Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has revealed his new cabinet in a significant reshuffle following Labor’s decisive election victory. This reshuffle saw Tanya Plibersek being replaced as the environment minister and the appointment of a new attorney-general.
Michelle Rowland has been highlighted as a major beneficiary of this reshuffle, transitioning from the communications portfolio to assume the role of attorney-general, succeeding Mark Dreyfus.
The former Labor deputy leader, Tanya Plibersek, has been removed as the environment minister. This change comes after Albanese decided to eliminate her proposed legislation for an Environmental Protection Agency.
Anika Wells, who was promoted to the cabinet before the election, will add communications to her portfolio alongside sport, while Health Minister Mark Butler has taken on responsibility for the NDIS on top of his existing duties.
Ex-social services minister Amanda Rishworth has taken Watt’s old portfolio of workplace and employment.
The official announcement comes after it emerged late last week that senior ministers Dreyfus and Ed Husic, who held the science and industry ministry, had been dumped from the ministry due to maneuvering by Labor’s Right faction.
Husic hit out at the decision yesterday, labelling Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, the leader of the Victorian Right, a “factional assassin”.
“We’ve had bare-faced ambition and a deputy prime minister wield a factional club to reshape the ministry,” Husic told the ABC.
“I think people, when they look at a deputy prime minister, they expect to see a statesman, not a factional assassin.”
Sam Rae, one of the MPs who Husic and Dreyfus made way for, will be the new aged care minister, while NSW senator Tim Ayres will take Husic’s industry and science portfolio.
A number of senior MPs, including Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Marles, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Trade Minister Don Farrell, and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, will all keep their portfolios.
Clare O’Neil will also remain as housing minister.
The cabinet will be sworn in tomorrow morning.
