Ferguson shames the government by quitting Julia Gillard's purge was followed by a resignation that should sting: Unlike other ministers, Ferguson did not have to resign yesterday... Gillard was not planning to sack Ferguson in the same way that she feels other Rudd backers must resign or be removed because of their active de-stabilisation. Ferguson says Labor must change in order to "govern for all Australians," that it must reclaim the Hawke-Keating model, that the "class war that started with the mining dispute of 2010 must stop," that the recent media package reveals a "debacle" in cabinet process and that the current dealings between the government and the unions are on the wrong basis. All of that right, of course, as others agree: Testimonials flowed from industry lobby groups yesterday, with Minerals Council of Australia acting head John Kunkel saying: "He grasped that effective government is primarily about providing a framework for long-term growth and prosperity, not about fomenting conflict and class war." Kevin Rudd said: "His words of wisdom I think we should all listen carefully to. The Hawke-Keating period took the (party) from a political industrial model frankly of the 50s, into one which has . . . set us up for the future. Troy Bramston: The departure of Simon Crean, Chris Bowen and Martin Ferguson deprives Labor of some of its wisest heads and leaves a largely compliant cabinet led by a weakened Prime Minister. Greg Sheridan: The departure from the Gillard government of Simon Crean, the last minister from a successful Labor government; Martin Ferguson, the only senior minister admired by business; and Chris Bowen, earmarked as a future leader, represents a narrowing of the arteries in the government's sclerotic heart. And maybe more to come: Cabinet minister Mark Butler, another Rudd supporter, was last night refusing to budge but sources close to the Prime Minister warned he could be dumped if he didn't.