Boris Iemma (2 Viewers)

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Iemma names new cabinet line-up for NSW
By Anne Davies
August 3, 2005 - 1:30PM


High profile minister Michael Costa has been given the finance portfolio and responsibility for delivering infrastructure in Premier Morris Iemma's new cabinet.

The new cabinet was sworn in at Government House at 12.30 today.

Police Minister Carl Scully has been given additional responsibility for utilities and will be responsible for dealing with Sydney's water and electricity needs.

John Hatzistergos becomes Minister for Health and Frank Sartor is Minister for Planning, keeping his responsibilities for the Redfern-Waterloo redevelopment.

Senior minister John Della Bosca has maintained his same portfolios, which include Special Minister of State, Minister for Commerce and Minister for Industrial Relations.

Bob Debus remains Attorney General and Minister for the Environment but picks up responsibility for the arts.

John Watkins, who is likely to become Deputy Premier, remains in the difficult portfolio of Transport but also picks up responsibility for State Development.

Mr Iemma has given himself responsibility for Treasury, which means that he, Mr Costa, Mr Della Bosca and Mr Watkins will now form the team driving the economic direction of the state.

Carmel Tebbutt remains Minister for Education.

Reba Meagher remains Minister for Community Services and Diane Beamer has survived to remain in cabinet as Minster for Western Sydney and Minister for Fair Trading.

Tony Kelly has received a promotion and will become Minister for Justice, Juvenile Justice, Emergency Services and Land.

Joe Tripodi becomes Minister for Roads.

Three new ministers, still to be elected by caucus next week, will be given the portfolios of Aboriginal affairs, ports and waterways, and housing.

AAP reports: Mr Iemma was officially sworn in as NSW Premier by Governor Marie Bashir at a ceremony at Government House.

Mr Iemma arrived at the Macquarie Street residence with his wife, Santina, and his ministers just moments after outgoing premier Bob Carr officially handed in his resignation.

Ms Bashir told assembled media and ministers she had sworn Mr Iemma in as Premier.

"I have administered the oaths to the honourable Morris Iemma as Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Citizenship," Ms Bashir said.

Mr Iemma described his cabinet as stable and experienced.

"Today represents the start of a new era in NSW," he told reporters.

"The Government is vibrant and enthusiastic with energy.

"It is stable and experienced. I am building on the solid foundations laid down by Bob Carr [and] Andrew Refshauge: a strong state and a strong economy."

Mr Costa has previously said it would make no difference if 20 per cent of the state's public service was sacked.

Today, he said he did not believe there were too many public servants in NSW and promised there would be no forced redundancies.

He refused to speculate on the size of possible cuts to the public service, but indicated the Government was considering selling some assets.

"We'll wait till the end of that financial audit to make broad judgements about the state of the economy," he said.

"The financial audit will canvass a range of issues, including whether we get better utilisation out of our assets."

The position of Deputy Premier remains up for grabs, following the resignation yesterday of Mr Refshauge.

The likely candidates are Ms Tebbutt and Mr Watkins, with the latter considered the frontrunner for the job.

Mr Iemma refused to say if his Right faction would install Ms Tebbutt as Deputy Premier if the Left, from which the position is normally drawn, chose Mr Watkins for the job. Ms Tebbutt has to move from the upper house to the lower house to be able to fill the position.

The Labor caucus will meet next week to fill three cabinet vacancies, with the Left to choose its candidate for the deputy's position tomorrow.

Ms Tebbutt today declined to say if she would run for the deputy's job at the caucus meeting even if Mr Watkins beat her in the Left faction ballot.

"I'll be making comments over the next few days but the time now is to focus on the Premier's new cabinet and the challenges that we've got for the future," she told reporters.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national...-lineup-for-nsw/2005/08/03/1122748680856.html

The super-ministry (Planning, infrastructure and natural resources) has been split and Scully has been given the Energy and Utilities portfolio. Interesting.

 

[malkin86]

*puts on a posh voice*
The Sutherland Shire and St George Leader has presented Mr Iemma to us as a "Shire Boy Who Done Good" - not in those exact words, though. After reading their four-page article on him, I now feel like I know a lot of interest about him - barring what he ate for breakfast on the morning of the interview. For those of us who do not recieve this excellent publication, you may wish to examine the "Morris Iemma" article on Wikipedia, to which I have added some facts from the aforementioned esteemed journal.

 

[Rafy]

The super-ministry (Planning, infrastructure and natural resources) has been split and Scully has been given the Energy and Utilities portfolio. Interesting.

Yeah DIPNR is the department my dad works for. The ministry has been split between 3 ministers now. His division is still 4 people strong (from the 70 odd public servants 10 years ago)

 

[Generator]

I also suggest that those interested should catch tomorrow's repeat of today's Stateline, or at least have a look at the transcript of tonight's programme (once it is uploaded, that is). Quentin Dempster was rather critical of the process as a whole.

 

[Generator]

Yeah DIPNR is the department my dad works for. The ministry has been split between 3 ministers now. His division is still 4 people strong (from the 70 odd public servants 10 years ago)

I'm starting to wish that I had been born however many years ago. My chances of becoming a bureaucrat for life aren't as high as they once would have been.

 

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lol, borris

(I know it's old but I can't resist)