Credlin

[Rorschach]

Well Clive certainly won't be doing them any favours it would seem in Qld all his preferences aren't going anywhere near them for starters. He'll be happy Newman is gone and probably gloating about it.

[Rorschach]

Peta Credlin overrules Health Minister Sussan Ley's pick for chief of staff
Date February 4, 2015 - 9:35PM
James Massola and Mark Kenny

Health Minister Sussan Ley's first choice as top adviser was knocked back by Prime Minister Tony Abbott's controversial chief of staff, Peta Credlin.

The thing about the star chamber is that Peta has just vetoed people she didn't want, she's just filled offices with acolytes, that's one of the reasons the government is now treading water

Fairfax Media has confirmed with three sources – including one familiar with the inner-workings of the "star chamber" that vets government staff - that Rowena Cowan was knocked back by Ms Credlin in recent weeks.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott's chief of staff, Peta Credlin, is facing resignation calls.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister denied the story, declaring it was "wrong" but would not elaborate.

The well-respected Ms Cowan is an experienced staffer who worked for senior Howard government ministers Nick Minchin and Richard Alston and who has also enjoyed a successful career in the corporate sector. She returned to politics after the 2013 election to work as Ms Ley's chief of staff when she was a junior minister.

She quit after the decision was taken to not let her remain chief of staff to Ms Ley, who was made a cabinet minister in the December reshuffle. She also knocked back an offer of a more junior role as senior adviser.

Ms Credlin is a member of the so-called star chamber that vets Abbott government staff. The group includes ministers Kevin Andrews and Michael Ronaldson, communications director Andrew Hirst, Liberal Party federal director Brian Loughnane and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss's chief of staff, David Whitrow.

Her micro-management of staff choices has been a sore point among Coalition MPs and news of the latest intervention could reignite criticism.

Contacted by Fairfax Media, Ms Ley's office confirmed Ms Cowan had recently quit.

A spokesperson did not deny Ms Credlin had overruled Ms Ley, offering only a "no comment".

Ms Cowan said: "I have absolutely no comment to make".

Ms Ley instead hired Cath Patterson, who served in the same role for former health minister Peter Dutton.

Ms Ley is not the first cabinet minister to have their choice of chief of staff knocked back by the star chamber.

In the months after the 2013 election, Employment Minister Eric Abetz' first pick for chief of staff, Chris Fryar, and Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull's first pick for chief of staff, Sally Cray, were both knocked back.

Treasurer Joe Hockey was also overruled on his first choice for adviser on foreign investment decisions, while Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce and former assistant treasurer Arthur Sinodinos also had proposed hires rejected.

More than a dozen Coalition staff members have told Fairfax Media the star chamber is dominated by Ms Credlin.

"It's called the star chamber but there is only one opinion that matters," one said.

"The thing about the star chamber is that Peta has just vetoed people she didn't want, she's just filled offices with acolytes, that's one of the reasons the government is now treading water."

At the same time, senior figures in the party's powerful right wing told Fairfax Media the crisis engulfing Mr Abbott's leadership could widen because he refused to make the one big change many colleagues most want, which is Ms Credlin's removal.

Several MPs, all of whom asked not to be named, said next week's first party room meeting for 2015 loomed as a crunch point with demands Ms Credlin be removed before then.

One warned Mr Abbott could face a party room uprising on the issue and that the chief of staff's position was untenable, as was that of her husband, Mr Loughnane.

"He cannot do his job and advise the Prime Minister objectively on what's going wrong while his own wife remains so central to the problem," the source said.

MPs believe one of the positions has to be vacated.

"Either Credlin goes or Brian should step down," the source said.

[Rorschach]

Tony Abbott loyal to a fault when it comes to Peta Credlin
Date February 24, 2015 - 9:41AM
Peter Reith
Columnist

A week ago, Prime Minister Tony Abbott was telling people he would not be changing staffing arrangements in his office. But the decision was only really confirmed by the media Monday, when his chief of staff, Peta Credlin, decided it was time to summons a journalist so she could be certain her decision was widely promulgated by the press.

I know for a fact some senior ministers want Credlin to go and, from what I have heard, they have good reason. The view of some is that she does not just operate at the request of Abbott but that she takes authority off her own bat and, on more than one occasion, has attempted to personally overturn decisions made by Abbott in consultation with senior ministers.

I cannot understand why Abbott thinks he can so blatantly disregard the strong majority demand of his own backbenchers. He might think it was only 39 who wantedCredlin gone, but, if so, he is out of touch.

I was also told by a reliable source that he was saying recently that his refusal to change his chief of staff was a matter of personal loyalty. Apparently, his view is that a breach of that loyalty would be a breach of his standards of behaviour. He was not prepared to break faith on this issue. He had the same personal ethics in relation to his support of Treasurer Joe Hockey.

On the matter of Philip Ruddock, when asked last week by a supporter why he dumped the highly respected whip, Abbott said he had done Ruddock a favour by sacking him. Apparently, Ruddock never wanted the job.

Already, the spill has had various effects.

Social Affairs Minister Scott Morrison, who was previously in charge of the immigration portfolio, is already demonstrating his ability to play in any position on the ground. He is on track to better manage childcare policy - and, by his evident qualities, polish his later political ambitions. This development is not lost on the 39.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is doing the same. But her latest task has been to clean up Abbott's comments on relations with Indonesia. Bishop is the dark horse. She reminds me of John Howard before the end of Alexander Downer's time as Liberal leader. She is just getting on with her job.

I was a member of the cabinet that agreed to Howard's recommendation that we donate substantial financial support to Indonesia to assist the people there during the 1997 Asian financial crisis. It was done in the best possible spirit and it was never intended that our generosity should give us leverage at some future time.

Indonesia is not Australia. It has a different political system and different cultures. We can encourage Indonesia to reconsider its position on penalties for drug trafficking, but we should not take that further step of leaving the impression we might impose a penalty on Indonesia for its refusal to be pushed around by Australia.

And, as usual, political disharmony on one side of politics invites complacency on the other.
Chris Bowen's performance on Sky last week is explained by his complacency. When asked about the income tax-free threshold, Bowen did not know when tax liability starts, and when asked about how much taxpayers pay above the threshold, he said it was 15 per cent when it is actually 19 per cent.

I know how Bowen must have been feeling. On my first interview as shadow treasurer in 1990, I was asked about the price of milk and I had no idea. I felt like a goose.

The difference between him and me is that from the moment I became shadow treasurer in 1990, I was working with my colleagues on policy all the way to the 1993 campaign. What I find amazing is that Bowen has not even started to look at the policy options for Labor. Designing good policy from opposition, even for just tax policy, is a huge task that demands months and months of talking to tax experts, modelling, consultations and commitment. If Bowen had even in small part matched what we did for Fightback, he would have been looking at the tax system from soon after the 2013 election and, at least, he would have known the numbers.

The fact he did not know even the most basic data shows he has not even been thinking about tax policy and he is probably doing nothing on economic policy, either. You do not need to be a forensic scientist to now see that Labor's plan is to just cruise to the next election and it has no intention of joining the debate on Australia's economic future.

Peter Reith was a Howard government minister and is a Fairfax columnist.

[Neferti]

So, what is your opinion, Rorschach? Who should go? Tony, Peta or Brian?


PS. Peter Reith was an absolute pain in the arse when I first worked in the Public Service (Hawke was the PM).

[Rorschach]

All 3 might be nice.
If Abbott can function and function better without Credlin he should go.
She definitely should be moved to a non-advisory and less influential position and Loughnane should just go.

[Dame Pansi]

Abbott should go and take Peta with him, divorce Margie, marry Peta and live happily ever after.

[mellie]

Funny thing Bill Shorten defending Credlin at the moment... must be to the ALP's advantage to keep her there eh.

Yes - I can't see Shorten doing any favours for the Liberals. Same goes for Clive Palmer who appears to be defending Credlin too.

Did Shorten f*ck Credlin too?


If not, she must be on his to-root/impregnate list.


I mean, who isn't?

[mellie]

Abbott should go and take Peta with him, divorce Margie, marry Peta and live happily ever after.

Margie,(Mrs Abbott) is a winner..and winning is.something you would have lost touch with since your grade 2 cross country defeat Pansi.

[IQS.RLOW]

Funny thing Bill Shorten defending Credlin at the moment... must be to the ALP's advantage to keep her there eh.

Yes - I can't see Shorten doing any favours for the Liberals. Same goes for Clive Palmer who appears to be defending Credlin too.

Did Shorten f*ck Credlin too?


If not, she must be on his to-root/impregnate list.


I mean, who isn't?

Shorten only likes it when they struggle.

You can tell from his performances that he just loves the word NO.

[mellie]

Oh thats so sssssick IQ'..