5.19pm EDT17:19
The New South Wales treasurer, Dominic Perrottet, has emerged as the man most likely to take over as the state’s premier following Gladys Berejiklian’s bombshell resignation last week.
The treasurer has been working hard on building a profile in recent months – perhaps in the hope of the premier’s job becoming vacant – but despite serving in the NSW government ministry since 2014, for many voters, Perrottet is a largely unknown quantity.
So who is the would-be premier of Australia’s largest state?
Find out below:
5.03pm EDT17:03
Berejiklian could make a great prime minister if cleared by Icac, NSW transport minister says
Andrew Constance has given his former premier, Gladys Berejiklian, a massive plug on ABC radio this morning, stating that as long as she can get this whole Icac thing cleared up, she would make a fantastic prime minister.
Guardian Australia revealed yesterday that Berejiklian has been approached by senior Liberals to run for the federal seat of Warringah, with some federal MPs stating she was seriously considering the proposal.
Constance was asked this morning if he thought she should take up this opportunity.
Yeah, absolutely. I think if Glad can get cleared up – whatever these issues are, through the public hearing process – I think she’d be unreal.
You couldn’t have more hard-working, deeply principled Australian female politician* and Gladys Berejiklian so, yeah, if that if that’s an option, why not? …
But do I think she’s got the capacity to be prime minister of Australia? You bet.
*Umm, mate, did you really need to say “female politician” here.
Updated
at 5.08pm EDT
4.48pm EDT16:48
Outgoing NSW transport minister Andrew Constance is speaking to ABC radio now about his decision to resign from state politics in order to make a federal run.
Constance has defended his choice to leave as the party faces a tremulous leadership change, but said it “would’ve been ideal” for the deputy premier and Nationals leader John Barilaro to stick around until the waters calmed.
After 18-and-a-half years in state politics and 10-and-a-half years as a cabinet minister, with an incoming premier there’s going to always be a degree of change …
Chris Minns is saying that it’s selfish [for Gladys Berejiklian to resign]. Chris Minns would do well to look around his own team to see who’s shopping their CVs.
Updated
at 4.54pm EDT
4.32pm EDT16:32
Security agencies need stronger oversight: ANU paper
Australia’s national security apparatus has become “one of the most complex and sophisticated in the world” but oversight functions have not kept up, according to a paper published today.
Dr William A Stoltz, the senior adviser for public policy at the Australian National University’s national security college, believes the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) needs more support given the wide remit of its oversight work:
The PJCIS is now dealing with arguably the most complex and arcane aspects of government business, especially for members who have had limited previous exposure to law enforcement, security or intelligence issues.
For example, recently the committee has been simultaneously considering inquiries into extremism and radicalisation, foreign intelligence collection, access to telecommunications data, the listing of terrorist organisations, the security of critical infrastructure, criminal use of the dark web, oversight reforms, and agencies’ expenditure.
In the paper, Stoltz renews calls for the PJCIS to be given the power to commission the inspector-general of intelligence and security to undertake special reviews and investigations “so that parliament can gain access to operational insights on its own terms”. That would ensure that parliamentary representatives “receive more information about intelligence activities than what agencies tell them”. He also says PJCIS members’ staffers should be given high-level security clearances so they can better support MPs and senators to perform their oversight function.
Stoltz also proposes the appointment of a “minster for intelligence” to “improve the ability of cabinet to exercise informed, strategic leadership over Australia’s modern intelligence and security enterprise”.
This role would be performed by an assistant minister or a junior minister. They would not be responsible for approving specific intelligence collection activities, but would advise the cabinet’s national security committee and senior ministers on agency budgets, capabilities, and legislative reforms.
Updated
at 4.36pm EDT
4.27pm EDT16:27
Good morning everyone, it’s Matilda Boseley here and we have a jam-packed Tuesday ahead.
First up, of course, we have the impending NSW Liberal leadership vote for the new premier taking place today, and it seems almost certain that treasurer Dominic Perrottet will be taking the top job.
Long touted as the premier-in-waiting, the treasurer struck a deal with his moderate colleagues over the weekend to make jobs minister Stuart Ayres his deputy and promote environment minister Matt Kean to treasurer if they backed him.
Former prime minister and Liberal party elder John Howard has also backed Perrottet, saying he is driven and reform-focused.
But planning minister Rob Stokes is refusing to back down, and the big question now is “what will he do if the vote doesn’t go his way”. Could this be the fourth byelection the Coalition must contend with out of this shakeup?
Down south in Victoria, tradies are starting up their tools as a two-week pause on construction is lifted across Melbourne and other locked-down areas.
Construction workers can return to worksites on Tuesday as long as they meet strict safeguards and have at least had their first coronavirus vaccination.
The industry-wide mandate, and other restrictions, sparked a protest outside the CFMEU’s Melbourne headquarters two weeks ago, causing the government to announce the sector would down tools for a fortnight-long reset.
The state’s chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, could not say what proportion of the industry is now vaccinated but said tens of thousands of workers have rolled up their sleeves and he was confident the industry had learned the “hard lesson” and reflected on compliance issues with masks and tearooms.
OK, with that, why don’t we jump into the day?
Updated
at 5.20pm EDT
