Chapter 24: Cabinet Members
"The Minister of Health will be Bradford Dillman," Arthur continued to announce.
It was a rather unfamiliar name—not a government official, nor a seasoned politician, but an ordinary citizen from a modest background.
His election as Minister of Health was simple to explain: he was a rare graduate of a renowned European medical school and a well-known doctor in New South Wales.
Among Australia's 3 million people, more than half had come for gold or were drawn by the gold rush, and less than a third were skilled professionals attracted from the colonies.
In this environment, someone like Bradford Dillman, with exceptional knowledge in a specific field, was a natural choice for a key position.
"The Minister of Education will be Richard Norbert Chapman," Arthur continued.
Richard Norbert Chapman was the Governor of Tasmania and the least influential of the six state governors.
Compared to the other states, Tasmania, with a population of just over 70,000, lacked competitiveness.
Even though Arthur had already been generous in seat allocation, Tasmania still only received seven Lower House seats.
However, Chapman had made one critical and correct decision: instead of competing in economic development, he focused on opening schools and promoting education.
Thanks to its smaller population, Tasmania had the highest literacy rate in Australia—80%—and 70% of its people had completed primary school.
It was the best-educated state in the country.
His experience and achievements in education made him the natural choice for the role.
Arthur soon finished announcing the entire cabinet lineup.
The Minister of Public Security would be Thomas Czech, former Governor of South Australia—a result expected due to his popularity and qualifications.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs would be Andrew King Porter, Governor of Queensland—another logical and uncontroversial choice.
The Minister of Civil Affairs would be Walter Black, Governor of Victoria. Walter had made impressive progress in social development in Victoria and enjoyed a solid reputation across Australia.
The positions of Minister of Defense and Minister of Treasury went to Kent Crawford Laurence and Roger Joseph Ebert, respectively.
Kent Crawford Laurence was the son of Butler Hunter and a graduate of a British military academy.
Arthur had full confidence in assigning him to the defense role.
Roger Joseph Ebert was one of the key figures Duke Arthur had left for his son.
Together with Butler Hunter, he had managed Duke Arthur's entire estate. Roger had overseen industrial assets, while Hunter managed the castles.
The fact that Arthur's inherited factories had developed to such a scale was largely thanks to Roger's efforts.
Both men had come to Australia with Arthur from the beginning and had immediately changed their nationalities to Australian, enabling them to participate in the Lower House elections—where they were both successfully elected.
The most important role—Prime Minister—was awarded to Governor Evan.
Among the original colonial governors, Evan had the most influence and was the de facto leader of the six.
Appointing him as Prime Minister not only satisfied the former colonial powers but also helped stabilize Australia's political climate.
Of course, Arthur did not lose anything in doing so. In fact, he gained the favor of the governors.
After all, Arthur had already greatly reduced the cabinet's powers from the start. Even the Prime Minister's role had been significantly weakened.
Now, the cabinet held only executive authority and was subject to oversight from both the Upper House and Arthur himself.
The two most powerful ministries—Defense and Treasury—were already in Arthur's direct control.
In this structure, no one could pose a real threat to Arthur. The cabinet was, essentially, a tool for his indirect rule over Australia.
"Well then, these are your cabinet members. Let's congratulate them on their election and the official formation of our government," Arthur said with a smile after completing the list.
Clap! Clap!
The room erupted in applause. The successful candidates beamed with joy and pride.
Australia's cabinet differed from those in other monarchies. In Britain, for example, the Prime Minister was elected first and then personally appointed the rest of the cabinet.
This created a cohesive team united under the Prime Minister's leadership.
But in Australia, cabinet members were all elected by the Lower House—not appointed by the Prime Minister.
The advantage was that unity among cabinet members was diluted, making the cabinet a tool of Arthur's rule rather than a powerful institution in its own right.
"Now that you are cabinet members, you must resign from all other positions.
Those holding additional roles must submit letters of resignation to their original offices within one week.
Governors will retain their positions temporarily until the state parliaments elect new governors—at which point, your governorship will end," Arthur said with a smile.
Cabinet roles were clearly more significant than any other office. Arthur would not allow someone to simultaneously hold a cabinet post and a major state position.
First, it would stretch their capacity and undermine the duties of both roles. Second, it would concentrate too much power in one person's hands—even if it didn't threaten Arthur's rule, it could foster factions and instability.
"Yes, Your Grace."
The governors had long anticipated this.
Though governorship appeared powerful, in practice, it was limited—constrained by Arthur, the government, both houses, and the state parliaments.
The savvy knew which position truly mattered and willingly gave up the less relevant one.
"Well then, this concludes today's session of the Lower House.
The cabinet election is complete. All members of parliament are now tasked with thoroughly investigating Australia's current situation and filling the constitutional gaps in our legal system," Arthur said with a smile.
"All cabinet members will begin their duties this afternoon.
Your first task is to familiarize yourselves with your respective departments.
We'll hold our first cabinet meeting in one week."
(End of Chapter)
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