The State’s first Special Minister of State, Dan Cregan, tells us a major focus of his will be to level the playing field in State politics by banning political donations.
The Independent Kavel MP, based in the Adelaide Hills, has picked up the new cabinet position this week, along with the Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services portfolio.
He says he looks forward to working with Labor, while remaining politically unaligned as an Independent Member.
“We’d like to get donations out of politics and I’m pleased to be the first Special Minister for State in South Australia and the Premier’s had a long-held ambition to look very closely at electoral reform and to safeguard our democracy. It would be a significant reform if we can see it through, and that is to ban political donations in South Australia,” Minister Cregan told ARN’s Jennie Lenman and Adam Connelly in a radio interview this morning.
Minister Cregan said he is also glad to be representing first responders as the Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services Minister.
“I’ve worked with first responders in the course of the Cudlee Creek bushfire and I respect them greatly. They serve our community and I’m pretty keen to serve them in cabinet and make sure we’re doing everything we can to provide them with the resources they need to do their job.”
He added that police officers are also front of his mind, especially in light of this week’s terror attack at a Sydney church, where at least two police officers were injured as large crowds clashed with authorities after a 16-year-old boy allegedly stabbed a bishop during a church service.
“It’s a reminder that all of our first responders face real risks every day… they put their lives on the line to protect ours and I’ll be keeping that closely in mind as our Services Minister,” he said this morning.
Hear the full interview between Dan Cregan and ARN’s Adam Connelly and Jennie Lenman via the audio play window below:
