Business has welcomed Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s cabinet appointments, saying new workplace relations minister Simon Crean will be well placed with his extensive experience in previous governments.
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Peter Anderson also says Stephen Smith is a good choice to handle the trade portfolio, given his similar responsibilities in the foreign affairs department.
Yesterday, Gillard announced that Crean would take over her portfolios of education, employment and workplace relations. Crean would hand his trade portfolio to Stephen Smith, who will add it to his current work in foreign relations.
No other changes were made, meaning Craig Emerson will still keep his small business portfolio.
Gillard said the appointments were appropriate, given Crean’s experience in previous governments and work with the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
Anderson agrees. He says Crean’s experience makes it promising he will work well with both employee representatives and business groups.
“Simon Crean has extensive experience in the employment, industrial relations and industry policy portfolios through his period with the Hawke-Keating government, and now the Gillard government. That means he has knowledge of issues from a union perspective, but also an appreciation of the business case.”
“As trade minister, he had and has a good appreciation of the need for Australian businesses to make a buck.”
Crean has a significant task on his hands to oversee the shift to the modern awards scheme. But Anderson says Crean has a good balance in his background to give employers a fair hearing.
“The challenge for him now is to look at changes that will need to be made to Labor’s industrial relations laws with an open mind.”
Anderson also praised Smith’s appointment as trade minister, saying his objectives closely align with those in the foreign affairs portfolio.
“The pursuit of market access into other nations goes well with the foreign relations agenda. Stephen Smith’s appointment is a very workable arrangement.”
Gillard also said yesterday former prime minister Kevin Rudd would not be a part of the new cabinet. However, if Labor is successful in the upcoming election, Gillard said she would be “delighted” to award him with a senior ministerial position.
Analysts also say the minimal changes to the cabinet indicate an election may be called soon, even as early as August.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
