Into the breach

AS the dust settles from the Buswell-Carles imbroglio that dominated state politics last week, member for Nedlands Bill Marmion is quietly adjusting to a demanding new role.

And the biggest adjustment is surely not the view of the Swan River from his new office on the 21st floor of Governor Stirling Tower.

Hand-picked by Premier Colin Barnett to step into Troy Buswell’s ministerial shoes, Bill Marmion’s new challenge is to take on the portfolios of commerce, housing and works, and science and innovation.

If that’s not enough, Mr Marmion will also serve as assistant in the Treasury portfolio.

This is in addition to making time for his wife and five children, working as deputy chair of the Governor General’s honours board, chair of the Engineering Excellence Awards for WA, and extensive involvement with the YM Coastal City Hockey Club.

While he has spent the bulk of his career in public service, from his beginnings as a civil engineer for Main Roads to later working as a director in Richard Court’s office, Mr Marmion says politics was not a logical match for him.

“I had actually tried to avoid being in politics,” he says.

“My family is Liberal by background, my mother was in the Liberal Party and I joined the Young Liberals at uni in my final year because they had terrific parties, but that was about it.”

But he couldn’t avoid it for long, and entered the world of politics as chief of staff to then health minister Peter Foss in 1993.

Fellow St Georges College alumni and former Water Corporation chief, Jim Gill, contacted Mr Marmion, saying Mr Foss was looking for a new chief of staff.

“Just to get Jim off the phone I said. ‘you can put my name forward if you like’ and it really was a throw-away line,” Mr Marmion says.

“That basically started my transition from being an engineer to going into politics.”

Not that Mr Marmion thought he was qualified for the job, however.

“When Mr Foss was interviewing me I told him I didn’t know anything about health,” he says.

“Mr Foss, being a lateral thinking type person, said ‘I don’t need anyone who knows about health, I just need someone who can get through this paperwork.’

“He got fairly relaxed, and I thought ‘... I’ve got this job’.”

Surprised as he was to land the chief of staff position, it was nothing compared with the reaction when he ran for the seat of Nedlands, and won, against sitting independent Sue Walker in 2008.

Mr Marmion says he was approached by the Liberal Party to run for a seat, and was given a range to choose from across the metropolitan area.

Even though the Liberals were not convinced he could win, Mr Marmion insisted on running for Nedlands.

“We decided that, if I was going to go into politics, I should run for the seat that I’m most familiar with and I identify with, and if I don’t win, so be it,” he says.

“I went in there on the basis that if I didn’t win, that’s ok, because I had a go.

“And if I’m in my retirement house in 20 or 30 years’ time and we’re all having a chat about how the state government isn’t doing things right, I can say my two bob worth and if someone says ‘what gives you the right to criticise?’ I can say ‘I actually did have a crack but didn’t win.’

“I was comfortable with that, and I think that made it a bit easier for me to say yes.”

In his inaugural speech as member for Nedlands, Mr Marmion says he wanted to play a part in a government that sets the bar high.

Now as a minister, he says he has the opportunity to raise that bar higher for the good of the wider community.

“What gets me up in the morning is being able to make a difference and help someone,” Mr Marmion says.

“I’ve actually really enjoyed being the member for Nedlands.

“When you know the person who has come to see you thinks they have no chance and you pull it off, that makes your week.

“If someone sees you and they can’t get medical services or a house, and you can actually get them to the top of the list or you’ve made a difference to their life, that’s very rewarding.

“Now that I’m the minister, one could argue that I have a bigger opportunity because I am the ultimate decision maker, subject to financial constraints of course.”

How would you like to be remembered? As a minister who listened, and got the job done.

Words to live by? Just do it.

Favourite things about Perth? The Swan River and the weather.

An ideal weekend? With five kids, the best thing would be a weekend with my wife, but no kids.

A million dollars and one day to spend it? If we had a million dollars spare I’d help my wife set up a charitable not-for-profit organisation that she can run.

Three desert island items? Lots of food and water, but then you want something to do. A very long book, maybe the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and a guitar.

If you could have dinner with five famous historical figures, who would they be? Albert Einstein, Robert Menzies, John Forrest, CY O’Connor and Edith Cowan.