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PM's speed surprises
even his ministers
By PAUL MALONE,
Political Correspondent
The Prime Minister, Mr Hawke,
surprised even some of his ministers,
with the speed of his actions when he
announced a totally new Common
wealth administrative structure yester
day.
Sixteen of the 17 new departments
will be headed by a Cabinet minister
and there will be another 14 non-Cabi
net ministers who will assist in the
administration of the mega-depart
ments.
The current minister for Employ
ment and Industrial Relations, Mr
Willis, has lost the employment part of
his territory but Mr Hawke said this
was no reflection on Mr Willis. He said
he had "undiminished confidence" in
Mr Willis.
In an apparent reference to Mr Wil
lis, Mr Hawke indicated that there had
been some objection to one part of the
administrative changes.
Apart from Mr Willis in Industrial
Relations, the only other minister Mr
Hawke linked to a portfolio was Mr
Hayden. Mr Hayden will have a great
er responsibility in the economic field
becoming the Cabinet minister re
sponsible for Foreign Affairs and
Trade.
Although Mr Hawke did not name
them, the allocation of portfolios to
the other Cabinet ministers can be rea
sonably accurately guessed.
Mr Keating will stay in Treasury,
Senator Button in Industry, Technolo
gy and Commerce, Mr Beaziey in De
fence, Senator Walsh in Finance, Mr
Kerin in Primary Industiy, Mr Young
in Immigration and Ethnic Affairs, Mr
Bowen in Attorney-General's and Mr
Howe in Social Security.
Mr Dawkins will take the expanded
Education, Employment and Training
portfolio and Senator Evans will prob
ably take over Transport and Commu
nications.
The other portfolios are more diffi
cult to allocate. Senator Ryan will
probably survive because she is cur
rently the only woman minister and
she could be given Arts, Sport, Tour
ism and Environment. Mr West could
get Administrative Services and Com
munity Services and Health could go
toMrHurford. •
none Help
Mr Hawke at Parliament yesterday Help
Mr Hawke at Parliament yesterday
However, the allocation of these
three portfolios could be different and
at least one of these ministers may not
be in Cabinet A newcomer, one of the
existing non-Cabinet ministers, could
force one out
The ministry will be elected by cau
cus next Wednesday and Mr Hawke
will then allocate the portfolios.
The increase in the number of min
isterial positions is designed to silence
some of the rumblings on the back
bench.
Mr Hawke made it clear that there
would be an increase in the number of
ministers in the Senate. Senator Gietz
elt is retiring from the ministry and his
position will be filled by a left-winger.
The additional one or two positions
will go to Senator Richardson or Sena
tor Ray or possibly both.
The Member for Canberra, Mrs
Kelly, has also had her chances of join
ing the ministry improved by the deci
sion to increase the number of
ministers.
If a number of left- and right-wing
women are nominated by their fac
tions for the ministerial positions, Sen
ator Ryan could lose her spot on the
front bench altogether.
Mr Hawke said he was playing no
part in the factional deals \yhich will
determine who is elected.
The Opposition spokesman on pub
lic administration, Mr Connolly, said
Mr Hawke had finally come clean on
his secret plans which he was not pre
pared to announce during the election.
"Liberal proposals for consolidating
ministries were vilified by the Govern
ment and the unions during the elec
tion campaign in a vicious and
unprincipled attempt to scare public
servants," he said.
"But the Government's secret agen
da was protected by a conspiracy of
silence, aided and abetted by the
ACOA and the ACTU, which deliber
ately misled their members.
"The Public Service unions will get
what they deserve: they supped with
the devil and didn't check the menus."
Block recommended
generous redundancy
The changes to the Public Service
Board apparently are not covered by
the Prime Minister's promise that
there will be no compulsory retrench
ments. Up to 400 board staff could be
paid off unless other jobs can be found
for them.
Mr Hawke's promise that there
would be no retrenchments was in the
context of discussing the changes to
departmental structures.
It was after that promise that he said
that the Government had accepted
recommendations made by Mr Block,
from the Efficiency Scrutiny Unit Mr
Block's recommendations unequivo
cally recommend compulsory re
trenchments.
Of the 662 board staff Mr Block
recommends that no more than 120 go
to Employment and Industrial Rela
tions, no more than 30 to Finance and
that no more than 120 stay with the
new commission. The remaining posi
tions should beabolished, he said, and
departments should not get extra staff
to deal with new. functions, for exam
ple recruitment, previously handled by
the board
A committee of senior public ser
vants should settle "redeployment op
portunities, redundancy terms and the
timetable for achieving the changes".
There should.be "a single line, one
off, non-recurring item to handle re
dundancy payments" and redundancy
payments for staff who could not be
redeployed should be "fair and reason
able".
Mr Block said that in New Zealand
it had been found necessary to offer
staff "a series of options, including
redundancy payments, which were
seen as generous by its local public
and private-sector standards".
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