P.M. admits caucus pressure led to Cabinet reshuffle

Press, 11 February 1981, Page 1

P.M. admits caucus pressure led to Cabinet reshuffle

By

PHILIP WORTHINGTON

Pressures from within the National Party caucus have played considerable part in the formation of the new “young look” Cabinet announced yesterday.

The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) readily acknowledges this, saying that he would have been “quite content” to have left the Cabinet much as it was, with his three retiring Ministers still on the front bench. His changes were to accommodate those in the/caucus and in the party outside Parliament who wanted to see more youth , to the forefront and who wanted to see, too, what sor: of Cabinet Mr Muldoon envisaged for the 1980 s. As a result the Cabinet has been increased by two to 20, with the elevation of the Under-Secretary of : Immigration (Mr Malcolm); and the member for "Hams ... ilton East (Dr I. J. Shear- j er). . ' . Most marked of.- the/ changes, however, has been the degree to which the rankings of the Ministers have been juggled and the resulting rapid climb of three young Ministers in particular. The Minister of Energy (Mr Birch) has been promoted . from thirteenth spot ■ to fourth, and the Minister of Labour (Mr Bolger) from ninth .to fifth. ' . The. Postmaster-General (Mr Qooper) has been shot from the bottom of the list to eighth and given the added responsibilities of being the Minister of , Broadcasting and. ate Minister of Finance,, the latter post being relinquished by the Tvlin'stercf Housing (Mr Quigley). ; . ’ * Mr Quigley, however, assumes Mr Cooper’s former role as Minister .of Tourism, in additibhf-ipf / Housing,' and also- moves up in the ranks from sixteenth place to ninth ’ ? Mr Quigley’s part in the leadership issue's within the papty over - the last five months might have been expected to count against him. That it did not is a confirmation of

the support he has within the caucus, as .well as a reflection of. the need for Mr • Muldoon to maintain strong South Island representation in his Cabinet. Not so fortunate was the Minister of Health (Mr Gair), who could well have been promoted to the fourth spot but who has been stepped- over by Mr-. Birch and Mr Bolger. Mr Gair’s open support for Mr Quigley a deputy leader, and his part in the leadership crisis late last year,, might have counted

get the post and Mr Bolger, and this is reinforced by their promotions. But Mr Muldoon is also conciliatory when he discusses the chances of Mr Quigley. “Mr Quigley with a little more experience -- and he- really: hasn’t had as much experience in senior portfolios as the others — must be a name that comes into contention,” he said. According to Mr Muldoon, the transfer of the

be “a little tougher” this year. The promotion of this group has been made possible largely by the readiness of three retiring Ministers to continue with their portfolios but take a lower ranking in the list. These are the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Overseas Trade (Mr Talboys), the Minister of Trade and Industry (Mr Adams-Schneider), and the Minister of Transport. Civil Aviation, and Railways (Mr McLachlan). They drop from second, fourth, and eighth places on the Cabinet list to thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth respectively, Mr' McLachlan does, -however, get assistance in the form of an Associate Minister for all of his portfolios: the former Under-Secretary of Immigration (Mr Malcolm). Mr Malcom will become Minister of Immigration, a post held by the Minister of Labour (Mr Bolger), as well as adopting the associate roles, but Mr Muldoon made it clear that he expects much of Mr Malcolm’s time to be taken up this year with the proposal to turn the Railways into a public corporation. "It is really an extra in that portfolio and it seemed to me that some additional time and weight should be given to it. Although he will do the immigration job as well, he will perhaps be doing less personal, work on immigration than he has done up until now and use his officials a little more, while making the final decisions himself. . “But I want him to concentrate on this Railways corporation proposal and ■give it his personal attention to try to bring it to■gether before the end of the' year,” Mr Muldoon ‘said. / ' , . k The elevation to Cabinet rank of Dr Shearer was at the expense of four Unde r-Secretaries who might have been considered to have prior claim, but was in response to a widespread caucus desire which, in turn, reflected sound political considerations. Mr Muldoon allows that there was very strong support in the caucus- for Dr Shearer to be the Minister for the Environment, and describes Dr Shearer as “a dedicated environmentalist, who nevertheless takes a balanced approach to conservation issues. What he dia not say, but no doubt took into account, is that caucus was reflecting the public opinion, almost unanimously held, that it is politically unwise and difficult in practice to have a Minister for the Environment who simultaneously holds the portfolios of Lands and Fori ests, however good the individual may be. Cabinet details, Page 3.

ag-'iqst him; even though he is to. many people the logical successor to Mr Muldoon. Mr Muldoon himself discounts this, saying that he considered only the agegroupings demanded by -hisi'-cducus. ;M«- ;Gair, he * says, is now ’ four years older than Mr • Muldodn. when ;>he : . assumed leadership.of. the party. “I intend to be.' around for a year or. two yet and ■. so it seemed -to me that 'by the will be choosing oujthext leader „ we won’t Tor a 60-year-old;., w ; e . ■ will, be looking for someone youw nger,” he said. Mr Muldoon’s idea of who that might be. centres on Mr Birch, whom he preferred for deputy leader if Mr Maclntyre did not

post of Associate Minister -of Finance to Mr Copper was to enable Mr Quigley to get more experience in more portfolios and is not a rejection of Mr, Quigley’s stance on financial matters. - As proof of this Mr Muldoon . intends to en--.large ‘ the Cabinet expenditure' to four this year, So that both Mr Quigley and Mr Cooper will be on it; “Giving Mr Quigley Tourism gives him another • portfolio with* quite a- -; wide spread of interest. It., • will Keep him on the Cabi-, ... het expenditure because he voice for vs, restraint .on that,” he said. Mr Muldoon described Mr Cooper" as “another hard-liner” on expenditure, and he intimated that the expenditure committee might

Dr Shearer’s promotion will be a source of comfort to the environmental lobby and to a caucus well aware of the power of that lobby, as well as a cause for relief for the Minister of Forests (Mr V. S. Young) who has held the post hitherto. Dr Shearer will also become the Minister of Sei- 1 ence and Technology, relieving the Minister of Energy (Mr Birch) of that portfolio. The other changes to portfolios are logical if not.startling. . . Mr Birch takes regional development, to go with the national development that he already wears, and Mr Cooper becomes Minister of Broadcasting in a

move which will ease the burden of the Deputy Minister of Finance and Minister of Customs (Mr Templeton) who has .held the post with fortitude, if not distinction, during the. latest reshuffle of State broadcasting,. Mr'Cooper is a supporter of FM radio, but also represents a rural electorate more interested in obtaining service from the second ■ television channel. Nevertheless, his dual role as the Minister of Broadcasting and PostmasterGeneral will be a convenient one during the FM issue and availability of broadcasting bands controversy. The only other change is the allocation of publicity and the Government Printing Office to the charge of the Minister of Lands (Mr V. S. ’Young). Neither portfolio is bur-

densome and neither should impair his ability to deal with his main duties. On the face of it, the reshuffle would appear to be a victory for the farces of change within the caucus, but time might; well prove it to be a big success for Mr Muldoon. He achieved his desire over the deputy leadership , and, by and large, the Cabinet changes will also serve his ends. In this Mr Muldoon will take satis- I faction, not the least be= i cause it has been achieved ! without heavy casualties i and in a way which pre- I serves a stable line of descent. Similarly, the changes are likely to prove suf- • ficient to satisfy his caucus and his party, thus securing firmly Mr Muldoon’s own position for some time to come. •’.