It’s the annual dead zone in Australia. The week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is when many Australians can luxuriate in not needing to know which day of the week it is.
Not in Canberra. This is the season for a small scandal and a front bench reshuffle. This afternoon the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull released a statement saying he has effectively accepted resignations from two ministers, Jamie Briggs and Mal Brough.
Both will step down from their front bench positions amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour in one case, and allegations of corrupt conduct in the other.
Earlier today Jamie Briggs announced his resignation following an incident with a female public servant at a bar in Hong Kong on an official visit. In his statement the South Australian MP said:
It’s been dubbed “Take out the trash Tuesday” by Labor and there is no doubt this has been executed now precisely because many Australians are tuning out. The PM will be hoping to limit the damage.
But it’s not without some upside for the PM. It means he can begin the year with a clear deck. His decisive response in relation to Briggs’ conduct, at least, is further proof that Tony Abbott & Malcolm Turnbull are very different leaders. There will be no days, weeks or even months, spent defending Brigg’s conduct like there was with Bronwyn Bishop and her penchant for helicopters. No scope for the public to become disenchanted with any obvious double standards between what is expected of ordinary Australians and those in positions of power.
In Malcolm Turnbull’s cabinet the rules are simple. You fall short of what’s expected and you will be out.
The other potential upside is that the reshuffle that’s now required will make way for more female ministers. Malcolm Turnbull has an opportunity to heed the advice of Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau and move towards a 50:50 split in his front bench. After all, “It is 2015”.
And in a few days it’s 2016.
Do you think the Prime Minister’s reshuffle is well-timed?
Top Comments
There is something fishy about this Briggs story, I read somewhere all he did was kiss a woman on the cheek! And he resigned for that! I think me smells a cover up!
That is true. Briggs had a falling out with Julie Bishop 7 years ago. Remember this female staffer works for the Foreign Affairs Dept, and JB was told of this and chose not to hose it down - that is surely what anyone else would have done. After all, as you say, what was his crime? Add to it Turncoat's obsession with getting rid of Abbott supporters and you have it. It is also a good way to defuse the sacking of Turncoat's numbers' man - Mal Brough - quietly.
One Liberal who did not wish to be named said Mr Turnbull had removed two of the Ministry's most loathed members: "The IQ quota has gone up and the talentless arrogance quota has gone down with this move."
Also, Nationals Senator Williams stated : With Briggs leaving it means there will no be deterioration in the overall quality of the ministry, in fact it should improve."
Says it all really. Let's hope Turnbull doesn't replace these two with another pair of duds.
We will need a lot more of them to leave for the IQ level to go up!