 The "Sydney Morning Herald" reported that Iemma sought to appoint McDonald to the ministry; however, Iemma's bid for a ministerial reshuffle was rejected, leading to Iemma's resignation.Under the premiership of Nathan Rees, McDonald was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Health on 23 September 2008.He retained this post upon the appointment of Kristina Keneally as Premier of New South Wales, ending his tenure as Parliamentary Secretary upon the defeat of the Keneally government in the 2011 New South Wales state election.