[Peetwo]

Always worth reading, The Mandarin has provided a neat, potted version of what the re shuffle means; -HERE.

Darren Chester leaves Defence behind, and instead takes over Infrastructure and Transport — a big promotion, but won’t be the top minister in the portfolio group. Instead, Regional Development now leapfrogs as the senior ministry, and goes to new deputy leader of the Nationals, Senator Fiona Nash.

Nash, has been given a carve-0ut of regional issues, including Regional Development, Regional Communications and Rural Health. This will bsenatore an interesting cross-portfolio collection to watch, if it lives up to the potential for collaboration this unique situation offers.

So far so good, but some of us are wondering how much ‘power’ Merde’k will loose and who will be looking after Nash and Pete, the famous Pot plant?  The ministerial shuffling may not be of much interest, but the ownership of power behind the ministerial throne is, for the IOS of crucial importance. Power is not a thing given up lightly, or easily; unless of course one of the MM crew gets the gig.  

Devil's advocate
I don't know "K", perhaps the interdepartmental restructure is more about giving Murky some much needed distance on all things that move i.e. freight & SLF (public). It would kind of make sense for apparently experience in the Mandarin ranks counts for a lot and in that department M&M is highly regarded and recently received an ANAO vote of confidence.

From Mandarin/Crikey (Bernard Keane) article - Keane: after years of decline, who’ll rescue the public service?

In contrast, it is noteworthy that one of the more successful Coalition ministers, Mathias Cormann, has the highly experienced Jane “kids overboard” Halton as his secretary. Experience is important in the APS, even in the face of reckless ministers and prime ministers. The Australian National Audit Office’s report on the Abbott government’s East-West Link debacle, for example, shows the Department of Infrastructure, under the experienced leadership of the well-regarded Mike Mrdak, in a positive light:

ANAO - “The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (DIRD) provided clear advice to Government that the $1.5 billion was being paid in advance of project needs, and proposed an alternative payment approach that aligned payments with project progress. The decision to provide $1.5 billion in advance provided budget presentation benefits to the Government by bringing forward the payments which resulted in a larger budget deficit for 2013–14. DIRD also provided timely advice to Ministers when it became evident that there was an increased risk that stage one may not proceed. The ANAO has not made any recommendations in relation to entity advisory processes given the audit found that the funding decisions had been informed by well-considered departmental advice.”

He may have only been in the top job for just over three weeks but that restructure to me has Parko's fingerprints all over it & could end up being a masterstroke. Also from the Keane article:

The return of Martin Parkinson as the new head of PM&C is, in this context, a positive sign. So too is Drew Clarke, former Communications secretary, as chief of staff to Turnbull. Both, plainly, know APS process inside out and understand the problems of corner cutting and politicisation. With chatter that John Fraser will be returning to the private sector sooner rather than later, the Turnbull government has then opportunity to begin rebuilding the APS to the point where, perhaps, it might once again seriously aim for world’s best practice.

In effect the Department restructure gives back a dedicated Transport Minister to the portfolio, albeit a junior Minister, while keeping the Senior department Minister Senator Nash in a oversight position, without being directly accessible & persuaded by the deliberately obfuscating, self-preserving, 'mystique of aviation safety' mantra trotted out on cue by the 3 stooges - CASA, ASA & the ATSB. The question is who will become Chesty's personal mandarin - Hint Murky: Please don't pick Willo, he is seriously on the Senator's shit list.

Moving on & old mate Senator 'Bazza' O'Sullivan continues to garner admirers for his dress down of Oliver Skidmore-twist (CASA) & his dodgy crew at Estimates on their latest embuggerance victim, Jabiru Aircraft.

Here are a couple of comments off the Youtube page: 

 
Kevin Wilson - I'm sure Senator O'Sullivan has been well briefed. The behind closed doors meeting will surely bring the truth to the fore that all in Aviation other than CASA already know.   

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Anthony Sibary - Go get 'em Senator...  

&..

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Anthony Sibary -  How good is it to see an elected Public Official doing what they are elected to do and that is represent their constituents! The media is very quick to rubbish them at every opportunity...Good on you Senator Barry O'Sullivan.  

2nd that - "Go get 'em Senator" 

MTF...P2