There's nothing worse than returning from a month off work to find your temporary replacement has done a better job than you.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Embattled Minister for the Illawarra Greg Pearce, who has been on a month's stress leave, could be facing this exact predicament when he returns to his post on Monday.
Mr Pearce, also the state's Finance Minister, took leave in June following allegations he was drunk in Parliament and had rorted his travel expenses.
Bega MP Andrew Constance was appointed his replacement.
While Mr Constance had trouble remembering his last trip to Wollongong during his first week as acting minister, he has since been to the region twice and met with numerous Illawarra community and business groups.
Yesterday, Mr Pearce's office was unable to provide any details on how many times he had visited in the past year, other than to say he had been here "regularly".
"Meetings over the past 12 months in the Illawarra have included those with the Illawarra Community Advisory Panel, the Illawarra Employment Lands Taskforce, officials from Wollongong City Council and the University of Wollongong, management of Pillar Administration, Manildra ethanol facility and WIN Stadium officials," Mr Pearce's spokesperson said.
"The minister has also had meetings with local MPs, departmental staff and Wollongong councillors."
Mr Pearce, who lives in inner Sydney, closed his Wollongong office in 2011, saying it was "rarely occupied" and a "waste of money".
In just one month as acting minister, Mr Constance's Illawarra-related activities have included visiting the Disability Trust, meeting Illawarra Business Chamber members and granting a cheque to help children's charity KidzWish run its Christmas Party.
In this time, the MP also continued his role as Minister for Ageing and Disability Services, was acting Treasurer for a week, consulted closely with Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery and dealt with the continuing fall-out over his government's controversial treatment of the Illawarra and Newcastle in this year's NSW budget.
He also helped finalise expressions of interest for the government's $100 million Illawarra infrastructure fund.
Asked last week whether he believed he had spent an adequate amount of time in the region, Mr Constance stressed how hard he had worked to "boost the morale" of Illawarra citizens.
"In the past three weeks, we have promoted the budget [and] we've dealt with the ongoing concerns in relation to the port transaction around Port Kembla," he said during his second visit to the region.
"I can't comment on the frequencies of when other people come to the region but from my perspective as the member for Bega, we are dependent on the Illawarra region thriving and I have a vested interest in that as the state member from down the coast."
Despite his strong presence in the acting role, Mr Constance said he would make no comment on taking up the minister for the Illawarra post on a permanent basis.
Shellharbour MP Anna Watson, who has been a vocal critic of Mr Pearce, maintained her stance that any Illawarra minister should reside within the region.
Ms Watson has accused Mr Pearce of being "evasive" over how many times he had visited her Shellharbour electorate since his appointment as minister in 2011.
"On two occasions now I have asked the minister to answer a basic question on how many times he has personally visited my electorate as part of his duty and responsibility as minister for the Illawarra," Ms Watson said. "On both occasions his answers to my parliamentary questions have been evasive. The minister appears not to have personally visited my electorate once."