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On Being a Minister: Behind the Mask
'It’s hard to imagine a job that requires less education than that of government minister,' says John Hill. 'It’s also hard to imagine a job where the occupant is less likely to seek help than that of government minister.'
John Hill knew when he quit as a government minister that what he had learnt - often painfully - over 11 years was likely to disappear with him. So he wrote it down ...
John Hill knew when he quit as a government minister that what he had learnt - often painfully - over 11 years was likely to disappear with him. So he wrote it down ...
248 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2016
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April 30, 2023
The publication of Martin Hamilton-Smith’s memoir this year caused me to dig out this book and re-think it. Mr Hill and Mr Hamilton-Smith have the entire genre of South Australian political memoirs in the last 25 years to themselves—no one else I am aware of has written one. This book is worth a read for that reason alone.
The downfall of it is that it offers a good insight into the role of being a minister, at least as Hill experienced it, but not much more. There is not much insight into the Rann-era, not much reflection on what was already at the time of publication an obvious huge debacle in the Health system (Hill was health minister in the Rann government and was responsible for the decision—which he considers transformative but which is was really a big-ticket cop out to actual reform—to build the new-RAH, but departed before the bad news really set in), no reflection in his own shortcomings except false humblebrag type reflections, and a very partisan view of things.
Hill has no problem naming and shaming Liberals and journalists who have stuffed up in some way or other, but he won’t name any Labor figures. He details the problems caused by some of his fellow ministers in some details but never names them or gives enough to even speculate on who they might be. Are they purely mentioned as a contrast to Hill’s own self-described perfection as a minister and model of efficiency? Fair enough, but it means the memoir is limited in its historical value. Hill isn’t going to make any new enemies with this one.
Overall: recommended. Despite shortcomings it’s interesting and there is a paucity of other literature in this field.
The downfall of it is that it offers a good insight into the role of being a minister, at least as Hill experienced it, but not much more. There is not much insight into the Rann-era, not much reflection on what was already at the time of publication an obvious huge debacle in the Health system (Hill was health minister in the Rann government and was responsible for the decision—which he considers transformative but which is was really a big-ticket cop out to actual reform—to build the new-RAH, but departed before the bad news really set in), no reflection in his own shortcomings except false humblebrag type reflections, and a very partisan view of things.
Hill has no problem naming and shaming Liberals and journalists who have stuffed up in some way or other, but he won’t name any Labor figures. He details the problems caused by some of his fellow ministers in some details but never names them or gives enough to even speculate on who they might be. Are they purely mentioned as a contrast to Hill’s own self-described perfection as a minister and model of efficiency? Fair enough, but it means the memoir is limited in its historical value. Hill isn’t going to make any new enemies with this one.
Overall: recommended. Despite shortcomings it’s interesting and there is a paucity of other literature in this field.
Displaying 1 of 1 review