After reading a piece in Saturday's
Sydney Morning Herald I'm left scratching my head and asking, "Why did Cansdell get a gig?"
Sean Nicolls gave an account of why backbenchers in the NSW government were awarded consolation prizes and given appointments as parliamentary secretaries.
However, no where in the piece did Clarence MP Steve Cansdell get a mention.
So, if it wasn't a consolation prize (because from my reading Cansdell doesn't fit any of the reasons Nicolls provided), what was it?
Lists, like polls, are often dismissed by politicians as of interest only to the media. In the case of opinion polls, our political leaders assure us they never read them. As for lists, they insist nothing should be read into them.
It's garbage, of course. Politicians live and die by the polls. And the best lists can tell you what's really going on behind the scenes.
One such list was released this week. It detailed which backbenchers have been rewarded with the title of parliamentary secretary.
A kind of consolation prize for missing out on the ministry, these roles are designed to take some pressure off ministers whose workload is expected to be particularly heavy.
They are also widely regarded as both a sign an MP is being groomed for bigger things (an apprenticeship of sorts), an opportunity to share the spoils of government among the factions and in some cases a means of raising an MP's profile to shore up a seat.
Barry O'Farrell has appointed 13 such secretaries. The list makes for fascinating reading.
The most striking detail is the Premier's use of the positions to mollify the Liberal Party faction which threatens to cause him the most trouble: the ''hard'' or religious right.
Hard-right powerbrokers, the upper house MPs David Clarke and Marie Ficarra, are the two most notable inclusions. Clarke will serve as parliamentary secretary for justice, aiding his factional ally, the Attorney-General, Greg Smith. Ficarra will serve as parliamentary secretary to the Premier.
From the same faction, the upper house MP Matthew Mason-Cox has been rewarded as with the prestige Treasury and Finance portfolios.
The appointments are widely regarded as some consolation for O'Farrell resisting their push for cabinet positions.
The next biggest winners are positions specially created by the O'Farrell government.
The appointment of the Dubbo MP, Troy Grant, (natural resources) and the Bathurst MP, Paul Toole, (Deputy Premier and Asia-Pacific trade), can be seen as a nod to the Nationals and a reward for stealing back independent-held seats. The choice of the Vaucluse MP, Gabrielle Upton, (Tertiary Education and Skills), a prominent member of the moderate faction, signals recognition for her talent and passion for higher education.
A former pro-chancellor of the University of NSW, Upton is well known for her plans to modernise the university research sector.
Her fellow moderate, Rob Stokes, has been made parliamentary secretary for renewable energy. This signals Stokes, an environmental lawyer with his eyes on bigger things, is destined for a cabinet post at the next opportunity.
Among the other winners are the Nationals MLC Melinda Pavey, the new parliamentary secretary for regional health. Along with the Coalition's former environment spokeswoman, Catherine Cusack, Pavey was a surprise exclusion from the cabinet.
The other appointments are MLC John Ajaka (transport and roads), the Riverstone MP Ray Williams (Western Sydney) and the Port Stephens MP Craig Baumann (regional planning).
The most significant omissions are Cusack, the Nationals MLC Trevor Khan and two Liberal rising stars - the barrister and Cronulla MP Mark Speakman of the moderates and the Baulkham Hills MP, David Elliott, of the ''soft'' right. Their omission may illustrate one of O'Farrell's biggest problems - how to reward everyone who is deserving in such an enormous party room. [Source: smh, 7/4/11]
BTW, Upper House Member Charlie Lynn also failed to get a mention.
