Carpenter a firm hand at the helm

The Carpenter ministry has experienced extraordinary turnover in the past year with several ministers sacked or demoted, leaving the same handful of senior campaigners in charge.

The upheaval has decimated the next generation of ministers – people like John Bowler, Tony McRae and Ljiljanna Ravlich – who were meant to renew and invigorate the government.

The instability in the ministry means that experienced ministers such as Michelle Roberts and John Kobelke, despite their flaws, are more important than ever.

The most influential ministers in the state government are generally considered to be Alan Carpenter and Jim McGinty.

Since becoming premier in January 2006, Mr Carpenter has been on a steep learning curve.

Labeled by critics as arrogant and aloof, Mr Carpenter nonetheless has struck a chord with the electorate at large, judging by the results of opinion polls.

He has made some monumental blunders, like lifting the ban on ministers dealing with lobbyist Brian Burke and elevating Burke acolyte Norm Marlborough to the ministry. In these cases he has acknowledged his mistakes.

Despite these setbacks, Mr Carpenter is firmly in charge of the government and, with the economy booming, the opposition ineffective and impending ‘one-vote one-value’ electoral reforms set to favour Labor, he is likely to continue as premier for several more years.

Mr McGinty’s influence reflects his senior portfolios, experience and intellectual clout in cabinet, and leadership of the ‘left’ faction.

He is one of the few ministers during Labor’s term of office (since 2001) who can point to a record of major reform.

Arguably the most significant in the long term will be his electoral reforms, which will result in the abolition of several rural electorates and the creation of extra metropolitan seats.

Another highly influential minister is Eric Ripper, who has held the powerful treasury portfolio since Labor won office in 2001.

Mr Ripper is deputy premier and added state development to his responsibilities in a ministerial reshuffle earlier this year, highlighting his stature in the government.

Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan holds one of the state’s most important portfolios and, despite criticism from many groups over the past six years, remains firmly in charge.

However, the postponing of several major infrastructure projects this year, including the Northbridge Link development, indicates that Ms MacTiernan, despite her seniority, must still bow to the influence of treasury.

The ministers mentioned above have all held senior portfolios since Labor won power in 2001.

The only new minister who has shone brightly is Mark McGowan. Like the premier, Mr McGowan does not have a factional powerbase, relaying instead on astute performance to get ahead.

He performed admirably in the environment and racing and gaming portfolios last year, leading to his elevation early this year to the critical education portfolio.

Former education minister Ljiljanna Ravlich and former indigenous affairs minister Sheila McHale were both demoted after failing to deal with ongoing problems.

Norm Marlborough, John Bowler and Tony McRae suffered a bigger fall from grace, with all three sacked from the ministry after being caught up in the Corruption and Crime Commission’s lobbying inquiries earlier this year.

New faces in the ministry include Margaret Quirk (corrective services and small business), Sue Ellery (child protection) and David Templeman (environment) and are names to watch in future.

While critics point to the thin talent pool in the government, the opposition looks even thinner – as reflected in their poor showing in opinion polls.

Opposition leader Paul Omodei is considered a solid performer, no more, no less, which is pretty much what people expected when he was elected leader in March 2006.

Former leader Matt Birney has faded from the limelight, while his predecessor, Colin Barnett, makes occasional notable contributions, just enough to keep people guessing whether he would like another turn as leader.

The current deputy, Troy Buswell, is one of the opposition’s better performers but has blotted his copy book a few times, most recently when CCC inquiries exposed his dealings with former powerbroker and lobbyist, Noel Crichton-Brown.