30th Jan AMA: I'm Phil Anderson, GM Policy, Advocacy & Standards at FAAA, Ask Me Anything!

HI Fosca. A change of Minister is a reality in politics and the policy/advocacy world. The announcement today came a s a bit of a surprise, particularly so close to an expected election. We thought everyone who was leaving had already announced their plans and delivered their final speeches. Yes a change of Minister will have an impact. You need to start with someone new and help them to understand our issues. We anticipate that the policies will not change, at least at the start. We assume that the current Minister will stay in the role until the election is called, and hope that progress can continue on all the fronts that are important to us.

A change of Minister is always a factor any time there is an election. A change of Government results in a new Minister, and that process is more complicated as you are likely to see more substantial policy changes. Most things in the policy and advocacy space move slowly, so you have little choice but to take these things in your stride and work with whoever is calling the shots. The parliament is sitting for the next two weeks. After that, whenever the election is called, we are unsure, however we know it is getting close.

We thank Minister Jones for his time as the Minister and prior to that as the Shadow Minister. We wish him well for the future.