Anyway it's nice to know that we have new foreign affairs minister that ruined the state of NSW as much as the Cain/Kerner government did in Victoria.
During Carr’s 10 years as Premier net debt was reduced from 7.4 percent of gross state product to zero.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Carr
Not his fault those after him (post-2005) stuffed things up.
Ps. It's also refreshing to know that another ex union official Brendan O'Connor has been given the small business portfolio. He has never had a real job or NEVER run a business of any sort. 
Thankyou prime minister.
If we are going to criticise pollies about not ever having a "real" job then by your own definition Abbott is right up there having been a uni student rep., monk, journo and long-time politician.
MT, I have always admired you on your thorough & fact filled answers to mostly all of your posts but you failed to mention that Abbott did have a short stint running a concrete Plant at Pioneer concrete which is more I can say for mostly all of the current front bench of the ALP.
Why don't you do what you usually do & provide us with all the facts & inform us all on their respective careers, in business & academic acheivements of our most important pollies.
Gillard Vs Abbott
Swan vs Hockey.
I dare you. 
A short stint (less than a year by the sound of it) as an employed manager (not the owner of the business) 25 years ago hardly makes someone qualified as a business expert in the 21st century
. In any case if your argument is a pollie needs to be qualified and have worked in an area before been given a specific gig then how the hell did Abbott deserve to be Federal Health minister!
Most modern pollies on both sides come through the typical Arts/Law/Economics uni grad conveyor belt anyway. Gillard was a partner in a law firm, Stephen Smith, Penny Wong, Bill Shorten, Nicola Roxon, Joe Ludwig, Robert McClelland were all professional lawyers before entering politics while on your Libs side Tigra - Julie Bishop (like Gillard was a law firm partner), Joe Hockey, Chris Pyne, George Brandis, Eric Abetz, David Johnston, Kevin Andrews, Greg Hunt and loopy Sophie Mirabella all practised as professional lawyers as well. Turnbull is also a qualified lawyer but he went into investment banking partnering with former NSW Labor premier Neville Wran and Gough's son before going his own way and heading to Goldman Sachs. The only accountant in shadow cabinet is crazy ol' Barnaby Joyce
. Labor's Bill Shorten has a MBA. The wide diversity of professions that use to exist amongst our pollies (PM Chifley was a train driver and PM Fraser was a farmer) has long gone.
Btw Labor's Craig Emerson ran his own small business [see his website], Tony Burke was a founding director of a company, while Gary Gray worked for Woodside as business negotiator and advisor, director of corporate affairs and member of the company's executive team.
Sources: wikipedia and the pollies' personal websites.
