Watch out for the boomerang, mate

Even for a government going out backwards, this has to be one of the great own-goals of recent times. She's lobbed one at the opposition and it's hit her in the face.

The whole idea of Kristina Keneally is that her shit doesn't stink, that she's the wholesome face of an otherwise rotten government. Nathan Rees could get away with telling people to toughen up, any other MP - man or woman - in the NSW Parliament could have gotten away with this statement. The one person who couldn't get away with the tough-guy act is Keneally, who apparently lives around the corner from Ken's (convenient for Campbell to drop in his resignation on the way).

It's also something of an indictment on the Illawarra and those they choose to represent them:

• Matt Brown (Kiama): that man will have a pair of jocks on his headstone.


• Noreen Hay (Wollongong): femme fatale with a face like a bulldog. Like Campbell, was Mayor of Wollongong but had no idea about corruption over town planning.


• Neville Hilton (Throsby FEA President): the workers' friend.


• Frank Arkell (Wollongong): not Labor but Wollongong through and through.


• This list isn't complete, not by a long shot ...

Another reason to vote O'Farrell: no Illawarrans on his front bench.

The premier also announced a major reshuffle in the wake of Mr Campbell’s resignation.

How would that be different than leaving the Transport portfolio vacant? Why would you put John Robertson in a high-profile role - did the Costa experience teach NSW Labor nothing? You can bet that Paul Lynch will get a lot of work done on Public Sector Reform in the next few weeks, and that in Maitland Robyn Parker will get to knock off a minister next March.