Liberals begin long return to relevance
After the shock of the state election loss, Liberal leader Steven Marshall might have been expected to make some profound changes.
Instead, it was business as usual, with Shadow Cabinet remaining full of familiar faces in familiar portfolios, and his political strategy seemingly unchanged.
It seemed to match the Liberals’ belief that they didn’t lose and, in fact, Labor’s hold on power was so fragile that the Liberal Shadow Cabinet would step into Government sooner rather than later.
Only the stunning defection of Martin Hamilton-Smith to Labor’s Cabinet, and last week’s resignation of veteran Iain Evans, has sparked change.
Marshall, by bringing in five new faces to his Shadow Cabinet, has made a positive step towards regenerating a tired and, in some quarters, dispirited Opposition.
Much will be made – particularly by Labor – of veteran Rob Lucas’s return as Shadow Treasurer.
Indeed, Labor people have already taken to social media today to point out how long Lucas has been in Parliament.
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Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis took time out from preparing his budget – to be handed down in exactly one week – to point out that ABBA was still performing when Lucas was elected.
Thanks Tom.
In reality, Marshall had little option but to appoint Lucas, and it might be a good move in the long run.
Lucas, who some in the party expect to retire before the next election, will keep Koutsantonis on his toes.
It’s unfortunate that he’s in the wrong chamber but, apart from combative education spokesman David Pisoni, Lucas is the only Liberal frontbencher who has demonstrated the capacity to wrong-foot Labor.
The reshuffle also shows that Marshall has his next step planned out.
Up-and-coming country MP Dan van Holst Pellekaan has received a big promotion, moving to take responsibility for a long list of economic areas, including Mineral Resources and Energy, State Development, Manufacturing and Innovation, Small Business, Defence Industries and Automotive Transformation.
The Member for Stuart has an economics degree and a 10-year business career with BP in his back pocket.
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He’s clearly the Shadow Treasurer in waiting, and the Lucas interlude will give van Holst Pellekaan plenty of time to learn more of the dark arts of Opposition from his wily elder.
One surprise is that Marshall didn’t give the impressive Member for Morialta, John Gardner, a more heavy-hitting role. Police and correctional services are difficult areas in which to make an impact from Opposition. He will, however, get some space to find his feet.
Possibly the biggest challenge has been thrown to newbie Corey Wingard, a former television presenter who came into Parliament in March.
He’ll face off against Stephen Mullighan, presented by the Liberals as an “L plate” transport minister (expect that line of attack to disappear quietly), but who, in reality, is very experienced in government, albeit as a backroom boy.
Wingard, judging on his early baptism of fire with the ABC’s Matt Abraham and David Bevan this morning, has a bit to learn.
He described himself as a “tagger”, a football analogy which I guess means he intends to be a pest while holding Mullighan to account.
That’s fine, but if the election had one lesson for the Liberals it should have been this – don’t count yourself out of the big debates.
Without a comprehensive health policy or transport policy (to name just a couple), the Liberals self-evidently failed to connect with the right voters in the right places.
With Premier Jay Weatherill snaffling Hamilton-Smith and announcing his desire to connect with business and the regions, the Liberals could find themselves again on the fringes of political debate.
The new faces on the Liberal frontbench, unshackled to at least a degree from the Liberal factional politics of the past, should work hard to make sure this doesn’t happen.
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