The real thing: Gillard's second cabinet - Part 2 - Miss Eagle's Comments

Picture from here.

Please note the Gouldian hand-coloured plates in the background

courtesy of P.J. Keating

More humble but still beautiful prints of these two 

can be seen at Miss Eagle's domicile

Networkers, you may - or may not, as is your proclivity and political leaning - be pleased to know that the nation's finances and primary industries are safe and secure in the hands of the faction (or sub-faction, depending whether you are looking at things from Qld or the national level) dominated by the Australian Workers Union (AWU).   Look at it this way:

Wayne Swan 

Deputy Prime Minister, Treasurer

Joseph Ludwig 

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

(Joe is the son of Bill Ludwig, long-time Secretary of the Qld Branch of the AWU.

Joe himself, before entering Parliament, was an industrial advocate with the AWU.)

Craig Emerson 

Minister for Trade

Bill Shorten

 Assistant Treasurer Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation

I'm sure the AWU wouldn't have minded the Resources portfolio.  A couple of things wrong with that.  Firstly, it would have pitted the AWU, a right-wing union, against that other big mining union the CFMEU, a left-wing union.  The other thing is if Martin Ferguson is taken away from that portfolio, what are you going to do with him?  There is an old saying: better on the inside leaking out, than on the outside leaking in.  That's the problem with MF.  If he is not happy, wotza he gonna do, eh?  Leak like northern Australia in The Wet and generally cause madness and mayhem.

I'm pleased to see the large number of women taking hold of responsible positions:

Julia Gillard 

Prime Minister

Nicola Roxon 

Minister for Health and Ageing

Jenny Macklin 

Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services & Indigenous Affairs

Penny Wong 

Minister for Finance & Deregulation

Tanya Plibersek 

Minister for Human Services, Minister for Social Inclusion

Kate Ellis 

Minister for Employment Participation & Childcare

Jacinta Collins 

Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Employment & Workplace RelationsJulie Collins 

Parliamentary Secretary for Families, Housing, Community Services & Indigenous Affairs

Justine Elliot 

Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs & Trade

Catherine King 

Parliamentary Secretary for Health & Ageing, Infrastructure & Transport

Kate Lundy 

Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration & Citizenship, Prime Minister and Cabinet

Jan McLucas 

Parliamentary Secretary for Families, Housing, Community Services & Indigenous Affairs

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I would have like to have seen Jenny Macklin sent packing from the Ministry altogether, or at least sent to a portfolio where she could have done no harm.  Her handling of the the Indigenous Affairs section of her portfolio has been irresponsible - and I base this solely on her implementation of that evil John Howard policy, the Northern Territory Emergency Response commonly known as The Intervention.

If there is any chance of sanity coming into Indigenous Affairs it may come from Jan McLucas.  Now, Jan is from Cairns not the Northern Territory.   I am not sure where she stands in relation to the Noel Pearson policy portfolio - but, remembering her origins of old, I would doubt that she would be a wholehearted supporter.  So, if Macklin wants to start doing something right, it might be an idea to give McLucas a go.

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Surprise, surprise!  Gary Gray is Special Minister for State.  Pity that this role only gets him into the Outer Cabinet.  However, I think this track will suit this stayer from the West.  Interesting breeding given that he is married to one of the Walsh (Peter and Rose) daughters.  Gray is the brother-in-law of Brian Ede, who is married to another Walsh daughter and was formerly Opposition Leader in the Northern Territory and is now happily growing wine in West Australia.