Australian prime minister demotes his environment minister
Former rock star Peter Garrett, who won international fame from his 25 years as singer with Australian band Midnight Oil, was stripped of responsibility for energy efficiency in a serious blow to his political career.
Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd demoted his environment minister, former rock star Peter Garrett, on Friday as his government faces an election year slide in opinion polls over a bungled home insulation scheme. Garrett, who won international fame from his 25 years as singer with Australian band Midnight Oil, was stripped of responsibility for energy efficiency in a serious blow to his political career."There is no point sugar coating this. This does mean a different range and reduced range of responsibilities for minister Garrett," Rudd told reporters. The move should ease some of the political pressure on Rudd, with his government's poll rating at its lowest in two years and with elections due in late 2010. The latest Reuters Poll Trend found support for Rudd at its lowest since he won power, although his government retains a strong lead and would still comfortably win an election. Garrett is one of Australia's most famous musicians, with Midnight Oil known for its strong advocacy of anti-nuclear causes, environmental protection, arms control and defence of indigenous peoples. Garrett will remain in Rudd''s cabinet, but the demotion is a new setback for the high-profile recruit to Rudd's Labor Party, who was first elected to parliament in 2004 but has struggled to make a mark in politics since. Garrett was Labor's environment spokesman in opposition, but was stripped of responsibility for climate change and water resources, the two biggest environmental issues facing Australia, after Rudd won power in November 2007. After Friday's demotion, Garrett now only holds responsibility for environmental protection, heritage and the arts, which Rudd said better suited Garrett's interests. Garrett has been under sustained political attack for the past month after his his programme to deliver free home insulation left more than 1,000 houses with unsafe roofs and was blamed for 93 fires and four deaths. Rudd has suspended the programme and is working on a new scheme, but has acknowledged the problems could now result in up to 6,000 job losses. Climate Change minister Penny Wong now takes over responsibility for energy eficiency, while junior climate change minister Greg Combet will oversee the bungled home insulation programme.