Carbon Tax architect Combet inflicted on industry and manufacturing chucked out of Cabinet
Julia Gillard confirmed today she has learnt nothing from the backlash against her toxic carbon tax with her appointment of Greg Combet as a de facto Industry Minister amid an extraordinary downgrading of the importance of manufacturing and industry policy.
As well as dumping the beleaguered Industry Minister Kim Carr from his job, Ms Gillard has effectively trashed his entire portfolio as well – in a bizarre new carve-up of responsibilities.
For the first time in living memory in Australia, responsibility for manufacturing policy has been shifted out of Cabinet – and this at a time when Australian manufacturing is in the midst of its worst crisis since the Great Depression.
To add to the malaise and in a complete snub of Australian business, she has also handed Ministerial responsibility for innovation and whatever remains of industry policy to the very man who has been spearheading the introduction of a carbon tax that will destroy Australian businesses and hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Entrusting Mr Combet, of all people, with this role is no different to putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank.
Buying the loyalty of a former union boss to shore up her own political future instead of caring about the future of Australian industry represents yet another of Ms Gillard’s completely misguided priorities.
This is a terrible government that is only getting worse – and it is deeply regrettable that Australian industry and the nation’s scientists and innovators are among so many Australians who are being forced to pay the price.
