UNPOPULAR TASMANIAN PREMIER RESIGNS, SURPRISING COLLEAGUES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MELBOURNE 000048

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR AS
SUBJECT: UNPOPULAR TASMANIAN PREMIER RESIGNS, SURPRISING COLLEAGUES
AND PUBLIC ALIKE


SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) Tasmania's beleaguered Premier Paul Lennon resigned
suddenly May 26 in favor of his deputy, David Bartlett. Dogged by
allegations of corruption over his four years as premier, the
abrasive Lennon claimed he left on his terms believing it was time
for a generational change. Particularly damaging to Lennon was his
unswerving defense of the proposed environmentally and financially
dubious Gunns pulp mill, whose approval he fast-tracked through
parliament. The young and urbane Bartlett, who is an information
technology (IT) expert, announced immediately that the project would
stand or fall on whether Gunns achieved other necessary approvals
and finance. The new premier has until May 2010 to turn around the
Labor Party's fortunes in Tasmania. END SUMMARY.

LENNON FALLS ON HIS SWORD
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2. (SBU) Dogged by the whiff of scandal aggravated by his abrasive,
non-inclusive management style, Tasmanian Premier Paul Anthony
Lennon resigned suddenly on May 26, surprising colleagues and the
public alike. The 52-year-old Lennon (born October 8, 1955),whose
popularity numbers trailed behind those of his party, claimed that
he was leaving on his terms, believing it was time for a
generational change. Although the premier's name had been
associated with a number of shady dealings in the course of his
four-year administration, his unpopular fast-tracking of the
proposed Gunns pulp mill in the north of the state was a significant
factor in his undoing. Lennon's insistence on the project, despite
environmental concerns and doubts over its financial viability, led
to a media campaign spotlighting probity in government.

A NEW GENERATION TAKES OVER
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3. (SBU) Succeeding Lennon is his 40-year-old Deputy Premier, David
John Bartlett (born January 19, 1968). One of his first acts was to
appoint 35-year-old Larissa "Lara" Tahireh Giddings (born November
14, 1972) as Deputy Premier. Unaligned within the Tasmanian Labor
Party, Bartlett selected a political ally of Lennon's from the
Party's minority Right Faction to be his number two. Both
individuals are International Visitor Program grantees. They will
retain their demanding portfolios of education and health,
respectively.

WASTING NO TIME BURYING MISTAKES OF THE PAST
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4. (SBU) Tasmania's new premier has until May 22, 2010 to hold an
election and restore faith in government accountability after the
scandals that marked the Lennon years. In the press conference
announcing his assuming charge, Bartlett did not rule out replacing
key staff within his cabinet, but made no immediate changes to
Lennon's team because the state budget is due this week. There is
some speculation that the new premier will reshuffle his cabinet in
early 2009.


5. (SBU) Bartlett also pledged to take a "deeply considered approach
based on data, information and knowledge" on forest policy and
old-growth logging, an issue that raised the hackles of the state's
powerful Green Party. He also reaffirmed the Tasmanian Government's
commitment to consider establishing an ethics commission. Later, in
an interview on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Lateline
program, Bartlett distanced himself from Lennon, noting that the
Gunns pulp mill would have to survive on its own merits, with the
proponent and financiers deciding its future. He said he had never
met Gunns executive chairman John Gay, with whom Lennon was
reportedly closely associated.

COMMENT
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6. (SBU) An old-school labor leader and union organizer, Lennon
allegedly played fast and loose with ethics and had a seeming blind
spot to the appearance of impropriety. Some observers attribute
this character flaw to his humble origins and wish for acceptance by
"the high end of town." One analyst quipped to us that it was a
widespread perception in Tasmania that, "the fastest way to get a
'yes' out of Paul was to take him out on your yacht and show him a
good time." When elected Premier, Bartlett had only been Deputy
Premier for six weeks and in parliament four years. His two Deputy
Premier predecessors, Brian Green and Steve Kons, resigned from
office with clouds of corruption hanging over their heads. Thus,
"the last man standing" was how one observer described Bartlett,
whose record in the education portfolio was one of "change for
change's sake." While not handed the most auspicious beginning, the
urbane Bartlett, who has an IT background, has time and intelligence
on his side to turn around Labor's fortunes in Tasmania.

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