"Right woman for the job " (former Teamster's organiser becomes state premier)

[Swagman]

Source: the Australian

Right woman for the job
Imre Salusinszky, NSW Political Reporter
December 04, 2009 12:00AM

NSW Premier Nathan Rees was dumped last night in favour of Kristina Keneally, the state's US-born planning minister who has lived in Australia for barely 15 years.

Ms Keneally, 40, becomes NSW's 42nd premier and the first woman to occupy the office.

She and Carmel Tebbutt, who retained the deputy leadership, become the first all-woman team to lead a government in Australia.

Ms Keneally defeated Mr Rees by 47 votes to 21 during a leadership spill at Macquarie Street last night, after earlier seeing off former planning minister Frank Sartor at a caucus meeting of the NSW Right.

It is the second time Labor in NSW has decapitated a sitting premier in the past 15 months -- an event that had not occurred previously in the party's 117-year history.

The dumping of Mr Rees ends a catastrophic year for the premier, during which he has battled a series of ministerial indiscretions, continual undermining from within caucus, and dire poll results.


Read more: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/right-woman-for-the-job/story-e6frgczf-1225806791527

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Born in Las Vegas, a Teamster's Union organiser in Colorado-40 year old Kristina Keneally (a niece of Shindler's Ark author Tom Keneally) has become the first female premier of New South Wales in Australia.

[Blue_Tires]

1. impressive...