The new Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, as well as Minister for the Arts, says it’s important not to get trapped by the "facts in front of you" without any room for creative thought.
And, having been a minister before, Burke brings to government lessons learned from the first time around. One of them is not to rush things like a bull at a gate.
For former ministers, a second chance at power is a rebirth, an opportunity to do things differently, avoid mistakes, as well as to augment an earlier legacy. Burke is one of more than half the new cabinet who was ministers previously.
Anthony Albanese, with the experience of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government, has a head full of the dos and don'ts of exercising power.
By the same token, moving into government can be like having diligently swotted for the big exam and then being hit by some left-field questions on the day.
The cost-of-living crisis was expected but gas prices are something new
Labor knew it would inherit a cost-of-living problem — it campaigned on it. But it didn't expect the dramatic crisis in gas prices Australia is suddenly facing, driven by events in Europe, outages at coal-fired power stations, and other factors.
Inevitably, the government is coming under pressure to “do something”, including pulling the “trigger”, established by the Coalition, that would force gas producers to divert exports to supply the domestic market. The “trigger” came after the Gillard government granted licenses for gas exports from eastern Australia without any “reservation” provision for domestic use (such as exists in Western Australia).
The challenge for the government is to be seen to be on top of things, while not rushing into precipitate action.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen, another minister with extensive experience in government, including as a treasurer, walked that line on Thursday.
Bowen has convened a meeting of energy ministers for early next week, and he assured reporters Resources Minister Madeleine King was talking to gas companies and Industry Minister Ed Husic was in discussions with large industrial users.
But Bowen pointed out the “trigger”, even if pulled, couldn’t come into force until January.
