Federal Minister Bill Shorten has finally seen what voters saw years ago; he would never be Prime Minister of this nation.
Doubtless the next 48 hours will see thousands of words written about this man who entered the Federal Parliament in 2007. Some of them will be deservedly unattractive.
As a warrior of the Labor right faction, Shorten’s imminent departure from Caucus seems to be a declaration of supremacy from the left. This departure is a sure sign that Shorten’s internal support base has dried up and there is nowhere for him to go.
Shorten is pragmatic. He has cast his eye beyond politics for the next best thing and accepted a role as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Canberra (UC).
Remembering his beginning, Shorten won the federal seat of Maribyrnong after stints working as a lawyer but mostly as an ‘organiser’ with the Australian Workers’ Union starting there in 1994. In time, Bill Shorten became Secretary of the Victorian Branch of the AWU – and then moved to ‘the big end of town’ becoming AWU National Secretary in 2001. Shorten used every platform available to him to raise his profile and get his face into national prominence.
One of his first moments of public significance was his role as a negotiator following the 2006 Beaconsfield Mine after a collapse trapped several miners. People could see that he was a young union official on the way up.
Given this history, it is difficult to put a finger on exactly what it was that voters didn’t like about him during the election and why he failed to make it to the Prime Ministerial office. It was as if the more he attempted sincerity – the more he appeared insincere.
Voters didn’t buy his spiel and twice they voted him down at federal elections in 2016 and again in 2019. He was Leader of the Opposition for a total of six years. Like all politicians with ambition – he did not join the Parliament to lead the Opposition. Shorten was ruthless in pursuing advancement – often at the cost of claimed personal friendships.
For the ‘diehards’ who follow the tedium of Australian politics, Shorten was rapidly appointed a Parliamentary Secretary (usually a precursor to higher office). Following the 2010 election, Shorten was promoted to Cabinet first, as Assistant Treasurer, and then as Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation. Eventually, Prime Minister Julia Gillard appointed him as Minister for Workplace Relations where Shorten naturally revelled.
After Kevin Rudd replaced Gillard as Prime Minister in June 2013, Shorten was briefly Minister for Education until the Labor Party’s defeat at the 2013 election. After Rudd blessedly departed politics, Shorten won a leadership ballot in October 2013 against Anthony Albanese. Although losing narrowly in 2016, it was Labor’s unexpected and humiliating defeat in 2019 that sealed Shorten’s downfall as leader. Albanese then became leader after being elected unopposed.
Eventually occupying the government benches after the 2022 election, Shorten was appointed Minister for Government Services and the massively costly (and overtly unaffordable) National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Despite his eventual (and recent) efforts the stem the financial haemoraghing it proved too little, too late for Bill. The game was up and he knew it.
While never becoming Prime Minister of Australia, Bill, we are pleased you ‘did it your way’ and we’re happy to give you a wave as you depart the national Parliament for the last time.
