in NSW as a policy guy. I’m guessing one of his main motivations was to offer a bit of experience to a new government – after all, Faulkner, Crean, McMullan are the only names I can think of who actually had previous experience making decisions in a cabinet room.
Not everyone in politics is there out of some kind of creepy ambition.
But he’ll definitely be missed.
billie @ 20,
Think you read too much into it (and I’m as suspicious of the motives of the Rudd Government as anyone.) Though everything you say about NIB/Humana/destruction of Medicare is horrifyingly true, this seems to be more a case of good old fashioned Labor nepotism than anything else – doing a favour for me bra. ( – the simplest explanation …etc.)
You can certainly see from the what billie says, and what came down from the Senate Inquiry, why the game was up for Fitzgibbon. Sloppy accounting is one thing but allowing your brother to lobby your own department, on behalf of a large multi-national, is unforgiveable.
Maybe billie could take heart from the swift action against the minister once it was revealed what he appeared to be up to. Joel just comes across as someone who seems far more interested in feathering his own nest than representing the public good and it is a worry that he seemed totally unconcerned about a business like Humanas even getting a foothold.
Let’s hope he is a one off.
On Arbib, really the change in title just formalises what he was doing for Rudd anyway. Milne and his claque were suggesting he’d jump straight into Cabinet.
TimT: “given the impression that he was confused/angry/not-in-control. Probably why Rudd decided to stand him down.”
Pots? Kettles? Best ask the young VIP hostie.
Nick Sherry was doing a good job in financial services and corporate law, and superannuation. I think he was running with several major initiatives at the moment, and therefore should have been left with them. There must be another factor at play. Chris Bowen is a good performer but his elevation should not be at the expense of Sherry,s career.
The only problem with Senator Faulkiner is that he is a procrastinator and this will not help him with running Defence.
Kevin Rudd’s approach of creating new Parliamentary Secretaries’s positions for the latest trendy issue is a recipe for disaster, in terms of administrative efficiency.
Finally, I think Rudd needs to learn the art of delegation, as brilliantly shown by Bob Hawke, as Prime Minister.
It’s a sad reflection on how cynical we’ve become that some people assume there is some hidden angle to Debus’s story. I think the most likely explanation is the obvious one – he’s been doing what was in the best interests of his party and the country.
He was considered a good minister in NSW (I’m taking that second hand, I don’t really know what he did). He had a good local profile and was the best chance the ALP had of knocking off a Liberal MP, so at an age when he might have preferred to be relaxing he went for it, and did what was needed. True Labor would have won Macquarie anyway, but having Debus as the candidate meant they didn’t have to worry about it, and could divert resources elsewhere.
Once in government he was useful as one of the few MPs who had ministerial experience, so again he slotted in there. Now that ministerial experience is no longer in short supply he’s not running again, allowing the party to put some younger talent in both his seat and the ministry. Good for him. I’ve been scathing about the ALP more than once on LP, and about the small differences between most members of the left and the right, but Debus is an exception. Good for him.
Re Debus and also taking into account what feral sparrowhawk provides, he has ‘been there done that’ as this link demonstrates.
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/biography.asp?id=8IS
Should be in line for another post if he wants it, which I doubt.
Mark Arbib is an ethnic branch-stacker. Again Labor is rewarding wrongdoing.
Too True Darlene – stackers still seem to get the gravy in the ALP – there seems no end to their work. Poor ol’ Kelvin Thomson seems a complete dead duck; I thought he might have made a comeback after his referencing of Tony Mokebel faded into the distance.
Ah, but that nice Mr Brumby is going to clean out the stables, like your forebear Herakles, Mr/Miss ansteybranchopoulos. And a lot of cleaning out they need. Why, only last week someone dumped a load via The Age.
I remember when Debus was the conservative’s ABC bete noire on Broadband. Interviwed Robin Blackburn & others. kelvin Thompson has some ideas in particular a critique of the common law adversary model and sympathetic to European civil law model.
Bob Debus has been in Parliament (state) since the early eighties and held more portfolios than anyone can count.
I don’t think anyone expected him to stand federally for more than 2 elections.
Debus kept some of the sillier law-and-order ideas in check in the Carr Government, was despised by the likes of Michael Costa, was an excellent minister.
He’s made a contribution and thoroughly deserves his retirement.
I met Debus on a number of occassions and found him a decent bloke with the sort of values you once expected in ALP politicians, and very different to most of the characters in the current NSW Govt. But I am not sure his constituents would be impressed with flagging retirement eighteen months after he was elected to serve them – it may impact adversely for the next ALP candidate who gets pre-selected.
Sherry has been demoted, his position is now the 3rd treasury portfolio as the other two are in cabinet. He has lost the portfolios he was most passionate about as he was stuggling with them.
I am very uncomfortable with Arbib in government. He’s a behind-the-scenes fixer, spin doctor and cover-up merchant. Just what you don’t want for a Minister for anything.
Arbib and Rudd are a perfect fit. One, the control freak, the other the one that keeps things under control.
Prediction: Arbib will brilliantly succeed in spin doctoring this government but the odour of the dead bodies will gradually emerge. Since Arbib is brilliant it might take two terms of government before the full horror is exposed. When it does Rudd will go down disgraced. Arbib will escape largely unscathed and live on in a horrific undead ministerial existence similar to Joe Tripodi.
Come to think of it, maybe having Arbib as a Minister is better than having him not a Minister – more exposure and accountability. I recant. make him PM and let’s get the whole sordid show over with ASAP.
As I’ve said elsewhere I think that Rudd has raised more questios than he’s answered. I agree that Sherry isn’t much chop and think Bowen is overrated, and that having put Morris Iemma where he is today is no advertisement for Arbib. Rudd could have done better and should have, but you could say that about a lot of areas and I feel we are up against the limits of autarchy – well, if you can’t rely on the Liberals to fall apart at the rtight moment, but that’s another story.