NSW: Treasury spokesman quits denying opposition rift

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-2001
NSW: Treasury spokesman quits denying opposition rift

By Ruth Peters

SYDNEY, Dec 17 AAP - NSW opposition treasury spokesman Stephen O'Doherty today quit
state parliament, citing family reasons for turning his back on politics.

Mr O'Doherty, also the Liberals' small business spokesman, said he would resign his
seat of Hornsby early in the new year.

NSW Premier Bob Carr immediately seized on the announcement, calling it a colossal
vote of no confidence in the state's opposition.

However, Mr O'Doherty denied he was deserting Liberal leader Kerry Chikarovski at a
time when strong leadership was needed within the party.

Mrs Chikarovski said the resignation did not indicate a lack of faith in the opposition
going into an election in early 2003.

While Mr O'Doherty said family reasons were the number one factor for his resignation,
he would be taking up a position as chief executive officer of a new education organisation
next year.

"I have always felt a wrench between the necessary demands of public life and my desire
to be the best husband and father I could be, and this has weighed very heavily on my
mind especially during the past year," he said.

"The shadow cabinet is coming to the end of a vital phase in the policy development
process," he said.

"Before the next phase begins it is timely for me to step aside to allow Kerry to nominate
a new shadow treasurer to have final input into the last phase of policy development."

Mr O'Doherty was first elected to parliament in August 1992 and has served in the opposition
cabinet continuously since 1995.

He held the portfolios of education and training, community services, disability services
and ageing, as well as treasury and small business.

Mr Carr said: "To have the shadow treasurer saying, `That's it, I've had enough, I'm
getting out of state parliament' ... is a colossal vote of no confidence in the team he's
part of."

The premier gave the Labor Party no chance of winning a by-election in Hornsby, while
his opposite number said the Liberals would not take the electorate for granted.

Mrs Chikarovski said she had not decided on a replacement for Mr O'Doherty even though
she had known of his resignation for several weeks.

She now has a cabinet reshuffle to think about only a year out from the March 2003
state election.

"It provides me with an opportunity to bring in some new blood to the frontbench," she said.

"I will miss his (O'Doherty) experience there is no doubt about that, but I also regard
this as an opportunity, one that I intend to take."

AAP pw/arb/mg/de

KEYWORD: ODOHERTY NIGHTLEAD

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