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NSW a drag on Julia Gillard: Paul Keating
* Matthew Franklin and Imre Salusinszky
* From: The Australian
* March 30, 2011
PAUL Keating has mauled Labor's likely new NSW opposition leader, John Robertson, accusing him of having no "moral authority" and warning that his ascension would put "lead weight" in Julia Gillard's political saddlebags.
The former prime minister said Mr Robertson, a former head of Unions NSW, wore the political deaths of up to 25 NSW Labor MPs around his neck and was unfit to lead NSW Labor in the wake of Saturday's election massacre.
He warned that Labor's loss of dozens of seats in NSW would have federal implications because the party had lost "fighting horsepower" in state electorates spreading from the Hawkesbury River to Newcastle.
His comments added to a growing chorus of criticism of Mr Robertson, with former NSW treasurer Michael Egan attacking the former transport minister for having treated Labor MPs with contempt by blocking access to parliament during a 2001 union blockade over workers compensation changes.
Mr Egan, one of NSW Labor's most respected elders, said the former union boss was not worthy of the loyalty of his party colleagues.
The rare public comments by NSW's longest-serving treasurer came as bloodletting and infighting in Labor ranks following Saturday's catastrophic election loss intensified and threatened to unravel long-standing internal faction deals.
But former Labor powerbroker Graham Richardson has backed Mr Robertson, praising him as "the one bloke" who stuck with Labor's heartland - tradespeople, single mothers and pensioners - during Labor's doomed final term.
In an opinion piece in today's Australian, Mr Richardson said he did not believe Mr Robertson would ever be premier, but said he could win back heartland seats because he spoke the language of Labor.
Mr Keating made national headlines in 2008 with the publication of a letter he wrote to Mr Robertson, savaging him as a manipulator and opportunist who had brought down others to achieve his ambitions.
He wrote that if Labor's political stock ever sunk "so low" as to require Mr Robertson's services as its leader, it would have no future.
Last night, interviewed on the ABC's 7.30, Mr Keating said Mr Robertson had backed former Labor state president Bernie Riordan in crushing the leadership of former NSW premier Morris Iemma and was part of a group of political operatives who based their work on "sicko populism".
"If you've actually connived in the destruction of the parliamentary leader and are a principal cause why 24 or 25 members of parliament have lost their seats in parliament, if those dead men and women are hanging around your neck, and they are, you've lost the vantage point of leadership, you've lost the point of moral authority," Mr Keating said.
Asked whether the NSW "disease" had spread to Canberra, Mr Keating backed the Gillard government but warned that there were federal implications in the NSW election result.
"Almost every state electorate between the Hawkesbury River and Newcastle is now in the hands of the Coalition," he said.
"This is going to affect, must affect, federal seats.
"It just means all that fighting horsepower is on the ground in all those enthusiastic new members of parliament."
Mr Keating said a Robertson leadership would do nothing to help federal Labor's cause.
"It will be like lead weight in the saddle bag, that's all - more weight for Julia Gillard to drag along," he said.
Asked about rumours he had threatened to resign from the Labor Party if Mr Robertson became leader, Mr Keating scoffed.
"I'm a life member. I'll see fly-by-nighters like him out well and truly," he said.
Rejecting support for Mr Robertson from Labor strategist Bruce Hawker, Mr Keating said: "That sicko populism is what we just simply don't need any more of.
"The things that characterised his groups is they believe in nothing - they're not about policy, they're just about winning the next election."
Mr Egan said Mr Robertson's role in a union blockade of parliament in 2001 over former premier Bob Carr's changes to worker's compensation laws disqualified him from the top job.
"Robertson tried to prevent Labor MPs entering parliament but allowed Coalition MPs to enter unimpeded," Mr Egan told The Australian.
"The Labor MPs only got in with a police escort.
"It beats me how anyone who treats an elected parliament with such contempt could ever have the hide to stand for election to parliament, let alone aspire to become premier.
"It beats me also how anyone who treated his own party colleagues with such contempt could ever aspire to be their leader or expect their loyalty."
Mr Egan, who is chancellor of Macquarie University, was treasurer from 1995 to 2005.
Mr Robertson, who was anointed by faction chiefs last year as outgoing NSW premier Kristina Keneally's designated successor, is expected to win the leadership uncontested at a partyroom meeting tomorrow.
Mr Egan's attack follows comments by former NSW premier Morris Iemma and former treasurer Michael Costa denouncing Mr Robertson for his role in the collapse of electricity privatisation and Mr Iemma's leadership in 2008.
Former NSW planning minister Frank Sartor, who retired at the election, described the elevation of Mr Robertson as the kind of factional "fix" that has undermined the party's standing with voters.
* Matthew Franklin and Imre Salusinszky
* From: The Australian
* March 30, 2011
PAUL Keating has mauled Labor's likely new NSW opposition leader, John Robertson, accusing him of having no "moral authority" and warning that his ascension would put "lead weight" in Julia Gillard's political saddlebags.
The former prime minister said Mr Robertson, a former head of Unions NSW, wore the political deaths of up to 25 NSW Labor MPs around his neck and was unfit to lead NSW Labor in the wake of Saturday's election massacre.
He warned that Labor's loss of dozens of seats in NSW would have federal implications because the party had lost "fighting horsepower" in state electorates spreading from the Hawkesbury River to Newcastle.
His comments added to a growing chorus of criticism of Mr Robertson, with former NSW treasurer Michael Egan attacking the former transport minister for having treated Labor MPs with contempt by blocking access to parliament during a 2001 union blockade over workers compensation changes.
Mr Egan, one of NSW Labor's most respected elders, said the former union boss was not worthy of the loyalty of his party colleagues.
The rare public comments by NSW's longest-serving treasurer came as bloodletting and infighting in Labor ranks following Saturday's catastrophic election loss intensified and threatened to unravel long-standing internal faction deals.
But former Labor powerbroker Graham Richardson has backed Mr Robertson, praising him as "the one bloke" who stuck with Labor's heartland - tradespeople, single mothers and pensioners - during Labor's doomed final term.
In an opinion piece in today's Australian, Mr Richardson said he did not believe Mr Robertson would ever be premier, but said he could win back heartland seats because he spoke the language of Labor.
Mr Keating made national headlines in 2008 with the publication of a letter he wrote to Mr Robertson, savaging him as a manipulator and opportunist who had brought down others to achieve his ambitions.
He wrote that if Labor's political stock ever sunk "so low" as to require Mr Robertson's services as its leader, it would have no future.
Last night, interviewed on the ABC's 7.30, Mr Keating said Mr Robertson had backed former Labor state president Bernie Riordan in crushing the leadership of former NSW premier Morris Iemma and was part of a group of political operatives who based their work on "sicko populism".
"If you've actually connived in the destruction of the parliamentary leader and are a principal cause why 24 or 25 members of parliament have lost their seats in parliament, if those dead men and women are hanging around your neck, and they are, you've lost the vantage point of leadership, you've lost the point of moral authority," Mr Keating said.
Asked whether the NSW "disease" had spread to Canberra, Mr Keating backed the Gillard government but warned that there were federal implications in the NSW election result.
"Almost every state electorate between the Hawkesbury River and Newcastle is now in the hands of the Coalition," he said.
"This is going to affect, must affect, federal seats.
"It just means all that fighting horsepower is on the ground in all those enthusiastic new members of parliament."
Mr Keating said a Robertson leadership would do nothing to help federal Labor's cause.
"It will be like lead weight in the saddle bag, that's all - more weight for Julia Gillard to drag along," he said.
Asked about rumours he had threatened to resign from the Labor Party if Mr Robertson became leader, Mr Keating scoffed.
"I'm a life member. I'll see fly-by-nighters like him out well and truly," he said.
Rejecting support for Mr Robertson from Labor strategist Bruce Hawker, Mr Keating said: "That sicko populism is what we just simply don't need any more of.
"The things that characterised his groups is they believe in nothing - they're not about policy, they're just about winning the next election."
Mr Egan said Mr Robertson's role in a union blockade of parliament in 2001 over former premier Bob Carr's changes to worker's compensation laws disqualified him from the top job.
"Robertson tried to prevent Labor MPs entering parliament but allowed Coalition MPs to enter unimpeded," Mr Egan told The Australian.
"The Labor MPs only got in with a police escort.
"It beats me how anyone who treats an elected parliament with such contempt could ever have the hide to stand for election to parliament, let alone aspire to become premier.
"It beats me also how anyone who treated his own party colleagues with such contempt could ever aspire to be their leader or expect their loyalty."
Mr Egan, who is chancellor of Macquarie University, was treasurer from 1995 to 2005.
Mr Robertson, who was anointed by faction chiefs last year as outgoing NSW premier Kristina Keneally's designated successor, is expected to win the leadership uncontested at a partyroom meeting tomorrow.
Mr Egan's attack follows comments by former NSW premier Morris Iemma and former treasurer Michael Costa denouncing Mr Robertson for his role in the collapse of electricity privatisation and Mr Iemma's leadership in 2008.
Former NSW planning minister Frank Sartor, who retired at the election, described the elevation of Mr Robertson as the kind of factional "fix" that has undermined the party's standing with voters.
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