Sanctus — Chancellor Dr. Bethany Greer has confirmed the members of her new government following her re-election by the House of Deputies yesterday, with all cabinet appointments now approved by the Senate. Greer, who led the Democratic Left Party to a victory of 245 seats in February’s general election, has made several significant changes to her ministerial team, including the widely expected appointment of DLP Deputy Leader Nicola Allman as Vice Chancellor.
Allman succeeds Green Party leader Josephine Chari-Jones, whose party has left government following the DLP’s election victory. She will also retain responsibility for Homeland Security, a department she has headed since December 2022. A former member of the Sanctarian Defence Forces, Allman has developed considerable experience in the portfolio over the past two years, and her appointment to Vice Chancellor places her firmly at the centre of Greer’s new government.
Ben Jackson remains Secretary of State for the Treasury, a position he has held since the formation of Ethan Ringrose’s government in 2022. His retention will provide some continuity in economic policy, particularly as Greer begins her first full parliamentary term as Chancellor. Not necessarily as strong on domestic and financial policy as she is on finance and security, Greer’s reliance on and partnership with Jackson has proved successful over the last months. Ann Ramirez also remains at Health, having first taken over the department in 2022, with Greer wanting continuity of strong hands at a department that is demanding and often found at the center of many health, labour, and financial controversies.
Jeff Whitehouse has been promoted to Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, succeeding former Vice Chancellor Niamh Winters who stepped in following Greer’s elevation to the Chancery. Whitehouse, who previously served as Business, Industry, & Trade Secretary, has been a prominent figure in the DLP’s parliamentary ranks for several years, including a stint as Government Chief Whip under Charlene Hendry. His experience leading international trade negotiations put him front and center of nominees to take the, traditionally very prestigious, department.
Xander Morgan now goes to D-BIT, leaving Justice and returning to a portfolio more closely associated with economic policy. Morgan’s move to Justice never really made sense, but there were some critical voices at his Senate hearing, where some Senators perceived his previous stints in Infrastructure, a department more closely resembling what he might be doing in Business & Industry, not necessarily being as successful as he portrayed them as.
Perhaps one of the more interesting appointments is the return of Harry Bell to cabinet as Secretary of State for Social & Family Affairs. Bell, who previously served as Social Welfare Secretary under Hendry, lost his seat in the 2022 general election but returned to the House in February. He was popular within the party, no doubt that hasn’t changed, and his previously handling of Social Welfare went off relatively uncontroversially. This is a good move to shore up the more left-wing of the party.
Speaking of left-wing, his appointment also frees up Amanda Thomas to move to Infrastructure, a significant change for the former DLP leadership contender who has spent the past two years overseeing social and family policy. Thomas has made no secret of the fact that she really coveted Social & Family Affairs having spent most of her pre-parliamentary life working in and around social care, and it was expected she would remain at this post. While she may be disappointed, she didn’t show it at her confirmation hearings, and pointed out that policy topics within the Department of Infrastructure like housing, transport, and internet communications and development are all critical to those less-well-off and what she called “the working poor”. Except a big focus on social housing policy and putting pressure on state governments to deliver here with Thomas as ringmaster.
The departure of the Green Party from government has also resulted in changes to several departments previously held by their ministers. Addison Pritchard takes over Energy, Renewables, & Natural Resources from Green Deputy Leader Topher Jarrett, while former Agriculture Secretary Gerald Rivera returns to the department he headed under Hendry; while Pritchard is an unknown, but came across as competent in her hearings, Rivera is a much safer bet for Greer, with the Agriculture & Rural Affairs Senate Committee passing him with a voice vote – Rivera was popular with the farmers, and even with the opposition. Natasha Stretton joins cabinet also and replaces Mélina Terrell at Climate Change & the Environment, a portfolio which had been under Green Party control since 2022.
Elsewhere, Noah Cameron moves from Education & Research to Justice & Equality, taking over a department previously headed by Chari-Jones. Cameron was first appointed to cabinet by Ethan Ringrose in 2022, having been elected to the House just four years earlier, and now takes responsibility for prisons, policing, law reform, and equality legislation. This isn’t the same heavy-hitting brief as it was when it was Home Affairs, but it’s thought that Cameron will find it more challenging than Education, something which he was privately pushing for. Tony Shortridge moves from Culture, the Arts, & Heritage to Education, a big jump up from the so-called “Department of Fun”, while Grace Schofield joins the cabinet to take over his former department.
Outside the formal cabinet, Miriam Ashrock has been appointed Attorney General, succeeding Doreen Hegarty who goes back to private practice (and potentially a judgeship in due course), while Emelia Belmonté replaces Sam Briggs as Government Chief Whip. Both will attend cabinet meetings without voting rights.
JOEY SESSIONS, Political Editor
