23 January 2019

Is Labor toughening its stance against “jobs for the boys”? Asked the Gaetjens controversy, Chris Bowen said this: “I don’t think it’s good practice for an incoming government to remove the treasury secretary if that treasury secretary has been a normal, non-partisan appointment. I don’t regard this as a normal, non-partisan appointment…” Earlier this week, when a Liberal Senator quit half-way through his term (so his replacement won’t need to face voters) and was appointed Consul-General within an hour, a Labor spokesman said: “We’re not guaranteeing any of these. We will be assessing appointments on their merits.” They will be kept busy assessing a rash of partisan appointments the Liberals have recently made.