Hawke Ministry swearing-in

Press, 24 July 1987, Page 6

Hawke Ministry swearing-in

NZPA Canberra All but three of the Hawke Government’s new 30-member Ministry will be sworn in by the Gover-nor-General, Sir Ninian Stephen, at Government House this morning. The other three, Senators Michael Tate and Margaret Reynolds and the member for Canberra, Ros Kelly, must await passage of legislation through Parliament authorising the expansion of the Ministry from the present 27.

The Prime Minister’s radically changed system of Cabinet Government was unveiled after the Labor Caucus voted according to deals worked out earlier in the week and provided Mr Hawke with the team he wanted. The Prime Minister responded by describing his new front-bench as "talented, competent and relevant” and the best possible after taking account of the state and gender criteria that needed to be applied as well as talent

Mr Hawke strongly denied the expansion of the inner Cabinet from 16 to 17 — to allow former Education Minister Susan Ryan to retain her place without a so-called "super-Ministry” — was a token gesture towards women. Among Ministere’'from

the previous Government, the two who have made the most conspicuous upward movement are former Trade Minister, John Dawkins, and former Health Minister, Neil Blewett. Mr Dawkins moves to the new super-Ministry of Employment, Education and Training, where the Government is planning major moves to improve the relationship between the education system and the economy.

Dr Blewett moves into the inner Cabinet, adding Community Services to his Health portfolio and having two junior Ministers, Gerry Hand, in Aboriginal Affairs, and Ben Humphreys, in Veterans Affairs, working with him. John Brown also moves into a Cabinet super-Min-istry, combining his old job of Sport and Tourism with Arts, Environment and Territories. Of the new Ministers, Senator Graham Richardson takes one of the most politically sensitive portfolios, assisting his N.S.W. Right factional colleague Mr Brown in Arts and the Environment.

Opposition leader, John Howard, has signalled moves by the Liberal Party in the environment area, and both that field and the arts embrace highly organised and vocal pressure groups.

Victorian Left-winger, Peter Staples, has also won a politically highprofile job, as Minister for Consumer Affairs and Minister assisting the Treasurer on Prices. The most controversial feature of the new Hawke Ministry was the retention of Senator Ryan in the inner Cabinet, in spite of her responsibilities not in any way resembling those of a “super-Minister.” Senator Ryan takes charge of a Special Minister of State (5.M.0.5.) portfolio much depleted by the transfer of its law enforcement functions — which included responsibility for the Australian Federal Police and the National Crime Authority — to the Attorney-Gen-eral’s department.

S.M.O.S. was not’ listed among the 16 super-Minis-tries which were to have made up the inner Cabinet when Mr Hawke revealed his new Public Service system last week.

However, Senator Ryan will also be Minister assisting the Prime Minister on Women’s Affairs and the Bicentenary, and Minister assisting Dr Blewett in Community Services and Health (giving him in all three ministers — one from each faction — working under him).

Mr Hawke denied suggestions raised at a newg conference that re-

tention of Senator Ryan under the circumstances amounted to sexist tokenism.

“It should have been clear in our four-plus years of Government that our commitment to women’s issues has not been a token commitment,” he said. “It is appropriate that there should be a representation of women in Cabinet, and Senator Ryan is there for that reason ... and she will have very substantial responsibilities.”

Mr Hawke also revealed the three Ministers who must await Parliamentary approval before taking their positions had volunteered to be put in that position at the bottom of the Ministerial list. All three could be seen as having being “rescued” by Mr Hawke’s insistence to his factions that three Queenslanders, three women and one Tasmanian should be included in the new Ministry-

Senator Tate, the Tasmanian dumped only last week by his own Centre-Left faction after a short term as Special Minister of State, was reinstated.

Senator Reynolds, a Queenslander and a woman, was finally nominated by her Left-wing faction after or©nally

polling poorly behind Senator Nick Bolkus, who now must wait for a retirement from the Ministry to get his chance.

And some Caucus members believe the Right wing only added Mrs Kelly to its ticket after Mr Hawke forced the Senator Reynolds concession from the Left in pursuit of his “three women” goal. Opposition Leader, John Howard, indicated that his Party would oppose the legislation increasing the size of the ' Ministry, meaning in effect that the Australian Democrats will determine whether the bill passes the Senate.

Mr Hawke said he had spoken briefly by phone to Democrats’ leader, Janine Haines, on the issue, but he refused to give details of the conversation.

Senator Haines has said she will not take a position until her party has its first post-election meeting — some time after the final Senate results become clear. The Prime Minister said he believed the reasons behind the expansion, tied up as they are with the radical re-organ-isation of the public service, were overwhelming.

Mr Hawke said he expected to announce today a number of changes at the top levels of the public service to go with the restructured Ministry.