Mr Rann and Economic Struggles

Labor leader: His electoral success - lifting Labor from just 10 seats when he became leader in 1994 to a peak of 28 in 2006 - was undeniable, according to Nine News Australia. And while the state economic struggles have clouded his fiscal legacy, Mr Rann says major projects like the revitalised Adelaide Oval have improved SA global standing."As a government we didn't shy from making tough and controversial decisions," he told AAP."We didn't want to be a do-nothing government. Mr Rann was Labor leader in SA for 17 years and spent almost a decade as premier before being forced to stand down in 2011 after losing key factional support. We were elected to lead, not wring our hands."The former premier has been appointed Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the parliament and community of SA. Mr Rann post-retirement career has been largely focused overseas, landing plum postings as Australia high commissioner to the UK and more recently as ambassador to Italy. But he is looking forward to returning to Adelaide and says a recent visit for the funeral of former premier John Bannon showed how far the city had come since his time in office."We wanted to improve services and amenities for citizens and visitors around South Australia," he said."This was a team effort involving many people."Mr Rann says the award is in recognition of the hard work of many loyal staff and parliamentary colleagues. He has since been appointed a visiting professor at the prestigious King College in London and launched his own consultancy group, with prospective clients to include renewable energy companies. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.