The best early birthday present was delivered to me (one up only that the Federal Budget was handed down on my birthday last year!) tonight, in the form of the first Community Cabinet meeting for 2013. Most people assume that nothing happens in little old Adelaide but not tonight, the political juices were a flowing!! Ministers including but not limited to, the Hon Julia Gillard, Hon Anthony Albanese, Hon David Bradbury, Hon Tony Burke and Sen the Hon Penny Wong descended onto the Aberfoyle Park Recreation Centre and really blew my mind.
Despite the path leading to the event being lined with protesters chanting "ban live exports. No ban No vote" a feeling of anticipation and excitement hung in the air and the peoples gathered to see some of Canberra's finest were quite reserved and dignified. The live band played harmoniously until the event commenced, and the crowed grew quiet. The applause as the Prime Minister walked in was incredible and one would have no idea as to the latest polling data. Introduced by SA Senator Penny Wong, the PM looked quite moved by the kind words of her colleague. Overall, the only let down for the night was the range (or lack thereof) of questions asked overall, which seemed concentrated to just a few areas. Jobs/wages, Health, Foreign Aid and Asylum Seekers - and most of which were answered by the PM herself. Fun fact, for most of the question and answer time, one Minister (I believe to be the Minister for Broadband but I could be wrong) studied his iPad/tablet as all of 2 or 3 questions were directed to other minister and not the PM.
Nevertheless the night was memorable. Favourite quote? Came from the Minister for infrastructure and Transport, "Hi I'm Anthony Albanese and I am the Minister for building things" - Can't get much more blunt than that right? However the person whom I was sitting next to said he could have said "Hi I'm Anthony Albanese and I am the minister who fights with Christopher Pyne the most in the House" Any takers?? No matter, with the distant rumble of "no ban no vote" the PM and her Ministers spoke eloquently and with the drive and determination that is rarely seen in the public arena, given the crap, scandal and mess we impose on them instead. Refreshingly no one uttered the dreaded names of Craig Thomson, Peter Slipper or Kevin Rudd nor did they mention the other numerous scandals plaguing the Labor party at the present time. It was almost a complete hour of policy-ish discussion with the electorate. Favourite question? Came from a girl asking about how many Asylum seekers are in our care, but that is not the best part, the best part is, she was asking in relation to her Research Project, a compulsory Year 12 subject in SA. And as a Year 12 graduate in 2012 and heavily obsessed with politics I could not think of a better reference than, Oh yeah I interviewed PM Julia Gillard!
Now this is going to make me sound incredibly vain, and I do apologise because that is the last thing I want but here goes. It is true that our PM Julia Gillard does sound different in real life as opposed to the edited snapshots we see on our television. As does the Minister for Finance and Deregulation. However unfortunately the Hon Jenny Macklin does appear to be that vertically challenged in real life and does sound like she does on television. As for the men, I have to say the cameras make them seen more scary than they appear standing in front of you. However, none of this really matters when it comes down to it, because it should be whether or not they can perform their jobs not materialistic things that make up our minds when we cast our ballot on September 14th.
Well I am leaving the best part until last, after the PM had left a few unlucky Ministers were swamped by eager people begging to have a photos taken with, and me being one of them, had the lovely pleasure of meeting Senator Penny Wong! Which honestly was the icing on the cake after a great evening. The lovely people gathered made up tenfold for the protestors outside, and tonight the Community Cabinet restored my faith in our Political System and Government. My only regret is that more people do not have the opportunity to attend such functions, as the engaging session allowed for a discussion away from the drama and hoopla which currently surrounds our political scene. It was completely an awe inspiring night!
Full list of Ministers in Attendance:
Hon Julia Gillard, Prime Minister
Hon Anthony Albanese, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Hon David Bradbury, Assistant Treasurer, Minister Assisting for Deregulation
Hon Tony Burke, Minister for sustainability, Environment, Water, Pollution and Communities
Hon Mark Butler, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Mental Health reform, Minister for Housing and Homelessness
Hon Jason Clare, Cabinet Secretary, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Justice
Sen the Hon Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Digital Productivity
Hon Mark Dreyfus QC, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Management
Hon Kate Ellis, Minister for Early Childhood and Childcare, Minister for Employment Participation
Sen the Hon Don Farrell Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water
Hon Jenny Macklin, Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Reform
Sen the Hon Penny Wong, Minister for Finance and Deregulation
It's refreshing to read an account of the Cabinet Meeting that is not skewed by an agenda as is sadly the case with so much of the mainstream media.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post.
If only the mainstream media could write like this, I for one am fed up with the constant need to sensationalise question time and not to follow policy.
ReplyDelete