Labour’s Shadow Cabinet
Labour’s new lineup is here, according to their website:
- David Shearer – Science & Innovation
- Grant Robertson – Employment, Arts
- David Parker – Finance, Shadow Attorney-General
- Jacinda Ardern – Welfare, Children
- Clayton Cosgrove – SOEs, Commerce, Trade
- Annette King – Health
- Shane Jones – Regional Development, Foresty, Associate Finance
- Phil Twyford – Housing, Auckland
- Maryan Street – Environment
- Chris Hipkins – Education, Chief Whip
- Nanaia Mahuta – Youth, Maori Development
- David Clark – Economic Development, Small Business
- Sue Moroney – ACC, ECE, Women’s Affairs
- Su’a William Sio – Local Government, Pacific
- Phil Goff – Foreign Affairs, State Services, Defence
- Darien Fenton – Labour, Immigration, Junior Whip
- Damien O’Connor – Primary Industries, Food Safety
- Clare Curran – Comms/ICT, Open Govt
- Andrew Little – Justice, Tourism
- Megan Woods – Tertiary Education
The top 20 are generally considered the shadow cabinet. Cunliffe has been given a portfolio, but this indicate he will not be in the Government if Shearer wins. In fact only the top 14 or so might get to be in Cabinet as you need room for coalition partners.
The top eight sit on the front bench, so King, Jones and Twyford join the front bench and Sio, Mahuta and Street get demoted off it. That is a significant reshuffle for the front bench.
King is a very safe pair of hands, and may be the first Labour Health Spokesperson in four years to lay a blow on Ryall. Against that promoting someone who was a Minister in the 1980s onto the front bench in the 2010s doesn’t signal rejuvenation.
I’ve previously said that Jones and Twyford deserve promotions. I am surprised Hipkins didn’t go all the way onto the front bench though.
Robertson is put in charge of jobs. He is an effective politician but may struggle for credibility to talk about job creation when as far as I know his entire career has been in the public sector, and he has never actually worked in the private sector which actually creates the jobs (and funds the public sector).
David Clark is obviously well thought off to put him against Steven Joyce. He has worked in Treasury so understands economics (unlike most of his colleagues).