Environment
SWEETHEART DEAL: Tassie Greens party boss slick Nick McKim scores his sassy Cassy O’Connor a seat at the Cabinet table
As VEXNEWS exclusively reported yesterday, the Greens party leader in Tasmania Nick McKim made securing a prominent position for his girlfriend his highest priority in negotiations with the Labor Premier David Bartlett.
CAN MY GIRLFRIEND TAG ALONG?
It appeared to pay in the wee hours of Tuesday morning when the Tasmanian Premier issued a media release announcing his offer of the position of Cabinet Secretary to Nick McKim’s lover, Cassy O’Connor.
While not being a ministry, this position pays roughly the same as a state minister and affords the office-holder an opportunity to be involved in every Cabinet submission. It’s quite a central role.
The offer is in addition to the ministerial position already offered to McKim, which some suspect will relate to the Environment.
McKim personally ensured O’Connor played a central role in negotiations with the Premier.
MORE EXPERIENCED THAN O’CONNOR PASSED OVER
Some in the Greens party are believed to have favoured Tim Morris who has considerably more parliamentary experience than O’Connor who was first elected in 2008.
But it looks like McKim has rolled over them all to secure the prizes of office for himself and his lady. For a politician pledging higher standards this does seem to be a cheekier demand than any we’ve previously seen by any Liberal or Labor figure.
McKim pledged to the people of Tasmania that he’d be very careful to avoid conflict of interests when dealing with his de facto partner Cassy O’Connor after he’d first revealed they were an item. Specifically they both promised not to vote in the party room because of the obvious conflict of interest to their party room and to their love interest:
“The Greens party room has unanimously resolved that neither Mr McKim nor Ms O’Connor will vote in any ballots on leadership or portfolio positions for which the other is a candidate, the Greens declared.
CLASSIC CONFLICT
McKim – through his leadership position – has been able to drive a truck through that limitation by taking O’Connor with him to negotiations with Tasmanian Premier and privately encouraging Bartlett to make public offers to O’Connor that put the rest of the party room in a very awkward position of having to publicly repudiate one of their small group.
It’s not the first time McKim has had to face conflict of interest allegations involving previous partners as the ABC reported:
The Tasmanian Greens leader, Nick McKim, says his party will no longer give work and taxpayer funds to companies that involve his partner.
A parliamentary committee has ruled that Mr McKim should have declared a conflict of interest before his party last year employed a company part-owned by Mr McKim’s partner, Jane Binning.
At the height of the pulp mill debate last year, the Greens paid Zoot Films to produce television advertisements opposing the Tamar Valley project. Ms Binning owns Zoot Films with Andrew Wilson.
Peg Putt was Greens leader at the time and told the committee the work was given to Mr Wilson, not Ms Binning. She says she did not think Ms Binning would profit from the contract.
The committee found Ms Putt’s insistence Ms Binning not do the work, suggested she was aware of a possible conflict of interest. It said Mr McKim should have declared a conflict of interest.
McKim’s desire to ensure his girlfriend doesn’t miss out on a position in government is understandable and a human reaction. But it highlights the difficulty in their situation. If Premier Bartlett’s offer is accepted those difficulties will present themselves at a Cabinet table, possibly a first in Australian history.
Political observers in Tasmania say there are many questions arising from this unique mess, what if they break up acrimoniously? What if they insist on voting in the Greens party room on issues involving each other after all? What if they disagree with each other at the Cabinet table? What if she ends up being a more capable contributor to Cabinet than her lover and the Premier wants to swap them around?
These are awkward issues. Very few spouses can work together without it complicating their relationship. Now the soap opera of the Tasmanian Greens looks set to become the reality of governing in Tasmania. Disaster looms.
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WENDY!!!!
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Nick and Cassy – following in the tradition of Bill and Hillary…
Cassey got more then a majority. That alone entitled her to the “other” place that the LABOR Gov was offering. Also, you know for a fact that LABOR didn’t insist on Cassey taking that place? They wrote inviting Nick, why not Cassey as well?
Humor is one thing, this is insulting to all female politicians.
I don’t know who or what you are, but funny and insightful, you most definitely are not.
For the record, the news was released late on Monday night (a little after 10PM), not Tuesday morning.
They do have two heads in Tassie …
Any of the young ladies in your photo need a lift home? Txt me to arrange.
RDR – how did you get the 1st spot on the Eastern Metro ticket unchallenged?
RDR – your standards are dropping.
Looks like we will have to bailout the People’s Republic of Tasmania in a few years.
Ah…the power of the pussy, my friends…the power of the pussy.
The Tassie state parliament, that administers affairs for 500,000 people (about 3 metro councils in Melbourne), has shown how Australia could be better off with just federal and local government. They have demonstrated this by reducing their state government performance to that of a local council style rats-in-the-ranks operation where portfolios are traded off in deals.
Next they will be rotating the Premier……ALP year one, Greens year two, and liberal year three….
The Power of the pussy, my friends, put the map of tassie on the map.
Why is there so much seeming amazement at his sleazy arrangement? It was as predictable as night following day even before the election was held, despite the “methink he doth protest too much” bleating from Premier Bartlett.
The saddest part of all of this is that the good old “ordinary” Tasmanian will be the loser at the end of the day. Isn’t it HIGH time the Tasmanian voting population got rid of the Hare-Clark stupidity, once and for all, and elected a certain majority Government?
The continuing uncertainty of the longevity of the Government will be a problem for Tassie, although the “spoils of war” will be too much for McKim and O’Connor to resist, so they won’t be playing up (well, at least not in Parliament!) all that much!
Still and all, Tassie’s a great place – to visit.
Cheers,
Observer.
We now have a left/red coalition in Tasmania so the Liberal/Nation coalition will have to be called a right/blue coalition now.
Until recently in SA we had a right/blue/left/red coalition with a National MP in the Rann cabinet until she lost her seat in the recent SA election.
Confusion isn’t it
Do I suspect envy here VexNews? Has it ever occured to you that the Liberals have a cosy, sleazy deal with another political party – the Nats? Oops, did I imply they are not identical twins? Sorry.
As for Observer, you really are a buffoon, aren’t you. Hare Clarke delievered exactly what the votes indicated – as it did in the ACT. The Greens vote was directly representative of the number of seats they got.
Look, if you’re going to post on here, please take off your clown suit first.
Maybe you should take off your fat suit Wendy….?
Oh, bugger…it isn’t a suit. Ooops.
Clam Man … isn’t it always the last resort to attack someone for how they look, not what they say? Sure, you may not like the Greens, but to deride me for my weight issue is just so cruel and nasty. I would never dare stoop to such a personal attack, I would never remind reads of your premature ejaculation problem or that you vote for a tiny minority of pickle merchants.
Please grow up and debate the facts and lift the level of debate.
Yes, it is the last resort. I mean I really hate long introductions so why not just insult you now and get it over and done with?
I find it funny that my pount was right…you are overweight…so I presume you must also work in the union movement. A lot of fat chicks do. Fat guys too.
Please, by all means stoop. My premature ejaculation was because I wanted to get away from you as soon as possible, not that you are unattractive, but that personality…brrrrrr….
I love tiny pickle merchants…they should start a union….maybe even amalgamate with all the fat chicks working for unions…a Fat Chick & Tiny Pickle United Association.
I refuse to grow up. Never ever. I will grow up when you drop a few kilos Wendy.
Hee hee. I bet you’re wondering how I know its you… LOL : )
Wendy you are a tosser, go back to your inner city lates.
Richo – what are “lates”. Are they people who are not on time, or do you mean only people who drink a particular type of coffee vote a certain way? Tony Abbott drinks a milk coffee – so is he a lefty greenie pinko poof?
Honestly, do we now measure people by the beverage they drink? So what do Liberals drink – flat whites? Who ruins a coffee with milk anyway. Coffee is drunk BLACK.
Richo, how old are you? I mean really, are you still in shorts?
Wendy is no doubt very fat and upset with their life by the look of their posts.
Just roll with the fat Wendy, roll with the fat….
I can only surmise that Anonymous and Taking of Pell 123 are lonely sad little men, much in the mould of ex Pm John Howard. I suspect bald, semi educated and obsessed with the Left and Greens in the way US southern preachers are obsessed with sexuality and free love.
It’s sad really that two talented Tasmanian Greens have caused you both such conniptions. I hope you boys can live with Minister McKim and his progressive views. He’ll be there a long time lads, so I suggest you recognise the Greens are a force in our political system, and the Libs-Nats are losing ground to them.
So much for the righteous Greens. Nepotism: what a great way to demonstrate gratitude to constituents, to reflect change, merit and inspire confidence in the voting public….NOT
as the rain starts to pour down again, and the ‘long’ drought is no longer; and the ICW scientists declare that there is such a thing as sustainable commercial whaling (directly contradicting the advice of IPCC scientists about the state of the ocean and marine resources) the Greens may be pushing it up hill a bit.
greens talented? ppfftt look at greg barber sue pennawho and colleen heartattack
Wendy…you sound awfully familiar…I wonder…..
Piss of RDR. They are mine.
I’m more interested in her pet goat.
@Wendy – it seems to me that you understand Taking of Pell 123 very well, perhaps too well!
I don`t care if wendy is a fat ugly lefty, I`d still drill her big fat arse like there`s no tomorrow. By the way, there is no such thing as a talented Tasmanian green.
Beerpussy’s back! Spread the word!
Hey Beerpussy the ‘bigger the cushion the better the pushin’!!!
Yeah man, you know it.Fat arse girls make the rockin world go round.
*sniff* Beerpussy…We love ya, man!
@Darryl I did not have sexual relations with that woman
This post is unfairly cruel to Wendy.
Yes, it is the last resort. I mean I really hate long introductions so why not just insult you now and get it over and done with?
I find it funny that my pount was right…you are overweight…so I presume you must also work in the union movement. A lot of fat chicks do. Fat guys too.
Please, by all means stoop. My premature ejaculation was because I wanted to get away from you as soon as possible, not that you are unattractive, but that personality…brrrrrr….
I love tiny pickle merchants…they should start a union….maybe even amalgamate with all the fat chicks working for unions…a Fat Chick & Tiny Pickle United Association.
I refuse to grow up. Never ever. I will grow up when you drop a few kilos Wendy.
Hee hee. I bet you’re wondering how I know its you… LOL : )
Posted by Clam Man | April 20, 2010, 17:52
Fat arses and tiny pickles don`t go together. To service a fat arse you need a huge cabosi.
They go together like honey and a bee.
Like a church and a steeple.
Like a garden and a flower.
Like a raindrop and a shower.
Like a minute and an hour.
Like beer and a pussy.