Ian Macdonald Sacked From Cabinet

Federal Fisheries Minister Ian Macdonald has been named as the first minister to be sacked under John Howard's cabinet reshuffle. There is no word on who will replace him. The move indicates the reshuffle will be far more substantial than a mere tweaking at the edges, as some had initially suggested. This, according to some readings of the situation, also represents a rebuff to Peter Costello on Howard's part, locking in a solid team for the future rather than leaving some positions for Costello to make his mark on cabinet when he attains the leadership.

Thus ends one of the most interesting jurisdictional confusions in recent political history in that, by an extraordinary coincidence, the NSW Natural Resources Minister - who is also responsible for Fisheries - is also named Ian Macdonald. And there the similarities end ...