War games: dumped minister lashes ‘factional assassin’
Poppy Johnston |
Dumped cabinet minister Ed Husic believes his outspokenness on Gaza may have factored in his demotion as he slams factional powerbrokers for the cut-throat call.
Labor’s former industry and science minister has lashed Richard Marles, with the move to ditch him thought to have been signed off by the Victorian right faction leader and deputy prime minister.
Speaking frankly after his ousting, Mr Husic said Mr Marles had chosen to “wield the factional club to reshape the ministry”.
“When people look at a deputy prime minister, they expect to see a statesman, not a factional assassin,” he told ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.
Asked if Mr Marles put his ambition to boost his numbers ahead of the good of the Labor party and government, Mr Husic said “a lot of people would draw that conclusion”.
The first Muslim to be made a cabinet minister, Mr Husic agreed his willingness to speak out following “the horrors of October 7” may have factored into his relegation to the backbench.
“I think it’s been a factor in there,” he said.
“Would I do things differently? I don’t think so.
“I don’t think I could ever stay silent in the face of innocent civilians being slaughtered in their tens of thousands and being starved out of Gaza.”
Following Labor’s resounding win at the polls, the party’s progressive left and more conservative right factions have been carving up the 30 spots in the ministry.
Mr Husic was dumped to rebalance the ledger between the NSW and Victorian right, with the former over-represented in cabinet as spots are decided on a proportional basis between factions and states.
Mark Dreyfus also lost his spot as attorney-general in the factional rejig.
Mr Husic had “walked the political desert” before and would keep fighting for a technology-fuelled growth agenda from the back bench.
“We need to burn through the timidity that has shackled us in the first term,” he urged his colleagues.
“We are going to need to make big changes in a world that is changing fast to ensure the country stands on its own two feet.”
As science and industry minister, he oversaw the set up of a multibillion-dollar federal manufacturing fund and pushed quantum technology as a major opportunity for Australia.
AAP
