PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Federal Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson on Friday resigned his post after a near coup by former Prime Minster Kevin Rudd to reclaim his position from Julia Gillard.
Ferguson was one of three ministers who resigned after Gillard retained leadership following a caucus meeting on Thursday, in which Rudd decided not to stand.
Ferguson reportedly said on Friday that, by resigning, he was giving Gillard and the Labour party the opportunity to regain the legacy of reform, an embrace and approach, he said, which looked after all Australians.
Ferguson was one of the architects of the federal government's highly contested super profits tax in 2010, which was later replaced by the current minerals resource rent tax.
He expressed his hope that the current federal government had learned from the “mistakes” made during the initial development of the super profits tax, which in part led to Rudd losing his leadership position.
“You don't have to agree but you need to consult, argue it out, and work out a balance in society,” Ferguson was quoted as saying on Friday.
The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) said on Friday that Ferguson’s departure would leave a “massive gap” in the Cabinet, during a troubled period for the state’s resources and energy sectors.
QRC CEO Michael Roche said Ferguson’s immediate legacy was his trademark candid advice to the Gillard government to forget the class war rhetoric and focus on policies that delivered greater prosperity to all Australians.
“We remain hopeful that Ferguson’s successor will continue the government’s support for low-emissions technology development funding in the interests of Australian and global prosperity,” Roche said.
Human Services Minister Kim Carr and Immigration Minister Chris Bowen have also resigned from their posts.