ON paper, the existence of a dedicated Hunter "minister" - or parliamentary secretary, in this case - is a good thing.
Especially, it could be said, when the Coalition is in power, given the preponderance of ALP representatives in the region, all of whom are more combatants than colleagues with the government of the day.
So, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian filling the vacant role of parliamentary secretary for the Hunter with Terrigal-based upper house member Taylor Martin, the Newcastle Herald thanks the government for remembering the region, and hopes that Mr Taylor's appointment marks the start of a new and productive era of political engagement with the region.
Perhaps that should be "re-engagement".
There were Liberals aplenty in town during the Revitalising Newcastle years, and former upper house member Scot MacDonald, who served as an MLC from 2011 to 2019, stands out as someone who put a considerable amount of effort into the job, knowing, as he did, that he was in "tiger country" politically, surrounded by Labor members who could be less than complimentary about his folksy, countrified approach to the job.
Regardless, Mr MacDonald impressed as someone who worked hard at his job, and did what he could to keep the Hunter and its issues in front of the ministers whose portfolios hold the purse strings.
Hunter 'minister' roll call:
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Scot MacDonald beaten by Catherine Cusack in Liberal preselection
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Hunter mayors want MacDonald back after Cusack snafu
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'Folly of representation': when Gladys Berejiklian was minister for the Hunter
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O'Farrell-slide: seven Libs and likely minister for Hunter Mike Gallacher
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Jodi McKay, Hunter's newest minister
And that's probably the greatest weakness - or criticism - of the role: regional parliamentary secretaries do not ordinarily have spending capacity.
They can be a bringer of good news, whenever a government has some, or they can be ordered from Macquarie Street to front the cameras and wear the flak.
History shows they have also been used to sideline individual MPs, who would find themselves shut out of announcements in their own electorates, starved of the oxygen that came their way before the Hunter-specific "ministry" was introduced.
It is to be hoped, then, that Mr Martin has no time for the petty politics that have occasionally characterised the role, and that he embraces the Hunter, and its people.
Federally, the Coalition is again entertaining hopes of a win in Paterson.
Could it be that filling the vacant parliamentary secretary's role is a way for the premier to give the PM a helping hand?
Time will tell.
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