Australia’s worst premier, which is a badge not easily won, has survived the first round of leadership convulsions, from the AFR:
Embattled West Australian premier Colin Barnett will remain leader after a spill motion was defeated, with 31 MPs backing their leader against 15 agitating for change.
…Backbencher Liz Behjat and supporter of Mr Barnett tweeted it was time for the “rats and cockroaches to go”.
Education minister and Liberal powerbroker Peter Collier defended Mr Barnett’s leadership and said Mr Nalder’s push to become leader would fail.
…”Leadership is something you can’t demand of people. You have to earn it.”…Political analyst Martin Drum, a senior lecturer at the University of Notre Dame, said the damage to Mr Barnett had already been done.
“He has just had his concept of cabinet government torn to shreds by three former ministers,” Dr Drum said.
“They are describing him as a dictator who doesn’t consult. One minister said he had to find out about policy decisions by listening to talk back radio. That is obviously fodder for the Labor party.”
He’s surely a goner with one third of the party room ready to jump ship. A few more weeks of destabilisation ought to do it.
And so will end the worst Australian premiership since Joan Kirner, directly responsible for deepening the suffering upon the people of WA as he spent big during the boom then pulled the fiscal reins during the bust.
