Politics
Bartlett quits, Giddings assumes, Green deputises. Monty on Crikey. Rodney Croome
Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett has confirmed he will stand down as the state’s leader, citing family reasons.
Mr Bartlett has used the social networking site Facebook to confirm he is resigning as premier.
He has also backed Deputy Premier Lara Giddings as his successor.
Mr Bartlett has called a press conference for 3.00pm (AEDT) in Hobart.
He says he is stepping down for family reasons, saying he wants to be a better father for his two children.
Mr Bartlett says Ms Giddings would be an outstanding premier and has his full support.
The ABC understands Ms Giddings also has widespread support within Labor.
If elected by the party Ms Giddings would become Tasmania’s first woman premier.
It is understood that former deputy Bryan Green is also among the potential candidates.
Mr Bartlett steps down from his position after two years as the state’s leader but it is not clear whether he will remain in Parliament or the Ministry.
His popularity as premier hit an all-time low in polls last year, following his deal with the Greens to secure a State Labor Government.
The positions of premier and deputy premier’s will be officially decided at a meeting of caucus tomorrow.
Mr Bartlett, 42, was elected to the seat of Denison in 2004 on a recount after the late premier Jim Bacon retired due to ill health.
Mr Bartlett had previously worked in education, health, and information technology before moving into the public sector under Paul Lennon and the then treasurer David Crean.
Following his re-election in March 2006, Mr Bartlett’s career progressed quickly, first as education minister, then his appointment as deputy premier in April 2008.
The next month he became Premier, after the resignation of Mr Lennon.
But it has been a turbulent two years at the top.”
The announcement on Facebook HERE
GREENS REAFFIRM COMMITMENT TO STABLE GOVERNANCE
Nick McKim MP
Greens Leader
The Tasmanian Greens Parliamentary Party room today reaffirmed its support and confidence for Labor in government, and the acceptance of two Ministerial positions for Greens MPs.
Greens Leader Nick McKim MP thanked out-going Premier David Bartlett for his hard work in helping establish the historic power-sharing governance structure, and said that the Greens are confident this work can be continued with Lara Giddings should the PLP decide to elect her as Labor Leader.
“When the Greens originally offered confidence to Labor and accepted two Cabinet positions we demonstrated our support for stable government, good governance and progressive policy outcomes for Tasmania, and we remain committed to those principles,” Mr McKim said.
“The Greens guaranteeing supply and confidence, and holding ministerial positions, remains in the best interests of Tasmania.”
“One of Mr Bartlett’s legacies is demonstrating that co-operative politics can work to deliver stability and good governance, which shows both his courage and his commitment to Tasmania’s future.”
“Ms Giddings has confirmed that she intends to invite Ms O’Connor and I to continue with our current ministerial portfolios, which we will accept.”
“Since the state election our focus has been on ensuring stable government, and our Party room reaffiring its position today reflects that.”
“Ms O’Connor and I have enjoyed working closely with Mr Bartlett, and I have no doubt that this will continue under Ms Giddings’ leadership should she receive the support of the PLP tomorrow.”
Mr Mckim also said that he will be very pleased to see Tasmania’s first female Premier should Ms Giddings receive the support of the PLP tomorrow.
“Ms Giddings will have won the position on merit, but it is great to see a woman in the top job.”
What David Bartlett says MR …
Premier to Step Down
The Tasmanian Premier, David Bartlett, today announced he is stepping down to concentrate more on his family and children.
Mr Bartlett said he will resign his commission tomorrow, and has endorsed Lara Giddings to become the new Premier.
He expects the Labor Party will elect Ms Giddings as leader tomorrow, and has accepted her request to remain in State Cabinet, to serve and support her in whatever role she wishes.
Mr Bartlett intends to serve out his term in Parliament, but does not intend to recontest the 2014 State election, as a Member for Denison.
“This has been one of the toughest decisions of my political career, but the deepest love in my life is for my wife and young children,” Mr Bartlett said.
“Recently, it’s become clear to me that I can no longer do justice to being Premier, and be the sort of father my children deserve.
“Even with the wonderful support of Larissa, I’ve found the 24-hour demands of the job are making me increasingly distant from them.
“This is the right decision for my kids,” he said.
Mr Bartlett said he was proud to have pulled together a stable government after the uncertainty of the last election, and is confident it’s now well established and entrenched.
“I firmly believe what we’re doing is enhancing our democracy for the people of Tasmania, and will be seen as historic in coming years,” Mr Bartlett said.
“Lara Giddings will make an exceptionally talented and strong leader, in continuing those efforts.
“She’s also been the best and most loyal Deputy any Premier could wish for.
“But friends with adult children tell me that childhood is such a fleeting moment, that’s gone before you know it.
“I don’t want my children to spend it without their Dad around.
“Larissa has been a tower of strength for our family during my time as Premier, and we have talked this through exhaustively.
“We had a lot of time together as a family over Christmas, and reflected a lot on what’s really important in life.
“We believe this is the right decision for us – and particularly for Hudson and Matilda,” he said.
Crikey …
David Bartlett resigns
Sunday, January 23, 2011 – 5:11 pm, by William Bowe
Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett has dropped a bombshell by announcing (on Facebook, if you please) that he will relinquish the leadership, citing family reasons.
Bartlett plans to remain in parliament and cabinet for the remainder of the current term, but will not contest the next election.
Deputy Premier Lara Giddings has Bartlett’s “full support” to succeed him, but the ABC reports former deputy Bryan Green is believed to be another potential candidate.
Green however is carrying weighty baggage from the previous term, when he resigned over the granting of a building accreditation monopoly to a company part-owned by former Queensland Labor ministers John White and Glen Milliner.
He was tried twice on charges of conspiracy and attempting to interfere with an executive officer, both of which ended in hung juries.
The leader and deputy leader positions will be determined at a caucus meeting tomorrow. The new Premier will be the fourth since Labor came to power in 1998, following Jim Bacon, Paul Lennon and David Bartlett.
UPDATE: Channel Ten has reportedly reported that Bartlett likely faced a leadership challenge from Giddings if he did not go quietly.
First published: 2011-01-23 01:59 PM
Sue Neales, Mercury: Green lines up for Premier:
LARA Giddings has always said she has no ambition to be premier.
Now she is set to become Tasmania’s first female premier today, albeit perhaps a reluctant one.
That leaves the key question hanging in the wind, as to whether she is just keeping the hot seat warm for a couple of years for an already anointed future recipient of the top job.
The logical conclusion of the sudden announcement by David Bartlett yesterday that he is standing down would suggest this to be the case.
The ambitious and politically irrepressible Bryan Green would appear to be the one chosen for the job.
However, the even more ambitious Infrastructure Minister David O’Byrne should not be ruled out of future contention, either.
It makes certainly little sense for Mr Bartlett to claim he is quitting as premier solely for family reasons, then to remain one of Tasmania’s Cabinet ministers.
With only eight ministers in Cabinet alongside the premier, most with multiple portfolios, the load of a government minister is scarcely less onerous in terms of time commitments than that of being the state’s leader.
More likely would be the assumption that Mr Bartlett has been pushed from his position by the ascendancy of the Labor Party’s dominant Left faction.
…
Now it will be Mr Green overseeing the process in his new power position as deputy premier to Ms Giddings, not the team of Mr Bartlett and Mr McKim, who many old Labor types believe were suspect when it came to determining the future of logging in the state.
It is easy to envisage behind the scenes the hand of former premier Paul Lennon and former Labor powerbroker and now Forestry Tasmania chief Bob Gordon in the shift of power from Mr Bartlett and Mr McKim to Ms Giddings and Mr Green.
Just how bad the Government’s finances have been left by Mr Aird and Mr Bartlett is also set to become apparent in the next few weeks as Tasmania releases its next set of financial data revealing how out of kilter the forecast 2010-11 Budget has become.
For Mr Bartlett, who has perhaps unfairly become tagged with the epitaph of “Backflip Barty” after his many political switchbacks over the past 2½ years as premier, it is an ignominious ending to his aspirations to be Tasmania’s leader for a decade.
Exactly what it means for Labor’s relationship with Mr McKim and fellow Greens MP Cassy O’Connor — who sit precariously in a Labor Cabinet only on the invitation of a now-deposed Labor premier — remains to be seen.
Monday:
Smooth entry for new Premier
Tasmania’s Labor caucus has elected Lara Giddings as its leader.
The 38-year-old replaces David Bartlett who quit the top job yesterday to spend more time with his young family.
Ms Giddings will continue to govern in an alliance with the Greens, who have two members in the minority government cabinet.
Former Deputy Premier Bryan Green regains the position five years after he was sent to the backbench in disgrace over the ‘deals for mates’ scandal involving the Tasmanian Compliance Corporation.
The jury in two Supreme Court trials could not reach a verdict and the case was dropped.
Arriving at today’s meeting he acknowledged it had been a tough couple of years and said he would be happy to step back into the job.
Ms Giddings will speak to the media this afternoon and is expected to announce she will retain her Treasury portfolio.
She will be sworn in as Tasmania’s first female Premier this afternoon.
Monty on Crikey:
Was it really the wistful look of the young son as his father opened the front door each weekend to go to work that caused Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett to quit?
Clearly, there was more at play here than Bartlett’s wish to be a better father to his children. If he sees these next few years as the most important in bonding with his children, why will he remain a minister in the Giddings Government? Does he intend to be a Monday to Friday Minister? Granted, he has said he will quit at the 2014 election.
In the political lexicon, to cite “family reasons” to justify one’s resignation implies there is more to the departure than meets the eye. There is more to this. It revolves around Bartlett’s personality and his judgment.
By his own definition, he is a suburban kid, an adopted child who did not meet his birth family until he was 19 but who grew up in a loving, caring family. Those close to him say his flaw is that he seeks constant approval. It is now clear he chose the wrong time in life to step up to the plate of being premier.
Bartlett breaks the mould of Tasmanian Labor leaders. Born in 1968 he is the archetypal Gen Xer: an IT nerd, who works with an iPad, communicates by Facebook, wears a thumb ring, rides a mountainbike and bangs his head to Nick Cave and Grinderman. No working in the mines of the west coast for this one.
Bartlett became a father in his late 30s and Premier at 40, after only four years in the parliament. That is his main problem. Orthodoxy in Tasmania is that backbenchers have toddlers, ministers have teenagers, but premiers have empty nests, favourite restaurants and burn the midnight oil. Or, as Lara Giddings and Julia Gillard prefer, you dedicate your life to politics from the start. Bartlett’s timing for a political career was out of phase with his family. His rise was too sharp.
Once in power, he found the job much tougher, more time-consuming than he had imagined and not quite the glam of President Jed Bartlet in West Wing.
Bartlett’s critics point to a record of procrastination on decisions or to making commitments that he could not possibly keep: no deals with the Greens, a line in the sand with Gunns and its pulp mill; two new Bass Strait ships; a cap on power bills. Add to that the dramatic loss of support for Labor in Tasmania over the past five years.
A protégé of former Labor premier Michael Field, Bartlett last year was forced to do what his mentor had done 21 years earlier and swore should never happen again, to form a coalition with the Greens to stay in office. Labor under Bartlett lost four of the Government’s 14 seats in the 25-seat House of Assembly at the March 2010 election. He traded two places in Cabinet in return for the Greens guaranteeing supply and confidence. When you have only 10 MPs in the Lower House and a handful in the Upper House from which to choose a Labor Cabinet it is a blessing in disguise to recruit some intellect from outside.
Bartlett has not been able to convince party powerbrokers that coalitions are the way of the future, despite it being blindingly obvious to most others. Labor still wants power in its own right and, under Bartlett, it was unlikely to achieve it in 2014.
“They were ready to slice him up,” one insider told Crikey.
When Giddings became Treasurer in December, she is said to have been horrified at the fiscal forecasts for the state. Governing Tasmania in the next three years was going to be difficult, time-consuming and unpopular decisions were going to have to be made and sold.
Bartlett knew it. He also knew the moves would come against him from Giddings or Left minister David O’ Byrne, probably sometime this year. He looked at his kids and took the course that offered him dignity. He did it by Facebook.
The timing suited Giddings, 38, single, single-minded, articulate, experienced, savvy and well-advised. She becomes Tasmania’s first woman premier, having already been the youngest woman elected to an Australian parliament in 1996 at the age of 23. She has the time to commit to the job.
There is no question that the coalition with the Greens will continue.
“The king is dead. Long live the queen,” said the pragmatic Greens’ leader Nick McKim.
Bruce Montgomery for Crikey. Monday, January 24
Andrew Darby on Fairfax:
Now you see him, now you don’t: Tasmania’s disappearing premier
THE lightning speed of change in Australian political leadership sometimes seems too quick for us to catch up with its real reasons and costs.
The latest to go, despite having at least three years of a premier’s job satisfaction and salary ahead of him, is Tasmania’s premier David Bartlett. He says he walked out of the top job at his own choosing, the better to spend time with his wife and two children. Commentators used to the dark machinations of the ALP see him avoiding a coup forced by his own unpopularity.
Either way, Bartlett’s departure is as rapid and unexpected to Tasmanians as was the vanishing of Kevin Rudd from the prime-ministership.
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In terms of change at the top, the game of skittles that has been the New South Wales premiership is easier to see as a search for competence. The falls and rises of someone like Western Australian politician Troy Buswell, he of chair-sniffing and expenses rorting, is the stuff of political story books.
Bartlett’s case is different. It’s worth considering whether it has something to do with the Gen-X status he proudly proclaimed when he got the top job.
TASMANIAN GAY AND LESBIAN RIGHTS GROUP
Media Release
Monday January 24th 2011
GAYS HOLD OUT HOPE FOR MORE “EQUAL TOLERANT AND INCLUSIVE TASMANIA” UNDER PREMIER GIDDINGS
The Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group has welcomed the appointment of Lara Giddings as the State’s new premier.
Spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said he looks forward to Ms Giddings’ continued strong support for human rights in her new role.
“As Attorney-General, Lara Giddings showed her commitment to equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people by championing the legal recognition of same-sex parents, state civil union ceremonies and overseas same-sex marriages”, Mr Croome said.
“Her commitment to human rights is also demonstrated by her strong support for a state Charter of Rights, surrogacy law reform, the decriminalisation of prostitution and voluntary euthanasia.”
“Because of Lara Giddings’ strong human rights record, my hope is that under her leadership Tasmania will make substantial progress to becoming a more equal, tolerant and inclusive society.”
What Lara says …
Giddings Government Ready to Work
Premier Lara Giddings today announced she would continue as Treasurer and Minister for the Arts in addition to her new role as Premier.
Ms Giddings welcomed the appointment of Bryan Green as her Deputy and said he would continue in his existing portfolios.
David Bartlett has agreed to serve as Attorney General and Minister for Justice, and David O’Byrne will add Innovation, Science and Technology to his existing portfolios, while all other portfolios will remain unchanged.
Ms Giddings said she was honoured to be chosen as Tasmania’s first female Premier.
“It is an honour to be Premier of the State I love, and to be the first female Premier as well,” Ms Giddings said.
“I recognise that I am facing a big challenge and I am determined to pour all of my energy and effort into meeting the expectations of the Tasmanian community.
“Bryan Green will be a strong and able Deputy who will provide a passionate voice for the North of the State, and I welcome David Bartlett’s decision to continue to serve the people of Tasmania as a senior member of my Cabinet.
“I thank my Labor colleagues for the support they have given me.
“And I thank the Greens for their commitment to continuing the constructive and progressive working relationship we have built between us, particularly Nick McKim and Cassy O’Connor, who are making a strong and positive contribution in Cabinet.
“I believe it is essential that I continue as Treasurer given the challenging financial circumstances we currently face with the State Budget.
“My first job as Premier will be to go back to basics.
“Tasmanians can be assured I will work hard to deliver them the best services government can provide in critical areas like health, education, policing and justice, and infrastructure.
“The key challenge in the coming weeks and months will be to support these priorities while also taking the tough decisions needed to protect and strengthen our financial position.
“I will continue Labor’s commitment to a just, fair and equitable society – where everyone has a place, and where everyone is valued.
“I will be a leader in the proud Labor tradition, but I will also bring my own style, my own passion and my own determination to the task.
“I don’t pretend to have all the answers and government cannot solve all problems.
“When I was Health Minister I strived to be honest and upfront about the challenges we face and I will continue to do that.
“We face a particularly challenging time with the State Budget as a result of the continuing impact of the Global Financial Crisis and the loss of GST revenue from the Commonwealth.
“Successive Labor governments have established a strong track record of good financial and economic management since we assumed government in 1998.
“I am determined to ensure we continue that record.
“We must take strong action to ensure we do not go back to the bad old days of the 1990s, while doing all we can to protect existing jobs and create new ones.
“But it is not all doom and gloom.
“Key parts of the economy continue to perform well considering the impact of the GFC.
“Tasmania is not the economic basket case it was in the 1990s and we should have a balanced and realistic view of the situation.
“I am a proud and positive Tasmanian who will highlight the many things we can and should be proud of.
“We live in a place surrounded by natural beauty. We are home to strong, resilient, creative and caring communities.
“I want Tasmania to flourish, Tasmanians to achieve even greater success, and Tasmanians to be proud of who they are,” Ms Giddings said.
Premier Giddings’ Media Conference Speech
The following is the text of Premier Lara Giddings’ speech at her first media conference this afternoon following her swearing in as Premier. Please check against delivery.
Thank you for joining us today.
This has obviously been a big day for me, and not one I was expecting when the New Year began just a few weeks ago.
It is an honour to be the Premier of the State I love, and to be the first female Premier as well.
The role of Premier is not one that should be taken lightly, nor is it a personal trophy.
The idea of being Premier is something that I’ve aspired to … but not something I have actively pursued.
Throughout my time in politics, I have not chased leadership roles, but when they have come I have embraced the responsibility and workload that has come with them.
I will continue to step up and repay the faith that has been shown in me by the people of Franklin when they elected me …
And by my Parliamentary Labor Party colleagues when they chose me as their new leader this morning.
Now that circumstances have led to this moment, I am ready and willing to grasp this opportunity and to give it absolutely everything that I’ve got.
The challenge is daunting – but I’m excited by it.
The job is enormous – but I am determined.
The responsibility is heavy – but I have the passion and the drive to make a difference – to make Tasmania a better place.
As you are by now aware, I will continue to be Treasurer as well as Premier.
I believe this is essential given the challenging financial circumstances we currently face with the State Budget.
Bryan Green will be my Deputy and will continue with his current Ministerial portfolios.
David Bartlett will take on the portfolios of Attorney General and Minister for Justice that I, with some reluctance I must say, relinquish today.
It was with great sadness that in recent days I heard from David Bartlett that he no longer felt able to continue as Premier
I understand the pressures of the role of Premier and I respect his reasons for stepping down at this time.
David is a friend and I have always enjoyed working with him.
I respect David as a person, even more so for the courage and honesty he has shown in making the decision he has.
He has more to contribute to this government and I look forward to working with him as a member of my Cabinet.
I have worked constructively and positively with the Greens Ministers in Cabinet in the months since we went into Government together and I look forward to continuing to do so.
David and I spoke to Nick and Cassy yesterday morning to discuss the future and my desire to continue the strong and cooperative relationship we have built since the election.
Nick and Cassy have been a progressive and constructive force in State Cabinet and I have great respect for the work they have done as Ministers.
At the 2010 election voters made it clear they did not want any one party to have a majority, and in the aftermath they made it clear they wanted the various parties to work together cooperatively in the interests of the whole State.
I don’t believe voters want to be rushing back to the polls, but instead want stability.
Despite today’s change at the top, Labor and the Greens are determined to deliver stability leading up to the next election in 2014 and we will continue to work cooperatively to achieve that.
I’m not going to pretend, however, that things haven’t been tough for Labor in recent years.
There are people who have been disappointed with us, and who feel that we have let them down.
I am acutely aware of the need for us as a government to do more to support those who are most in need as well as ordinary Tasmanians facing the daily struggle of working, raising children and meeting the rising cost of living.
My focus is firmly on the future.
I am proud to stand here today as the first female Premier of Tasmania. But not just a female Premier, I’m a Labor Premier.
I will proudly follow the tradition of great Labor leaders who have guided Tasmania since statehood.
I will honour their legacy, and learn from their successes and failures.
Like Eric Reece, I understand that the economy and jobs come first and that’s why like Eric I will retain the Treasury portfolio. Our prosperity cannot be taken for granted, nor can the economy be left to fend entirely for itself.
I believe that the government does have a critical role in the economy, particularly in the provision of the infrastructure that supports economic development.
It must also put structures in place to encourage business growth, and to drive employment, so that all Tasmanians can get meaningful paid work.
Like Doug Lowe, I understand that we have a responsibility to future generations.
I understand that our environment is our most precious asset.
Like Michael Field, I understand that political leadership means taking tough decisions that may not have been popular but which laid the foundation for debt elimination and future prosperity.
Like Jim Bacon and Paul Lennon, I understand that a Labor Government is most of all a people’s government.
We’re here for the people who are struggling, who are doing it tough, and who don’t have a public voice.
They rely on us – on Labor Governments – to do the right thing by them.
And like David Bartlett I recognise the importance of inclusive and cooperative government.
The importance of including my Labor colleagues through an approach of consultation and unity.
And of including the Greens in a constructive partnership in the interests of Tasmania.
While I will be a leader in the Labor tradition, I will also bring my own style, my own passion and my own determination to the task.
My friends and family know that I’m a down-to-earth, straight-forward, and unpretentious person who cares about people.
My first job as Premier will be to go back to the basics.
While I don’t pretend to have all the answers, and government cannot solve all problems, Tasmanians can be assured that I will work hard to deliver them the best services government can provide.
A decent health system … a strong education system for their kids … a community where people feel safe …
Investment in infrastructure – from roads to hospitals to homes and working with business to grow jobs.
And to make laws that underpin a just, fair and equitable society – where everyone has a place, and where everyone is valued.
The key challenge in the coming weeks and months will be to support these priorities while also taking the tough decisions needed to protect and strengthen our financial position.
I will also be a Premier who is honest and upfront about the challenges we face.
I learnt from my time as health minister the importance of giving the public as much information as possible … warts and all, in order to help people understand the problems being faced by government – the need for change and why certain decisions were taken.
This is the approach I intend to bring to my role as Premier and Treasurer.
For a start, I want to be clear about the financial challenges we currently face.
Successive Labor governments have established a strong track record of good financial and economic management since we assumed government in 1998.
But the Global Financial Crisis and its aftermath have had major effects on the State’s finances and priorities.
The State must adjust to the new post-GFC world of reduced revenues and therefore the need to reduce expenses.
We must take strong action to ensure we do not go back to the bad old days of the 1990s.
And I understand that strong finances will keep our economy strong.
Labor people know that jobs are at the heart of everything we are about.
In the early nineties we had debt and deficits and with that came double digit unemployment.
Today we have an unemployment rate of 5 per cent – even at a time when not all parts of our economy have recovered from the impact of the GFC.
While we don’t control all the economic levers, where we can make a difference we are doing so with jobs in mind, both in our emerging industries and in traditional industries like forestry, mining, manufacturing and agriculture.
I recognise that the financial security that comes with employment is important for Tasmanian families. But having a job also means giving people dignity, self reliance and pride.
I want this Government to continue to support jobs for our children and grandchildren by maintaining a strong economy and investing in infrastructure and skills for all Tasmanians.
I also want to ensure that we do not lose sight of the gains that have been made in our community over the past decade.
Where we have grown into a more tolerant, confident, diverse and proud community.
A community that acknowledges the ongoing importance of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community, the original inhabitants of this land.
Where we enjoy our natural beauty.
Where we see private investors having the confidence to build world-class attractions like Barnbougle and MONA, and exporters sending our quality product across the globe.
Tasmania is now firmly on the world map and Tasmanians have a right to be proud of our State.
My aim in Government is to provide the leadership that will enable Tasmania to go from strength to strength.
Too often we risk concentrating on the negatives and failing to give ourselves the credit we deserve.
I want Tasmania to flourish, Tasmanians to achieve even greater success, and most importantly for Tasmanians to be proud of who they are.
First female Premier celebrated
The Minister for Community Development with responsibility for women, Cassy O’Connor, today congratulated Lara Giddings on becoming Tasmania’s first female Premier.
“What a great day it is that we can celebrate the first female leader of Tasmania,” Ms O’Connor said.
“As the Minister responsible for Women’s Affairs, I would like to congratulate Lara on her new role.
“Since her entry into Parliament at just 23, Lara has held portfolios across government and demonstrated that women can fulfil leadership roles with both courage and kindness.
“She has already achieved so much in her political career and I am confident that as Premier she will govern with a lot of heart and make decisions that can make a positive difference in Tasmania.
“I wish her well in her new role and I look forward to continuing to work closely with her as part of the Labor-Green Cabinet.”
Matthew Denholm, The Australian: Leftist Lara Giddings still looking for Mr Right
LARA Giddings says she still hopes to meet the “right man” but for now she’s happy to give all her time to being Tasmania’s first female Premier.
The 38-year-old career politician, sworn in yesterday as the island state’s 44th Premier, presented a confident, intimate face at her first news conference as leader.
While there was a serious statement of intent – to take a step back from Labor’s cosiness with the Greens and to re-engage with the party’s disenchanted heartland – she was candid about life as a single woman in politics. “I’m hopeful that one day I will meet that right man and will have a very happy life partner,” Ms Giddings said. “But in the meantime I am very much proud to be the first female Premier of this state and I do intend to give it all that I have. Tasmania deserves that and that’s what you do when you commit yourself to the role, and I’m proud to do that today.”
Ms Giddings, who made history in 1996 as the youngest woman elected to any parliament in Australia, at age 23, was sworn in yesterday not only as Premier, but also as Treasurer, a portfolio she gained only a few weeks ago.
Ms Giddings is from Labor’s dominant Left faction, which has asserted its control to claim both top leadership roles with the resurrection yesterday of previously disgraced and dumped former deputy premier Bryan Green as her deputy.
As her parents, Richard and Lynn, watched, she insisted she had never sought the leadership and that “not a drop of blood” had been spilled. Every Labor MP, she said, had tried to persuade her predecessor David Bartlett not to resign, as he formally did yesterday, just 10 months after last year’s knife-edge state election.
Mr Bartlett had been on notice to turn around Labor’s flagging performance in the opinion polls after his approval rating slumped to just 23 per cent in a poll early last month. However, he appeared to have the support of colleagues to continue in the short term to do just that.
Ms Giddings, who as Premier will receive a salary of $278,859 including allowances, was at pains to back Mr Bartlett’s insistence the decision was his alone and based on his desire to spend more time with his family.
Full story in The Australian HERE
Mercury: Trust me, says Bryan Green
DEPUTY Premier Bryan Green understands people may be wary of him after he was forced to resign from the high-profile position five years ago amid political scandal.
But he has asked for another chance.
Mr Green says he has learnt from his mistakes and being second in charge to Premier Lara Giddings is just the platform he needs to show he is a changed man.
“Obviously, my life took a turn in 2006 but effectively I said to the Tasmanian people and particularly the people of Braddon that if I stood for election again, and if they gave me a second chance, I would build my political career back up again and regain their trust and that is what has happened,” he said yesterday.
“I did make a mistake and I have accepted that mistake but I am a better minister for it and I am a better person for that on the basis of the understanding of what I have done wrong.”
Mr Green was a deputy to former premier Paul Lennon but was sent to the backbench in disgrace after being implicated in a jobs-for-mates scandal in 2006 involving a secret deal with the Tasmanian Compliance Corporation.
He faced trial twice, but the charges were dropped after juries failed to return a verdict.
Ms Giddings also admitted Mr Green had made mistakes but the choice for her was easy.
“He is a man that, yes, has made a mistake. He has paid for that mistake. He has lived through that mistake. He has apologised for that mistake. He is human. We are all human,” she said.
“He is a different man and I judge him on the work he has been doing as a minister and he has worked so hard and he is so confident and strong and that is what I need as I go through the tough times ahead.”
Since Mr Green returned to the ministry in the Labor-Green Government he has had to bury the hatchet with one of his toughest critics, Greens leader and now fellow Labor-Green minister Nick McKim.
He yesterday admitted the power-sharing deal with the Greens had been “enlightening” and “fulfilling” and he now had a deep respect for Mr McKim and his fellow Greens MP Cassy O’Connor.
A Labor child matures to be crowned Tasmania’s leader
Andrew Darby
January 25, 2011
NEW Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings, steeped in Labor tradition from the age of three, is set to walk a tightrope between reviving the party and maintaining power-sharing government with the state’s Greens.
Ms Giddings was sworn in yesterday following the shock resignation of David Bartlett, who withstood the pleas of colleagues and quit the top job so that he could spend more time with his young family.
She rejected suggestions that, with a low approval rating in the polls, Mr Bartlett was pushed.
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”I think virtually every parliamentary Labor Party member asked him not to do it,” she said.
He is to stay on in her cabinet with a lighter load as Attorney-General and Justice Minister.
However, more than three years out from the next election, Ms Giddings moved on from Mr Bartlett’s acceptance that minority governments would be the norm in Tasmania, particularly when the House of Assembly is restored to 35 members.
”Minority government in an increased size of Parliament is certainly going to be more likely,” she said.
”But that does not mean that me and my colleagues from the Labor Party will not be going to the next election with a strong agenda on the basis that we believe we are the best government and we believe we could rule in majority.”
Now aged 38, Ms Giddings became Australia’s youngest-ever woman MP at the age of 23. She said her Labor outlook dated back to when her mother, a committed ALP supporter, was so upset about the 1975 Whitlam dismissal that she went to bed for a week.
Then a toddler growing up in Papua New Guinea as the daughter of a magistrate and a teacher, Ms Giddings said she had to be reassured that Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser would not harm little children.
”My mother very quickly said, ‘No, no, Lara, he doesn’t kill little children, he just wouldn’t hold your hand if you crossed the road.’
”And to me that sums up why I am a member of the Labor Party. It is about people. It is about helping people across that road.”
Ms Giddings, who is single, spoke candidly about personal challenges she faced, including whether to have children.
”If I had the choice, it might be an issue for me, but I’m yet to find the right man,” she said.
”I don’t have a steady relationship. I have certainly met some wonderful men in my time, and I have met some men I would love to have had a life with.
”And of course you wonder at times whether your role as an MP and the responsibility you have as a woman in leadership roles may in fact inhibit a relationship from developing.”
Ms Giddings is the state’s first female premier, and one of a handful nationally.
She drew on state Labor icons of the past in an initial speech that promised a return to ALP basics, but also acknowledged the two Greens ministers as a progressive and constructive force in cabinet.
Greens leader Nick McKim pledged the party’s continuing support for Labor, including new Deputy Premier Bryan Green, whose political rehabilitation was completed by his elevation after he emerged from a long unsuccessful prosecution against him for 2006 ministerial dealings.
The electorally popular Mr Green is seen as a potential rival to Ms Giddings.
Read the full Fairfax story HERE
Examiner: Booth no fan of `recycled’ deputy
BY ZOE EDWARDS
25 Jan 2011 08:50 AM
Kim Booth abstained from voting in the Greens’ decision to back Labor’s new leadership team.
The Bass Greens MHA was disappointed Labor chose to “recycle” Bryan Green as deputy premier.
“I was disappointed in Labor, that their standards could be so low,” Mr Booth said yesterday.
Mr Green stepped down as deputy premier in 2006 for his involvement in the Tasmanian Compliance Corporation scandal.
He faced two corruption trials but neither jury was able to reach a verdict.
At the time Mr Booth said Mr Green “should never return to a position of responsibility in a government because he is either corrupt or pathologically incompetent”.
After the election, Mr Booth told Parliament he was “horrified” Mr Green had been reinstated to the government’s frontbench.
He said yesterday the appointment was evidence of a shallow parliamentary talent pool.
Despite Mr Booth’s opposition, Greens leader Nick McKim said his party could work co- operatively with Mr Green.
He denied the party room decision to back Mr Green showed the Greens had sold out on their principles.