Key rehabilitates Collins, catapults Bennett to climate change

Monday 7th December 2015

Prime Minister John Key has brought his wayward former Minister Judith Collins back to Cabinet in the portfolios she succeeded in early in his government’s rule, taking responsibility for the Police and Corrections services.

Key said Collins had spent long enough on the back benches since resigning before the September 2014 election following allegations in the book "Dirty Politics", of which she was later cleared. She will be sworn in as a minister on Dec. 14.

Key said he had consulted senior colleagues about Collins’s return to Cabinet, but gave no sense of the degree of support they gave for his decision. It follows a convention to allow ministers who’ve been forced to resign to return to Cabinet if their previous competence was not at issue.

The biggest surprise in the minor reshuffle announced today is the insertion of Paula Bennett into the climate change portfolio, replacing Trade and Climate Change Minister Tim Groser, who will become New Zealand’s ambassador to Washington DC early next year. Groser will resign from Parliament on Dec. 14 and will leave for Washington without making a valedictory speech to Parliament. As a list MP, he will be replaced by the next candidate on the National Party list, Maureen Pugh.

Key said Bennett, who will relinquish the local government portfolio, was chosen for the climate change portfolio because the 2016 emissions trading scheme review required a politician with “good political nous” and “dexterity”.

The current associate climate change minister, Simon Bridges, is also Minister of Energy and Transport and Cabinet Office advice was that there would be conflicts of interest if Bridges took on full responsibility for climate change policy.

Bennett has no previous experience with environmental or climate change policy-making, having previously been Minister for Social Development and with current responsibilities for social housing policy and an associate finance role..

As expected, Todd McClay moves from associate trade minister to replace Groser as Minister of Trade, but gives up the revenue portfolio to Michael Woodhouse, who is relieved of police for Collins.

Local government goes to Sam Lotu-Iiga, who was seen to struggle in the corrections role, where scandals involving both private and public prison management have damaged the government this year.

He is a former Auckland city councillor.

The Act party’s sole MP, David Seymour, turned down offers of the regulatory reform and associate minister of education, a move that Key described as “quite clever”.

Seymour had indicated he wanted to pursue his private members’ bill supporting euthanasia and had work to do rebuilding the Act party.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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