PREMIER Geoff Gallop’s office is to undergo a significant change in the lead up to the next election with the potential inclusion of a new business liaison officer.
Government insiders say the appointment will be a “real opportunity” ahead of the next election, due in 2005, and will address something they feel the Premier’s office is lacking.
However, despite several recent polls showing a dramatic drop in the Gallop Government’s popularity, they insist the moves had been planned two months ago.
It is not certain who the new business liaison person will be nor is it certain that the position will be filled at all.
However, one insider said there was a move within Dr Gallop’s office to create the business liaison position.
One of the premier’s advisers, Jason Argos, is moving to Canada and it is widely expected that his replacement will fill the business liaison role.
Mr Argos’ role covers several areas, however business liaison is not one of them.
In other changes, Mr Gallop’s senior media adviser, Kieran Murphy, has been moved to head up the office’s Strategic Management Unit.
Mr Murphy will soon be joined by Bruce Campbell-Fraser who was, until recently, Small Business Minister Bob Kucera’s chief of staff.
The Strategic Management Unit was led by former Fremantle Docker’s CEO David Hatt with assistance from Maria Saviotti.
They were moved out of that position at the beginning of the year and the role has stood vacant since then.
Mr Hatt is now Dr Gallop’s chief policy adviser, while Mr Murphy’s role will be to make sure the Government has all of the bases covered on its core issues such as health, education and law and order.
Guy Houston has been promoted to the position of senior media adviser to Dr Gallop.
The Australian’s Melbourne bureau chief Amanda Keenan will fill his old role.
