22 March 2013

Public Service facing a very big ministerial reshuffle

| johnboy
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In the wake of the world’s worst leadership spill yesterday the Ministerial blood is flowing thick and fast.

All the whips are gone and will need relatively senior blood into their positions.

Simon Crean is gone. Richard Marles is gone. Chris Bowen is gone. Kim Carr is expected to go. Martin Ferguson is quitting on TV right now.

Even if there are no more rats jumping overboard it’s going to have to be a significant reshuffle.

Get ready for the Machinery of Government roundabout public servants!

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Gungahlin Al1:55 pm 25 Mar 13

“Desserty” was the limit surely? Now to be known simply as “Industry”?
For those of us who’ve been calling it that for ages anyway, carry on.

Vale DIISRTE. Taken before its delicious, meal-concluding time.

neanderthalsis1:45 pm 25 Mar 13

Minor MoGging. Climate Change will be absorbed into DIISRTE. So I am hoping the acronym becomes DICCSTER (pronounced Dickstir) or DICCRSTE (pronounced dickrest).

HiddenDragon1:31 pm 25 Mar 13

fromthecapital said :

HiddenDragon said :

johnboy said :

There’s no way in hell they can make a reshuffle this big without realigning some ministries.

So as we now see, nothing to worry about – a minimalist re-shuffle, with negligible MoG changes………

Speak for yourself

I always do. The dots at the end of my most recent comment might have been a clue, along with what I said (I particularly had Climate Change in mind) yesterday morning.

We now have a few Departments that sound more like shopping lists/wish lists/bucket lists (the latter being the most likely for this Government).

fromthecapital12:54 pm 25 Mar 13

HiddenDragon said :

johnboy said :

There’s no way in hell they can make a reshuffle this big without realigning some ministries.

So as we now see, nothing to worry about – a minimalist re-shuffle, with negligible MoG changes………

Speak for yourself

HiddenDragon12:12 pm 25 Mar 13

johnboy said :

There’s no way in hell they can make a reshuffle this big without realigning some ministries.

So as we now see, nothing to worry about – a minimalist re-shuffle, with negligible MoG changes………

HiddenDragon11:27 am 24 Mar 13

johnboy said :

There’s no way in hell they can make a reshuffle this big without realigning some ministries.

I’ll second that – a re-shuffle without MoG changes is entirely possible in theory, but would be unusual, given the scale of what’s involved. The dogs are still barking about Albanese, so a reduction in his portfolio, rather than demotion or sacking, could be an option, but quite unlikely, given the extent to which the Government relies on him in the House – and in public, he’s not giving an inch.

If there are significant MoG changes, it could give some hint at the cuts/changes to priorities being contemplated in the Budget process. Common sense would otherwise suggest keeping MoG changes to an absolute minimum, but if all the reports about relations between the Government and the APS are essentially true, common sense seems substantially to have gone out the door in the Government’s handling of that relationship.

HiddenDragon11:08 pm 23 Mar 13

EvanJames said :

why do so many women have such vicious opinions about the prime minister? The ABC interviewed the losers hanging around the Rooty Hill poker machine club on the day of the spill, and the women especially were spitting venom about the PM, but no one seems to have any concrete reasons for their dislike. I don’t find her dislikable, but I do think she’s competant, so clearly I’m missing something.

The most recent polling I have seen suggests that Gillard is slightly more popular (i.e. less unpopular) with women than with men. The Rooty Hill ladies may have been giving voice to the good old Aussie tall poppy syndrome and may even feel a little patronised that someone who is obviously very intelligent and very well educated is, perhaps, trying a little too hard with the vernacular – “gunna” is wearing thin, and always seems affected to me.

Back on topic, the Rooty Hill ladies, and most of the rest of Australia, could not give a flying you-know-what about the re-shuffle – Rudd is gone (the third two-fingered salute from the federal caucus), and most of them have made up their minds and stopped listening to the daily noise from Canberra.

Masquara said :

er, no machinery of government involved JB. Just briefings for new parl secs and mins.

+1 – machinery of government refers to the changes to Administrative Arrangement Orders which outlines the matters dealt by a department and their legislation – commonly the changes to a department remit and name change.

This is just a reshuffle – or change to the Ministry List.

Most public servants have seen plenty of ministerial changes (although none that match the current turbulent circumstances).

There’s no way in hell they can make a reshuffle this big without realigning some ministries.

Tetranitrate10:53 pm 23 Mar 13

EvanJames said :

why do so many women have such vicious opinions about the prime minister? The ABC interviewed the losers hanging around the Rooty Hill poker machine club on the day of the spill, and the women especially were spitting venom about the PM, but no one seems to have any concrete reasons for their dislike. I don’t find her dislikable, but I do think she’s competant, so clearly I’m missing something.

Personally I think a lot of the reason is that from 2011 up until well into 2012, the government was touting their credentials on the economy and going on and on about how great everything was when for most of the east coast it’s felt like a recession, particularly for people trying to enter the work force or low-skill workers. That incongruence between what was being touted over and over by Gillard and Swan, and peoples everyday experience is, I think, the source of this incoherent anger that folks just can’t seem to articulate a reason for.
It’s kinda interesting how the Roy-Morgan unemployment diverged from the ABS measure over the period as well. Obviously things are better than most other places in the world, but they’re definitely much worse than they were in 2010, and way way worse than pre-GFC. Not entirely the fault of the government of course.

why do so many women have such vicious opinions about the prime minister? The ABC interviewed the losers hanging around the Rooty Hill poker machine club on the day of the spill, and the women especially were spitting venom about the PM, but no one seems to have any concrete reasons for their dislike. I don’t find her dislikable, but I do think she’s competant, so clearly I’m missing something.

Madam Cholet8:18 am 23 Mar 13

gungsuperstar said :

Madam Cholet said :

If this is not a message that Gillard should stand aside then I don’t know what is.

An unopposed re-election as leader and the rightful standing aside of the minority trying to destabilise her is a message that she should go?

Post a photo – I’m intrigued as to how one person can draw a bow so long.

So about 9 in all have just left in the space of two days. They are all openly saying that they are behind the party but not the leader. These people have been willing and courageous enough to fall n their swords. If they are saying it in public, then what are the others thinking? They are just too cowardly to say. The attempt to get her out was just badly organized, but was not without merit. CEOs leading companies doing this bad get the flick. No reason why she shouldn’t.

She may be strong, but staring down the barrell of a gun without blinking does not mean that you won’t end up dead. She’s a classic case of believing her own hype. Hype that is probably there through all this misogynist rubbish she peddles that everyone goes around believing. Being a strong person also means knowing when you are beaten.

For the record, I admire her steely nerve, and i think and have been told by some who have had dealings with her that she is incredibly sharp. But I still think that staying is causing more harm to her and her party than good.

Madam Cholet said :

Shame about Bowen and KCarr. Not a labor voter but I reckon they are the good guys amongst others. If this is not a message that Gillard should stand aside then I don’t know what is.

Whatever it is you’re smoking, it’s probably illegal.

gungsuperstar7:47 pm 22 Mar 13

Madam Cholet said :

If this is not a message that Gillard should stand aside then I don’t know what is.

An unopposed re-election as leader and the rightful standing aside of the minority trying to destabilise her is a message that she should go?

Post a photo – I’m intrigued as to how one person can draw a bow so long.

HiddenDragon5:03 pm 22 Mar 13

I was lost in admiration at the deftly low-key way in which Rudd slipped in Albanese’s name as among those who were in his office, advising him yesterday afternoon – although it will be exceedingly surprising if AA, and the other Senator Carr (notwithstanding the best efforts of Julie Bishop), join the alternate shadow ministry on the back bench.

er, no machinery of government involved JB. Just briefings for new parl secs and mins.

Madam Cholet3:59 pm 22 Mar 13

Shame about Bowen and KCarr. Not a labor voter but I reckon they are the good guys amongst others. If this is not a message that Gillard should stand aside then I don’t know what is. Maybe BCarr resigning would ram the message home, but he’s pretty comfy swanning around bleating his nonsense around the world.

Kim Carr’s resigning right now.

Still got time for a couple more today.

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