The Albanese government has instigated a brutal reshuffle of its cabinet. Three of the party’s members whose identities form a decisive part of their political capital have been left out in the cold.
Those ousted from the cabinet happen to be Muslim man Ed Husic, Mark Dreyfus who’s the grandson of Holocaust victims, while Ali France – the only member of the lower house to have a disability during one of the most challenging times in politics – was not offered a cabinet position.
After Husic and Dreyfus were both dumped from the frontbench in a show of politics at its toughest, Husic has signalled that he will be more outspoken on identity issues, including those related to Gaza.
It was hoped by disability advocates that incoming member for Dickson, Ali France, would be elevated to the ministry. However, she too was excluded. I believe that the obvious reason that may have been given was that she was too inexperienced. However, history shows us that has not always been a deciding factor. More importantly, France didn’t have the necessary numbers.
However, the decision to exclude all three individuals signals a far more insidious aspect of the factional games that dictate party politics within the government.
Left-faction heavyweight Mark Butler said he was “honoured” to be named Minister for the NDIS. The portfolio casts Butler as Minister for Health and Ageing and the man in charge, while enny McAllister joins the outer ministry as Minister for the NDIS, and Sam Rae as Minister for Aged Care and Seniors.
Advocates have argued that the NDIS portfolio alone is not enough to support Australians with disabilities.
PDA’s Co-Vice President & NSW Director of Physical Disability Australia Mark Pietsch, has called on the government to reintroduce the Minister for Disability.
“The NDIS was created to change lives. And for many of us, it has… But the truth is, the NDIS can’t do it all”.
The organisation is calling for a dedicated Minister for Disability, with or without the NDIS portfolio, and the full implementation of the Royal Commission findings.
With the issue of disability absorbed into the Health portfolio led by Butler and Jenny McAllister, there is no Minister or Assistant Minister dedicated to disability itself. Neither disability nor the NDIS have been considered significant enough to warrant an Assistant Minister.
The Prime Minister has said moving NDIS under the Health Department would help to ensure “everyone has the best opportunity to contribute to Australian society and that people with a disability don’t get left behind.”
Outcomes for people with disability are frequently cited as those left worse off by Australia’s approach to being contributing members of society.
With the government leaving Ali France out of the cabinet, the question is whether she will use her lack of position to the advantage of people with disability. Proponents of the idea have said that the Minister for Women is and should be a woman, with the same argument being made for the Minister for Indigenous Affairs.
Those opposed to identity-based selection have suggested that tokenism has never achieved equality.
Former Minister for the Environment Peter Garrett was thrust into the cabinet in 2007 when he entered federal parliament. As a long-time environmentalist, the decision was considered a no-brainer, with his identity and profile being key reasons for the appointment. But Garrett faced scrutiny, particularly when he approved a uranium mine in South Australia, an issue he, as an environmentalist, had opposed.
The Indigenous Affairs portfolio has frequently been called out for suggesting First Nations are all the same, with the failed Voice referendum showing the failures of such logic.
Yet Malarndirri McCarthy, a Yanyuwa woman from the Gulf country, was rightly made Minister for Indigenous Affairs to ensure that lived experience guides the portfolio.
Additionally, people with disabilities should not be restricted to only leading in disability areas. France has a strong background in journalism, making her a future candidate for the communications portfolio.
The exclusion of Husic, Dreyfus, and France from the cabinet indicates that Albanese remains wary of the identity politics that plagued his first term in office.
But with the crisis in Gaza continuing and disability ignored in the federal cabinet, lived experience is as valuable as ever.
The question is, will the three sidelined MPs use the backbench to agitate or remain silent?
Melissa Marsden is a self confessed political junkie and a freelance journalist, starting her own business Framing the Narrative. Melissa was diagnosed with hydrocephalus at six weeks old, and at the age of six, suffered a traumatic brain injury leaving her legally blind, with short-term memory loss and mobility issues for which she uses a white cane. Melissa’s fight to be treated fairly and not be discriminated against has been a turbulent one. This lived experience drives her current PhD research at Curtin University.
Top photo source: AAP
