When New South Wales Ministers Joe Tripodi and Ian Macdonald tendered their resignations to Premier Nathan Rees they were obeying conventions established over decades in Westminster type parliaments. In reality, the Premier had asked the two for their resignations last weekend, effectively sacking them. Whatever the reasons that they were given and have since supplied publicly, the immediate political reading of the action was that Rees was moving against disloyal members of Cabinet.
In a state which has had an MP assassinated, a Minister suspected of murders here and convicted of a similar crime overseas, a factional leader bashed savagely outside his Sydney home, and whose parliament has a reputation as a ‘bear pit’, it is inevitable that commentators will describe political blood being spilled. Unfortunately, where NSW Labor is concerned, such events often invite reprisals.
While a Premier’s authority in Cabinet might be based in unwritten rules inherited from Westminster, a Labor Premier’s authority has traditionally been restrained by a firm understanding within the Party that Caucus, the party room meeting of Labor MPs, decides the membership of the ministry while the Premier allocates portfolios. In practice, as in many political meetings, the Labor factions will have met previously and decided their candidates for the ministry. Left, Right, Centre and various other combinations claim spots according to their relative successes at election, perhaps modified slightly by any previous agreements.
Liberal and National Party Leaders have always enjoyed a free hand in appointments, and more recent Labor leaders have been attempting to bypass the factions. Following their election victories, both Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh claimed the right to appoint their ministries. Addressing Labor’s State Conference on Saturday 14 November 2009, Premier Rees claimed a similar privilege. Conference supported the Premier, perhaps reckoning that the move might help the Government retain power in 2011.
A Premier must balance many considerations when deciding to sack a Minister. Ideally, a Minister should only be sacked for maladministration or personal impropriety, or perhaps when a stronger candidate is available. Often however, political factors are paramount. It is a firm principle of politics that while you want your friends close, you need to keep your enemies even closer. Former Premier Bob Carr recently advised John Della Bosca finally to put his leadership ambitions aside because continued speculation was creating instability. That instability only increased after Della Bosca’s resignation, because once he was outside the