NSW: I know those who are plotting against me: Rees

AAP General News (Australia)
08-07-2009
NSW: I know those who are plotting against me: Rees

By Nick Ralston, State Political Reporter

SYDNEY, Aug 7 AAP - NSW Premier Nathan Rees says he knows which of his parliamentary
colleagues are orchestrating repeated plots to unsettle his leadership.

While refusing to name them, Mr Rees has acknowledged there are people in caucus working
against him after just 11 months in the top job.

His frank admission came amid renewed speculation a leadership challenge is imminent,
but this time with Health Minister John Della Bosca the potential challenger.

Mr Della Bosca on Friday stood alongside Mr Rees at the opening of a new hospital in
Newcastle and denied he was behind such a plot.

But Mr Della Bosca would not rule out a future tilt at the leadership, saying he did
not deal in hypotheticals.

The minister did stress it was important that Mr Rees, who became premier after only
18 months in parliament, was given a chance.

Mr Rees attempted to play down suggestions his grip on his position will be under threat
when NSW parliament resumes in the first week of September.

"For months now I wake up to these yarns. I haven't seen one for six weeks or so, so
it was about time there was another one and here it is," Mr Rees told reporters in Newcastle.

He said he believed he was getting a "fair go" from his MPs, but then qualified that
answer by saying some MPs had been expending their efforts for the wrong reasons.

"I get frustrated on occasions when I see colleagues not attending to the job they
should be doing and that is doing their best for their communities," he said.

"I simply try and lead by example, people get a day out of me every day, I expect the
rest of the caucus to do the same.

"The vast bulk of them do that, on occasions some of them get distracted."

Mr Della Bosca insisted he was not one of those MPs, that Mr Rees had his support and
that he was happy being the health minister.

Even if he wanted to mount a leadership challenge, Mr Della Bosca would have obstacles
to overcome.

The biggest of them would be securing enough support from the Right faction, with a
Labor source telling AAP Mr Della Bosca was still well short of the required numbers.

To overcome that shortfall, he needs to win over key powerbrokers Joe Tripodi and Eddie
Obeid and that was unlikely to happen, the source said.

Convention also states that the premier should serve in the lower house, but Mr Della
Bosca currently sits in the upper house.

A switch would require a by-election in a safe Labor seat but speculation he could
replace dumped minister Tony Stewart in the southwestern Sydney seat of Bankstown has
been dismissed by both men.

Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt, another who has been touted as a possible replacement
leader, said on Friday she was happy working as a team with Mr Rees.

Another prospective leadership challenger, former planning minister Frank Sartor, was
not commenting on Friday.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has also thrown his support behind Mr Rees, saying
the NSW leader has a tough job ahead of him.

Mr Rudd is said to have a frosty relationship with Mr Rees.

AAP nr/hn/it/apm

KEYWORD: DELLA BOSCA WRAP

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