The resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry presented Andrew Barr with a political headache, but the resulting cabinet reshuffle also provided a desperately needed opportunity. Triggered by a corruption investigation that found a former staff member engaged in serious misconduct, Berry's departure has cleared the air for genuine renewal within Australia's longest-serving incumbent government.
Rachel Stephen-Smith's unanimous elevation to the deputy leadership is the defining political move of this reshuffle. For some time observers have regarded her as a natural successor to the Chief Minister. While internal factional politics previously blocked her ascent, last week's events removed the barriers.
