In a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley announced a new-look shadow ministry – and it includes a Treasury portfolio with little in the way of financial services background.
Following Ley’s defeat of former shadow treasurer Angus Taylor in the bid for party leadership, it is little surprise that he didn’t maintain his spot in the shadow ministry, instead heading up the defence portfolio.
In his place is Ley’s deputy leader, Ted O’Brien, who many had tipped as a top prospect for the shadow treasurer role, despite having just 18 months of economics committee service under his belt. He does, however, hold a master of economics (international political economy).
Shadow assistant treasurer and financial services minister Pat Conaghan, on the other hand, has no economics background to speak of at all.
First elected to federal Parliament at the 2019 election, the Nationals MP has a bachelor of laws from the University of New England and a diploma of legal practice from the College of Law.
He was a member of the NSW Police Force from 1990 to 1997, then worked as a police prosecutor until leaving to establish his own legal practice in 2001.
Also within the portfolio are Tim Wilson, whose election is still subject to a limited recount in the seat of Goldstein, as shadow minister for small business, and Andrew Bragg as shadow minister for housing and homelessness.
Both Wilson and Bragg had been viewed as potential options for the shadow financial services minister role and have both been vocal critics of the government’s proposed $3 million super tax.
Exiting the shadow ministry, however, is former financial services minister Jane Hume, who was dumped from the shadow finance minister role and the front bench entirely.
“She is an enormously talented, fantastic member of this team, who has contributed amazingly over her political career, will continue to do so and is a strong performer across a range of different subjects,” Ley said about Hume.
O’Dwyer, Hume, and Jones were totally incompetent as financial services minister. They all made things worse for Australian consumers. O’Dwyer and Jones had the good sense to resign and leave parliament before they were dumped. Hopefully Hume will now take the hint and do likewise.
Good move to move Sen Jane Hume out of front bench, she has been a problem in all the areas she has overseen as she does not listen to her constituents.
Au contraire sir. Ms Hume was the author of the policy to cancel working-from-home, to be driven by a movement to be imposed first upon the public service, to then establish the trend in the private sector.
I put it to you that she did indeed listen to at least one set of her constituents in Victoria – the CBD property owners. It would appear pretty obvious that when the Liberal party bagman went to the CBD property owners, they promised money to the Liberal party tank only on condition that working-from-home be eliminated from the Australian workplace, because it was a distinct threat to the VALUE of CBD office property.
Ms Hume, in her usual lightheaded way, thought that idea would go down well with the base, as with most of the Dutton base “policies”. Even Barnaby Joyce was wise to the dangers in that policy, saying “Vickki works from home”.
Apparently no one in Liberal HQ considered the fact that a majority of women in our workforce, particularly professional women, spend some of their time working from home and saving on transport costs to a distant employer and therefore being able to survive in an inflationary economic climate. Dumb as !
I can’t make up my mind whether Jane Hume or Mr Jones were the worst financial services Minister we’ve ever had. There’s not much between them
What an Adviser destroying, Frydenberg puppet of a clown she has been.
Glad to see her demoted.
Tim Wilson would have been a terrific choice as Financial Services Minister as he was all over the FASEA and Code of Ethics debacle during his time in Senate Estimates hearings.
He was also very aware of ASIC’s subliminal involvement with FASEA and their cosy relationship with CHOICE and other consumer focused groups during that time.
Agreed, likely one of the few that has some idea of Financial Services.