Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Wednesday 15 September 1943, page 3


NEW STATE MINISTRY APPOINTED

May Meet Early

C P-U A P Challenge

Election of Ministers for the new State Labour Government

was decided yesterday by exhaustive ballot, and resulted as follows:

. Mr- CAIN, MLA: Premier, Treasurer,

and Minister for Decentralisation and Reconstruction.

Mr CREMEAN, MLA: Deputy Premier

and Chief Secretary.

Mr FIELD, MLA: Minister for Education

and Vice-President of Board of Land and Works. Mr

SLATER, MLA: Attorney-General

Solicitor-General, and Minister in Charge of Electrical Under-

takings. Mr

MCKENZIE, MLA: Minister for

Agriculture and Mines and VicePresident of Board of Land and Works. - . , L

Mr BARRY, MLA: Minister for

Transport and Vice-President of Board of Land and Works. Mr

HOLLAND, MLA: Minister for

Public Works.

Mr CLAREY, MLC: Minister for

Labour and Health.

Mr MCNAMARA, MLC: Minister for

Lands, Forests, and Water Supply, Commissioner of Crown Lands,

and President of the Board of Land and Works. Mr

STONEHAM, MLA: Honorary Minister assisting Minister for Lands and Water Supply, and Minister for Decentralisation.

Mr KENNELLY, MLC: Honorary

Minister assisting Minister for

Labour. Mr

P. JONES, MLC: Honorary Minister

assisting Minister for Forests. Messrs Stoneham and A. E. Cook (Bendigo were appointed to the State Development Committee in place of Messrs Barry and McKenzie as a result of their appointment as senior Ministers.

Messrs Squire Reid, MLA, as chairman of committees, Tunnecliffe, and Lemmon, MLA's, did not seek

election.

Mr P. J. Clarey will be party leader in the Legislative Council.

The Parliamentary party selected the Cabinet, and Mr Cain, as Premier, allotted the portfolios.

Parliament will meet at 3pm today, when the Government will seek an adjournment to enable it to prepare . its legislative programme, which it is expected will be confined to redistribution, education reform, and a public service tribunal, which were declared for in the amendment to the Labour no-confidence motion moved by Mr Hollway, UAP leader, i and carried by Parliament.

EARLY CHALLENGE TO

GOVERNMENT?

There is little doubt that Mr Dunstan, CP leader, will seize the first opportunity to challenge the new Government, and if, with UAP support, he succeeds in defeating it a knotty constitutional problem will

arise.

More than mild speculation has been aroused by the fact that the, UAP leader was not called by the

Governor before a commission was granted to Mr Cain, because, as the centre party, the UAP holds balance of power.

A leading constitutional authority pointed out yesterday that if the new Government were defeated at an early stage it was quite competent for the Premier to advise a dissolution. The constitutional practice on the subject was apparently contradictory, and provided:

(1) The Governor invariably accepted the advice of his Ministers;

(2) The Governor must satisfy himself that there is no member capable of carrying on the King's

Government.

It would be unnecessary for Mr

sam to advise the governor to send

for any other member of the House, but, despite the omission of the Premier in this " connection, the second stipulation would appear to require that His Excellency satisfy himself that there was no possibility of yet a further alternative in the form of a composite UAP-CP Government.

It was pointed out, however, that since the Statute of Westminster constitutional practice tended towards the first provision, although constitutional authorities make it clear that State Governors are not bound by the more rigid practice now applicable to Commonwealth Go-vernor-General.

Usually well-informed circles believe that today's meeting of Parliament will prove the critical period for the

new Labour Government, and that if it survives potential challenges today, it will achieve its objective, which, it is generally thought, will be confined to redistribution, public service tribunal, and possibly education reform. It is not considered that the Government itself envisages any long term or ambitious programme, in spite of its allocation of portfolios which envisage long-term policy.

Apart from any difficulties which may arise in the Assembly, some critics claim that the Labour Government would have difficulty in getting its measures through the Legislative Council, where 15 UAP and 12 CP members have an overwhelming majority over the 7 Labour members. Others point out, however, that this is an unwarranted slur on the fairness and propriety of

the Council.

Meetings of both the CP and the UCP will be held today at which the course of action will be decided, so far as the Assembly is concerned.

The Government with 26 members, inclusive of the 3 Independents, will face a combined Opposition of 34 members in the CP and UAP, who at last appears to have bridged their differences.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Following announcement by Sir George Goudie of the defeat of the Dunstan Government, the Legislative Council adjourned until later yesterday afternoon. Sir George Goudie said that new Ministers were then being sworn in.

When the Council resumed at pm Mr Clarey, Minister for Labour in the new Ministry, asked for an adjournment, which was granted until a date to be fixed, to enable the legislative programme to be prepared. He expressed appreciation for the congratulations and good will which had been expressed, and asked for a continuation of the consideration given by the House in the past.

NEW GOVERNMENT LEADERS

Mr John Cain, MLA, Premier, is one of the most popular and respected members of the Labour movement. Imbued with party ideals at an early age, he is still a fearless and consistent fighter for them. He was born at Blackwood, 56 years ago, and after his first experience of public life in Northcote Council in 1915 was elected to the Assembly for the old Jika Jika seat in 1917, subsequently becoming member for Northcote after readjustment of boundaries. He obtained his first Ministerial post in the Prendergast Government in 1924 as Assistant Minister for Agriculture, and occupied the same position in the first Began Administration. He was Minister for Railways in the second Hogan Government, and became deputy leader of the Labour party in 1932, becoming leader in 1937. He is as highly esteemed on personal grounds by his political opponents as by his many friends.

Mr H. M. Cremean, MLA, deputy Premier and Chief Secretary, is another well-known and popular figure in the Labour movement. He was elected for Dandenong in 1929, but was defeated in 1932. In 1934 he was successful in Clifton Hill, and has represented that electorate since. He is a member of the Commonwealth Board of Business Administration and vice-chairman of the Patriotic Funds Council. He was a member of the Select Committee on Widows' Pensions and

Child Endowment, and Chairman of the Committee on Child Endowment,

and vice-chairman of the Evacua

¡ tion Committee. He is secretary of the Fire Brigades' Union, and was I formerly Mayor of Richmond.

Mr P. J. Clarey, Government leader in the Legislative Council, was I elected for Doutta Galla in 1937. ; He is president of the ACTU, and was secretary of the Wholesale ! Packers' Union in 1912 and of the Federated Storemen and Packers' Union from 1915. Born at Bairns

, dale, he is past president and a

member of the ALP Federal executive and of the ALP conference; also

chairman of the Commonwealth AdI visory Committee. He was Chairman

of the Factory and Shops Committee of Inquiry in 1940.