Political Career
Elected to the Legislative Council in 1998, Macdonald was appointed Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries in 2003 and then the Primary Industries portfolio and a range of other portfolios in the first and second Iemma and Rees ministries including Natural Resources, Mineral Resources, State Development, and Energy. However, granted extraordinary powers by Labor State Conference on 17 November 2009, Rees sacked Macdonald (along with others) from the ministry because of Macdonald's efforts to destabilise Rees in his position.
Macdonald then played a large part in the sacking of Rees in favour of Keneally. Macdonald was previously a member of the New South Wales Socialist Left faction, but was formally expelled in December 2009 for his role in Rees's downfall. Keneally restored Macdonald to the ministry following her election as Premier, making him the Minister for Major Events, Mineral and Forest Resources, State and Regional Development and Central Coast.
Macdonald was plagued by scandal surrounding a trip to Dubai made in 2008, which led him to resign from the ministry on 4 June 2010 on the same day as the resignation of Minister Graham West. Macdonald's Dubai trip was investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption after a government report found he misused public funds.
On 7 June 2010 Macdonald resigned from parliament with immediate effect. He was replaced by Luke Foley, the Assistant Deputy Secretary of the New South Wales Labor Party.
Read more about this topic: Ian Macdonald (New South Wales Politician)
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