One by one, under the immortalized gaze of Queen Mary, grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II, they rose to take the oath. Some swore by God, others did not: one, for the first time, clung to the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu holy scripture.
The last time a Labor government was sworn in inside NSW Government House was in 2007, with Marie Bashir chairing and Morris Iemma signing her name. In an early sign of the disastrous fourth term to come, the ceremony was overshadowed by Iemma’s sacking of a would-be minister on the day he was due to be promoted after the allegations against him were referred to the police.
Chris Minns is sworn in to become the 47th Prime Minister of NSW.Credit:jessica hromas
There were no such drawbacks for Prime Minister Chris Minns on Tuesday, though his majority in the lower house was drifting further away with each passing minute. Watched by his wife Anna his, the 43-year-old pledged his allegiance before God to Australia and the people of New South Wales, and swore, as they all did, to carry out his duties faithfully and best i can.
Having endured the ordeal of an election campaign, they probably didn’t need to be reminded, but New South Wales Governor Margaret Beazley emphasized how hard the Minns team had worked to rise to the highest offices in the state. .
All politicians were hard workers, he said. “We as a community need to recognize that, and we are very grateful for that.” It was, he told them, a unique moment in their lives, and they should savor it before the real hard work began.
Beazley, a judge who was previously president of the New South Wales Court of Appeal, also said she was a strong supporter of compulsory voting, which gave the incoming government the go-ahead from across the state.
Minns’ interim cabinet: Michael Daley, Prue Car, John Graham, Chris Minns, Daniel Mookhey, Ryan Park, Penny Sharpe and Jo Haylen, with Governor Margaret Beazley. Credit:jessica hromas
Environment and Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe, in her 18th year in the upper house, became the first lesbian to be sworn in to the NSW cabinet, watched proudly by her partner Jo Tilly.
Gig Economy Treasurer and Minister Daniel Mookhey became the first person to be sworn in the Bhagavad Gita, joined by his wife Tamsin Lloyd, director of communications for Tanya Plibersek.
