Can I talk to you about maternal guilt for a minute? Can I tell you that the minute your baby slithers out, you feel this torrent of love and responsibility for this tiny squish? You get knocked sideways by all those feelings. Then you do your absolute best to protect and defend.

Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek during a group photo after a swearing-in ceremony of the new ministry at Government House. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Doesn’t work out too often. That’s when the guilt kicks in.

And so it is with Tanya Plibersek, mother of three, Labor member for the seat of Sydney for 27 years, and our newest minister for social services – which some commentators have described as a sideways move. Yes, it’s true that Australian politicians, in general, are not that great at pushing family violence to the top of the national agenda. Sure, everyone gets all appalled and outraged when another photogenic white woman gets murdered but, in general, it’s all chat, notes to grieving families and little if no action.

So this move might be sideways for some, maybe. Sure, this is a blessed escape from the toxic environment portfolio. That’s among the toughest portfolios for Labor ministers to navigate – progressive voters, regressive miners – a constant struggle between dollars and minds. A surefire way to burn up any liberal credibility you might have.

I guess that could happen in social services. Voters will be annoyed she doesn’t immediately magic billions out of the air to raise the rate for those on welfare, even though it’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers who holds the hose.

But here’s where I think she........

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