What's a major infrastructure project between old friends? Quite a lot it transpires – especially if you are the recently-installed Premier of NSW, Gladys Berejiklian and her recently-deposed health minister colleague, Jillian Skinner.
Skinner has been making headlines in the premier state this week for her reluctance to formally resign from Parliament, despite announcing her intention to do so more than two weeks ago after she was ingloriously reshuffled out of the portfolio she has clung to since penicillin was invented.
A by-election for Skinner's seat of North Shore can't be called until the MP hands her resignation letter to the Speaker of the lower house.
It's a stand-off over council amalgamations, the reports say. It's a deliberate ploy by Skinner to make Can-Do Gladys' life as difficult as possible. And it may well be both of those things. But it's also about a tunnel, according to sources. And specifically, the Northern Beaches link – a proposed stretch of subterranean bitumen under The Spit and beneath the exalted turf of Mosman designed to allow all those merchant bankers to get more efficiently into the CBD from their modest Palm Beach weekenders. Or something.
We hear she is determined to hold out until Premier Gladys announces sods will finally be turned on the tunnel so she can bask in some of the reflected glory. Premier Gladys would prefer to delay the announcement of said sods until the by-election to replace Skinner. Because, well, it's a rolled-gold vote winner. And so, we have ourselves a stand-off.
It's a legacy play for Skinner – and understandable too. After all, who wants to otherwise be remembered for being at the controls when NSW hospitals were accidentally killing off babies?
Comment was sought from Skinner, but none was forthcoming. No doubt she was too busy not showing up to Parliament.
