Buswell back on board but planets align for Porter as political players orbit premier

LAST month, a heavyweight crowd attended the opening of an exhibition of Jeffrey Smart’s work at the new high rise on the Bishop’s See site.

As those at the back of the crowd struggled to hear the voice of WA Art Gallery director Stefano Carboni wax lyrical about Mr Smart’s art, they were clearly disturbed by one loud voice resonating from the rear of the room, which continued unabated during the formal proceedings.

In all likelihood only one person in Western Australia’s parliament could be so immune to those turned heads and looks of disapproval.

Troy Buswell is back and he’s already rocking the boat in more ways than one.

Just a year ago, Mr Buswell’s political stocks were heavily drained after he resigned from cabinet and his influential role as treasurer on the back of a mea culpa over the use of parliamentary entitlements.

The drama had unfolded as part of revelations around his extramarital affair with then-Greens state member for Fremantle Adele Carles.

The gravity of the incident was in doubt but the matter was just another in a conga line of poor form that has left the electorate polarised about Mr Buswell, who is considered either a womanising buffoon or a rough diamond, depending on which side of the divide you sit.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle and, from the day he resigned, the talk was how long he’d be in the sin bin and what portfolio he’d receive when his time was up. Nevertheless, there was permanent fall-out for the government with the loss of his respected chief-of-staff David Wawn, who took the opportunity to move back to Canberra to the newly resurgent federal Liberals.

Premier Colin Barnett needs a political hard man who is not afraid of putting a few noses out of joint when he makes tough decisions. It appears obvious that no-one else in the Liberal Party can perform this role the way Mr Buswell can.

But Mr Barnett takes a political risk in returning his former treasurer to the state cabinet. Not only is Mr Buswell a potential loose cannon who no longer has to hide his character flaw, but he’s got into bed, literally, with a Greens member.

While Ms Carles is now an independent as a result of her relationship with Mr Buswell, there is no denying where her sympathies lie.

And therein lies danger for the government. In the past week, as transport minister, Mr Buswell has appeared oddly in concert with Ms Carles regarding issues impacting on the seat of Fremantle.

This was especially the case with Mr Buswell’s decision to knock back Cazaly Resources’ bid to export containerised iron ore out of Fremantle (see ports story, page 20).

His enemies will be asking just how much the transport minister’s decision-making could be swayed by his close links to the former Greens member, who will be fighting hard to retain her seat as an independent.

Money man

The other big mover in the state’s political power base has been much more conventional.

In handing down his first budget as treasurer, Christian Porter has become the clear favourite to succeed Mr Barnett should the premier have the luxury of choosing the timing of his own exit.

A little over a year ago, Mr Porter’s limited experience in the important but narrow portfolio of attorney-general was seen as insufficient as a background for fully fledged future leadership.

But the turmoil created by Mr Buswell has paved the way for Mr Porter to assume one of the state’s two key portfolios and reposition him as a more realistic candidate for Liberal leadership in a few years. Of course, his performance as treasurer will need to be tested further, as will his capacity to maintain momentum as attorney-general.

The move also elevates the stocks of his chief-of-staff, Damian Creedon, who is spoken highly of within government.

The other key player in the parliamentary side of the state government is Brendon Grylls, whose Royalties for Regions $1 billion slush fund makes him a mini-premier and treasurer for much of the state outside Perth, its south-west corridor and the major projects of the north.

Mr Grylls has been relatively low key since being pinged by Labor for his links with resources magnate Clive Palmer, but there is suspicion that the savvy political operator is simply repeating his pre-election sweep of the regions, touching his political base, which lies well beyond the reach of metropolitan media.

With an ugly election battle likely to be waged as much against candidates from his partner in government, the Liberal Party, as it is Labor and the Greens, Mr Grylls’ success in keeping his voters loyal will be a real test of his power.

Orbiting around these central figures are key safe cabinet players such as Norman Moore and John Day. Mr Moore could be forgiven for being a little frustrated by the difficulties in smoothing out the approvals process but in general the industry appears pleased with the work of his key adviser Trevor Whittington and the Department of Mines and Petroleum, run by Richard Sellers.

The big test of Mr Day’s reforms of planning, in concert with his key bureaucratic players, Department of Planning director-general Eric Lumsden and WA Planning Commission chairman Gary Prattley, will be the success of his development assessment panels devised to smooth the way for significant building projects that tend to get bogged down at council level.

Deputy Premier and Health Minister Kim Hames may play the perfect low-key counterweight to his premier, but many in business recognise him as a safe pair of hands and acknowledge the relatively pain-free administration of his Department of Health.

While Liz Constable could get plaudits for the Department of Education’s independent schools initiative, her imminent retirement from politics and the premier’s adoption of this policy tend to overshadow her role in government.

Central orbit

The bureaucratic leadership within the departments of Premier & Cabinet and State Development are often under most scrutiny from observers of the state’s political astronomy.

Some suggest that the rising level of economic activity – the premier’s ‘boomless boom’ – will severely test this inner circle, which has stumbled a little lately as Mr Barnett’s pet projects have come off the boil.

A significant change in that area in recent weeks has been the departure of the Department of State Development director-general Anne Nolan who has gone to head up a new Department of Finance.

There are varying views on this move. State development is a key portfolio for a project-focused visionary premier who clearly has a lot riding on the outcome of private investments such as the Oakajee port and the James Price Point LNG hub. Both of those projects have become bogged down, and the Perth foreshore carries similar risks.

Those watching these matters view the shift of Ms Nolan to finance as very notable. Her interim replacement, Steve Woods, has come out of Premier & Cabinet and is seen as likely to receive a permanent appointment to this pivotal role, with those close to the bureaucracy’s core often mentioning Mr Woods in dispatches.

However, Ms Nolan’s new portfolio is not a lightweight one. Her department will take responsibility from Treasury for the state’s autonomous agencies, which have the potential to cause significant embarrassment for the government.

The failed privatisation of state superannuation fund GESB and the subsequent executive pay issue, which embarrassed the government, is an example of the kind of thing Ms Nolan will be expected to avoid. In this respect, she is considered a competent performer.

As part of this role, she will also take over the Office of Shared Services, an expensive centralisation initiative of the former Labor government Mr Barnett allowed to continue. He may be regretting that.

Just how much the disappointment of the OSS reflects on under-treasurer Tim Marney is unknown, but his influence in general is significantly diminished by the creation of a separate Department of Finance and the arrival of a new, largely untested, treasurer.

Mr Marney’s future was the subject of speculation last year until Mr Barnett renewed his appointment, agreeing to another five-year term. It was thought at the time that the vacuum created by Mr Buswell’s departure gave the under-treasurer the upper hand in negotiations about his future, given the premier had taken on the treasury portfolio and wanted experience in the bureaucracy.

Nevertheless, with WA taking on Canberra over royalties and minerals tax, the under-treasurer’s knowledge and experience will be important in the forecasting battle that is under way.

Outside the core, on the periphery of the most influential areas of government, lie two key bureaucrats who appear more influential than the ministers to whom they answer.

On a business level, Environmental Protection Authority chairman Paul Vogel is navigating some fairly difficult political waters as he attempts to deal with minerals developments that are dangerously close to population centres.

The EPA denies that the recommendation against three developments near Perth or in the South West earlier this year were anything but a coincidental cluster. But the more recent decision against the Vasse coal project near Margaret River has incensed industry, which feels politics rather than process was at play.

Always a sensitive job, Mr Vogel’s most obvious influence is in electorates where the Liberals and Nationals might be squabbling. It also comes at a time when the Greens probably feel they have to prove they are more than a flash in the pan.

On social issues such as Northbridge violence and liquor licensing, Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan is a major voice both through the media and the regulatory process.

Unlike almost any other bureaucrat in WA, he gets constant media attention, including significant opportunities to talk directly with the public on talkback radio. Under his watch the police have also become more active in opposing new liquor licences.