source : the age
Ben Carroll’s determination to put distance between himself and the Daniel Andrews era is starting to cause some unease among Labor voters, according to some of Andrews’ former staff and allies.
On the latest episode of the Socially Democrat podcast – which features a diverse array of Labor people talking to other Labor people about Labor – Andrews’ former chief of staff Lissie Ratcliff, former NT chief minister Michael Gunner and host, former Labor assistant secretary Stephen Donnelly, were asked about Carroll’s change of course.
The prompt, which resembled a Dorothy Dixer, came from listener “Kazza” who was described as “salt of the earth Labor”. She asked whether Carroll’s attempt to dump his predecessors’ policies – along with a planned bronze statue of Andrews – was simply an attempt to get back at Jacinta Allan and Andrews.
Ratcliff made efficient use of the airtime that came her way, telling listeners she had received anecdotal feedback that Labor’s loyal foot soldiers were unimpressed with Carroll’s pivot, particularly his decision to cancel Dan’s bronze likeness.
Ratcliff said it was clear that the government’s strategy, under Carroll, was to differentiate itself, but warned some Labor supporters were “concerned”.
“They are concerned that we are throwing the baby out with the bathwater and that we should be proud of the achievements of this government because it is a Labor government, and it has done a lot of good things.
“The new leader is more than entitled to put his own stamp on government and the policy direction and change messaging and all those things.
“But they [Labor’s true believers] do not want to see everything that they have worked for and that the government has achieved, dismissed.”
Ratcliff, who spent seven years running Andrews’ office, now puts those finely honed political skills to good use at advisory firm FMRS, alongside other former Andrews staffers, including Jessie McCrone, Donnelly’s partner.
Beyond the red wall: Crowded field for Williamstown
The bayside suburb of Williamstown has usually been a good place to get an early night on election day with Labor holding the electorate for more than a century, and producing premiers Joan Kirner and Steve Bracks.
This year things are getting more crowded.
Former Hobsons Bay mayor Tony Briffa is the latest serious local name to have a tilt at one of the state’s safest seats, running as a community independent with the backing of Voices for Williamstown.
That’s not to be confused with Voices of the Inner West. Same neighbourhood, different song sheet.
Not much is known about this latest Voices outfit but CBD noticed one familiar name at the bottom of Briffa’s campaign material: Andrew Olexander, the Williamtown local and former Liberal MP who was expelled from the parliamentary Liberal team in 2005.
But two decades on he is back in the political game helping run the campaign for Briffa, whom he described as a progressive independent.
Even the Liberals who long treated the seat as more of a training ground for party hacks seem to be mounting a serious challenge with a sudden crop of enormous signs for Liberal candidate and prominent local Paul Lindemann appearing across the seat.
Then add local campaigner Gill Gannon, who has parlayed her fight against a local road closure into a tilt at the seat, running with the West Party.
Olexander told The Age that he was confident Briffa could secure a strong enough primary vote and secure the preference flows needed to have a serious tilt at the Labor stronghold.
“There is a huge change in mood here; people are looking for an alternative,” he said.
Perhaps the only safe prediction is that Williamstown commuters are likely to see more sightings of incumbent Labor MP Melissa Horne and her growing field of competitors at train stations in the lead up to polling day.
Labor locks in top judicial role
With just over 10 weeks until the state election, the Carroll government has found time for some last-minute judiciary appointments. Former silk Rowena Orr, who came to national prominence grilling banking executives during the Hayne royal commission, has been appointed president of Victoria’s Court of Appeal.
The promotion to the top court in the Victorian justice system will kick off later this month.
Orr led Victoria’s legal team at the family violence royal commission and was junior counsel assisting the Victorian coroner in an inquest into the death of toddler Jaidyn Leskie.
She practised as a barrister for 22 years, and was appointed as senior counsel in November 2014.
