WITH friends like Doug Parkinson, who in the Labor Government needs enemies?
Certainly not luckless Children’s Minister Lin Thorp.
Ms Thorp understandably looked stunned on Thursday, watching from her red velvet sofa, as her Labor colleague and Government Leader in the Legislative Council proceeded to dig up the smelly corpse of her own misjudgment that she had hoped was well and truly buried.
It was a stellar performance by the blustery and unpredictable Mr Parkinson which left MPs in the staid, gold-leafed chamber gasping.
Further down the panelled corridors of power in the green-carpeted parliamentary rooms of Mr Parkinson’s Cabinet and backbench Labor colleagues, the air was just as quickly filled with unprintable expletives.
To merely say Mr Parkinson’s outburst was both unexpected and unwanted by Labor is almost to play down the political ramifications of his rant.
Premier Lara Giddings had finally and belatedly flown to Canberra just that morning to attend to far more important matters of state in particular the state of cash-strapped Tasmania’s GST share certain that she had put the unedifying fortnight-long chapter of Ms Thorp’s “inappropriate” divulging of confidential job rankings of a political rival behind her.
A no-confidence motion in Ms Thorp for her abysmal conduct and abuse of ministerial information had been defeated in Parliament the previous day with Greens’ support, after some clever tactics orchestrated by Ms Giddings.
Ms Thorp had personally finally apologised to former Children’s Commissioner Paul Mason, albeit eight days after telling national radio Mr Mason was only capable of coming fourth when he reapplied for his job.
The Premier had also apologised, on behalf of the Government.
Finally the unseemly matter seemed to be dying down. Or so the relieved Premier thought, as she winged her way to the nation’s august capital and a meeting with the Prime Minister.
Imagine then Ms Giddings’ horror when she faced the media later that day in Canberra, ready to be at her statesmanlike-best, only to be confronted with the spectre of yet another one of her dwindling band of 12 Labor MPs condoning the revealing of Mr Mason’s private job results.
Worst still, Mr Parkinson had implied Ms Thorp’s apology to Mr Mason had not been genuine but made only for reasons of political expediency.
To add to Ms Giddings’ fury, Mr Parkinson had known he was to be asked that day in Legislative Council Question Time about the Government’s position regarding Ms Thorp’s public release of the findings of the interview panel for the next Children’s Commissioner.
Accordingly, Labor advisers had prepared a response to the questions they had been courteously advised in advance were to be asked by the independent member for Windermere, Ivan Dean.
The problem was that an ill-disciplined Mr Parkinson was unable to contain his anger
…
The only time when ministers can express their personal views, and not be taken to be representing Government policy and position, is when a conscience vote or debate on a sensitive issue such as abortion or euthanasia is declared.
For a Government leader to try to retrospectively wave some sort of white flag and claim a mistake made earlier was not the Government’s official viewpoint but a wayward personal one, is simply not possible.
The other personal problem for Mr Parkinson is that, despite his background as a lawyer and his 17 years in State Parliament, he already has a bad reputation for just such unmeasured outbursts.
He currently has a defamation action proceeding against him after he questioned the honesty and integrity of so-called Shreddergate whistleblower Nigel Burch outside Parliament in 2008.
Mr Parkinson has also been trying to insist the State Government and taxpayers cover his legal costs for that defamation case, claiming former premier Paul Lennon encouraged him to publicly abuse and denigrate Mr Burch.
Doug Parkinson on Tasmanian Times: HERE
