Cwlth Parliamentary Reshuffle highlights serious overloading

[Squawk]

With the announcement yesterday of the Prime Minister's reshuffled Parliamentary line up, I took a close look and was suprised to see a few things I hadn't noticed before. A quick look at the standard "örder of precedence" shows allocations by portfolio. However, if you apply a general category to many of the individual portfolios, you can quickly see that the Cwlth Govt has an abundance of Ministers covering a number of areas, and many of these areas are those in which the states and territories have traditional responsibilities (particularly in regard to frontline services, such as education and health).

(Based on my categorisations below), Why do we need

5 separate parliementarians covering education?

5 separate parliamentarians for treasury and finance?

5 for Defence? (Including one for the Änzac Centenerary)

4 for Health?

5 for Law and Order? (Including the Quensland Flood Recovery process)

4 for the environment (but no portfolio specifically for the Murray Darling Basin and only the 'resources'portfolio to cover mining which is keeping our economic life sustained?)

6 for Social Services?

6 for Industry and Trade?

4 for Employment?

On the other end of the spectrum there are 2 each for primary production, immigration and tranport/infrastructure, plus a further 7 "single" portfolios (including Foreign Affairs, Arts, Sport etc).



If you accept my categorisations (below), the plethora of apparent duplication suggests a few things to me:

The High Court has really extended the powers of s51 of the Constitution further than I thought (Federalism at its best, or worst?)

Cwlth votes are there to be won when the Cwlth can apply maximum money to areas traditionally the domain of states and territories and thus exacerbate "vertical fiscal imbalance"

We have 5 financial Ministers yet not one dedicated portfolio to either or both of the "Global Financial" or "Ëuro" crisis'?

The Queensland floods were a big crisis but why would they get a dedicated Minister when the Murray Darling Basin cannot get a portfolio with that name? (answer - Cwlth money directly allocated through the taxpayer flood levy).

Why do we have a Minister for the Anzac Centeneary, yet no Minister for the G20 and B20 to be held in 2014?

South Australia has 15 Ministers in the Cabinet and the Cwlth has 22. What does that say about us and them? We have too many in Cabinet but by the time you take into account the Cwlth's "Öuter Ministry" then they would seem to have too many Ministers duplicating one another.


Education (5)

Senator Chris Evans Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research

Peter Garrett MP Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth

Brendan O'Connor MP Minister Assisting for School Education

Kate Ellis MP Minister for Early Childhood and Childcare

Senator Jacinta Collins Parliamentary Secretary for School Education


Treasury and Finance (5)

Wayne Swan MP Deputy Prime Minister Treasurer

Senator Penny Wong Minister for Finance and Deregulation

Bill Shorten MP Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation

Senator Mark Arbib Assistant Treasurer

David Bradbury MP Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer



Health (4)

Tanya Plibersek MP Minister for Health

Mark Butler MP Minister for Mental Health and Ageing and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Mental Health Reform

Warren Snowdon MP Minister for Indigenous Health

Catherine King MP Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing



Defence (5)

Stephen Smith MP Minister for Defence

Senator Kim Carr Minister for Defence Materiel

Warren Snowdon MP Minister for Defence Science and Personnel and Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Centenary of ANZAC

Mike Kelly MP Parliamentary Secretary for Defence

Senator David Feeney Parliamentary Secretary for Defence



Law and Order (5)

Nicola Roxon MP Attorney-General

Robert McClelland MP Minister for Emergency Management

Senator Joe Ludwig Minister Assisting on Queensland Flood Recovery

Jason Clare MP Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice

Gary Gray MP Special Minister of State and Minister for the Public Service and Integrity



Environment (5)

Tony Burke MP Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities

Greg Combet MP Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency

Mark Dreyfus MP Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency

Senator Don Farrell Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water

Martin Ferguson MP Minister for Resources and Energy


Social Services (6)

Jenny Macklin MP Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Minister for Disability Reform

Robert McClelland MP Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness

Mark Butler Minister for Social Inclusion

Brendan O'Connor MP Minister for Human Services

Julie Collins MP Minister for Community Services

Senator Jan McLucas Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers



Primary Production (2)

Senator Joe Ludwig Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Sid Sidebottom MP Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry


Industry and Trade (6)

Dr Craig Emerson MP Minister for Trade

Greg Combet MP Minister for Industry and Innovation

Senator Kim Carr Minister for Manufacturing

Senator Mark Arbib Minister for Small Business

Justine Elliot MP Parliamentary Secretary for Trade

Mark Dreyfus MP Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Innovation



Employment (4)

Bill Shorten MP Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Kate Ellis MP Minister for Employment Participation

Julie Collins MP Minister for Indigenous Employment and Economic Development
Senator Jacinta Collins Parliamentary Secretary for Workplace Relations


Infrastructure (2)

Anthony Albanese MP Minister for Infrastructure and Transport

Catherine King MP Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport



Immigration (2)

Chris Bowen MP Minister for Immigration and Citizenship

Senator Kate Lundy Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs

Miscellaneous (7)

Conroy (Broadband and Digital Productivity)

Crean (Regional matters, Arts, Local Govt)

Rudd (Foreign Affairs)

Ferguson (Tourism)

Arbib (Sport)

Collins (Women)

Marles (Pacific Island Affairs)

[Q.]

By all reports, the division of the education portfolios is about right.

I do like this quote though: she may as well have created a ministry “for ministers I can’t sack” and stuck McClelland, Carr and Evans in there

[Squawk]

Quichey - SA has one Minister for Education and Child Development. It operates state schools.

The Cwlth does not operate a single school. It funds Universities, Schools and Child Care Centres (through the rebate). In essence, it has 5 people watching where the money goes in education, (on top of another 5 with Treasury and Finance portfolios). Basically, it ties this money to implementing new policies it dreams up - despite no actually delivering very much at all in the way of education services.

Dividing portfolios makes sense from the point of view of the different "age groups" but still - 5 parliamentarians and no frontline service responsibility?

[Squawk]

Ironically, I think McClelland, Carr and Evans were all pretty steady hands. Clearly, JG wanted to smash another glass ceiling for Nicola Roxon to charge through (for the history books), notwithstanding Roxon is a strong performer (even though I dislike her policy and attitude).

[Q.]

Quichey - SA has one Minister for Education and Child Development. It operates state schools.

The Cwlth does not operate a single school. It funds Universities, Schools and Child Care Centres (through the rebate). In essence, it has 5 people watching where the money goes in education, (on top of another 5 with Treasury and Finance portfolios). Basically, it ties this money to implementing new policies it dreams up - despite no actually delivering very much at all in the way of education services.

Dividing portfolios makes sense from the point of view of the different "age groups" but still - 5 parliamentarians and no frontline service responsibility?

It's better than the previous structure, where higher education fell under Evans' skills ministry.

[Jimmy_041]

I vote Squawk for the longest post ever on safooty.net

[redandblack]

Yes, but it was a very well put and researched post, putting forward an original point of view.

Good work.

[Dirko]

Yes, but it was a very well put and researched post, putting forward an original point of view.

Good work.

but but there wasn't a link so I call BULLSHIT!

[Jimmy_041]

Far too good for the likes of us R&B

I think we should get him pre-selected and voted in

G** forbid, we might have someone who's intelligent in parliament

[redandblack]

What's going on lately?

Southee agreed with me, now I'm agreeing with Jimmy

Place is going soft

[Q.]

Yes, but it was a very well put and researched post, putting forward an original point of view.

Good work.

but but there wasn't a link so I call BULLSHIT!

Here ya go:

http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/ac303/j3ffr3y11/.jpg

[Media Park]

What's going on lately?

Southee agreed with me, now I'm agreeing with Jimmy

Place is going soft

and i agree.

[smac]

What's going on lately?

Southee agreed with me, now I'm agreeing with Jimmy

Place is going soft

and i agree.

Gay.

Go and marry each other... Oh, hang on. :wink:

[southee]

What's going on lately?

Southee agreed with me, now I'm agreeing with Jimmy

Place is going soft

It's Christmas and New Year's!!!!

Come on....Love is all around.

Group hug anyone???

[redandblack]

No. You right-wingers can all go and get .......

[Dirko]

http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/ac303/j3ffr3y11/.jpg

Sorry can't hear you....

[Psyber]

It is an interesting development considering the studies of group activity that suggest no group of more than nine can make quick and rational decisions.
All the studies of group dynamics I ever read during my training years in Group Therapy suggested that above that size breaking up into time wasting factions is inevitable.

Medicare even imposed a limit on therapy group size on that basis.