Anoulack Chanthivong has the Industry and Innovation portfolios in the Minns New South Wales Government, while Jihad Dib has Customer Service and Digital Government.
The Sydney MPs are part of Chris Minns’ ministry unveiled on Tuesday, with women filling half the roles for the first time in a New South Wales Government.
Mr Chanthivong was given the Innovation, Science and Technology portfolio, in addition to the Industry and Trade portfolio he held in the shadow ministry. He’s also got responsibility for Correction and Better Regulation and Fair Trading.
The Member for Macquarie Fields in Sydney’s South led Labor’s campaign on industrial policy and innovation, vowing to continue the programs that work but also conduct a “proper analysis” of the state’s competitive advantages, revive domestic manufacturing and overhaul government procurement.
Earlier this year, he told InnovationAus.com the state Labor government would work closely with federal counterparts on the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund that passed Parliament last week.
He takes on the Industry and Innovation portfolios from a Coalition government that spent years making significant investments in the state’s research and development efforts.
In Opposition, Mr Chanthivong was critical of the Perrottet government’s pace on industrial policy and “lacklustre” response to a modern manufacturing strategy proposal.
In his inaugural speech to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 2015, Mr Chanthivong championed the role of science in policy-making, the value of public education, and the need for New South Wales to be more of an “outward and international state” with a highly skilled workforce.
“…we must ready our workforce for the jobs of the future—jobs in science, technology and innovation; jobs in climate science and renewable energy; jobs in culture and creativity; and jobs in value manufacturing and professional services,” he said in 2015.
Premier Chris Minns has handed the Customer Service and Digital Government portfolio to Jihad Dib. Mr Dib, better known for his community advocacy, takes on former Liberal minister Victor Dominello’s crowning achievement with limited experience in the area.
In his inaugural speech, the former principal of Punchbowl Boys’ High argued for better and more resourced government services.
The Digital portfolio was held by Yasmin Catley in the shadow ministry. She said Labor would continue to invest in digital services and place a premium on building and maintaining trust with users.
The party also committed to explore a stopgap for digital voting that would allow blind and low vision Australians to cast a verifiable ballot in the next election.
Ms Catley was instead given police and counter-terrorism, becoming the first women to hold it in the state.
She is part of a ministry that is half made up of women, a first for the state.
“We have a clear mandate from the people of NSW to rebuild our essential services, to invest in the people who look after us – our nurses, teachers, paramedics, firefighters and police officers,” Premier Mins said in a statement.
“Our priority is to help families and households deal with the increasing cost of living, the energy crisis and to fix our schools and hospitals.”
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