had 'most definitely been very clever' in shoring up its parliamentary support, but said 'it works both ways'. 'They wouldn't offer me a position if they didn't think I was capable of doing it,’ she said. 'The issue is not about the money, the issue is the River Murray - I wouldn't have taken any other portfolio.' She was still 'very supportive of (federal leader) John Anderson' and hoped the Howard Coalition would win the federal election. Upset by the move Federal Liberal MP for Sturt Christopher Pyne labelling Ms Maywald's 'a disgrace' and that he considered her 'extremely naive if she thinks that Mike Rann hasn't played her like a violin in order to shut the Liberal Party out.' Professor Andrew Parkin, writing the South Australian Political Chronicle for the Australian Journal of Politics and History observed that 'Maywald attributed her acceptance of the offer of a ministerial place to the lure of the new River Murray portfolio: "I thought long and hard about it and what was in the best interests of my electorate, my family, the state and the River Murray" (Advertiser, 23 July 2004). She had not compromised her "conservative" ideals, she claimed, because "quite frankly, the Rann Labor Government have demonstrated that they are probably more conservative than the last Liberal government" (Advertiser, 24 July 2004). With a Federal election on the horizon, the South Australian branch of the National Party—which endorsed the move to coalesce with Labor—had to disaffiliate from its national organisation which was committed, of course, to a coalition with the Liberals. Still Maywald claimed to be "very supportive of John Anderson", her party's national leader, and she hoped the Howard Coalition Government, rather than her new Labor allies, would be returned to office in the Federal election (Advertiser, 24 July 2004). In due course, the Howard Government was indeed returned—and in December the South Australian branch quietly reattached itself to the rest of the National Party.' [Australian Journal of Politics and History, Political Chronicles, South Australia: 51 (2) June 2005] The Maywald ministry marks the first time the Labor and National parties have formed a political alliance since the Albert Dunstan Victorian state government of 1935–43. The agreement with Labor included a commitment to retain her as a minister if Labor won the 2006 election so Maywald remained in cabinet even after Labor won an outright majority in 2006. At that