The Muslim prime ministers in Australian history will be sworn into the ministry tomorrow, two of many appointments to the new government which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said “will be as inclusive as Australia itself”.
Key points:
- NDIS and housing will be integrated into Anthony Albanese’s first Labor Department cabinet
- New ministry sets record for female representation and will include Muslim prime ministers
- the veterans portfolio was removed from the cabinet
Ed Husic will be sworn into cabinet as minister for industry and science, while Anne Aly will take over the early childhood education and youth portfolios, making them Australia’s Muslim prime ministers .
Mr Husic was previously on former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s bench in 2013 as parliamentary secretary, now known as deputy minister.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the new ministry had also set a record for female representation.
“This is the highest number of women to ever serve in an Australian cabinet, with 10 women in the cabinet,” Mr Albanese said.
But it is a step back from the Labor shadow cabinet, which had an equal number of men and women in the government’s last term.
And of the four leadership positions in the House of Representatives and the Senate, three will be filled by men, another step back from his position before the election.
Despite securing a projected majority of seats in the lower house, Mr Albanese had to find replacements for his ministry after former shadow minister for the environment Terri Butler and former shadow minister for the interior Kristina Keneally lost their seats in the election.
In their place, Dr Aly from the left faction of Labor and Annika Wells and Kristy McBain from the right faction of Labor will enter the ministry.
Ms McBain’s promotion to Minister for Regional Development and Local Government and Lands is a long leap after serving as an MP for just two years, following her victory in 2020 at Eden-Monaro in New South Wales in a a by-election.
Mr Albanese said his victory in the seat was essential to the success of Labor and justified his promotion.
The shadow cabinet is upset at the entry of the Labor party into the government
There was a reshuffling of seats among Labor MPs who were already part of the parallel Labor ministry.
Tanya Plibersek will become the new environment minister and Clare O’Neil the new interior minister.
Richard Marles has long sought the post of defense minister and will succeed Brendan O’Connor, who is moving to skills and training.
Murray Watt will also enter the Cabinet, as Minister of Agriculture.
Mr Albanese also moved several ministries in and out of the cabinet, promoting the NDIS portfolio in the cabinet, represented by Bill Shorten, and housing, which will be held by Julie Collins.
Veterans Affairs has been transferred to the outside ministry, and the mental health portfolio will be held by a deputy minister, although it was removed from the cabinet during the last term of government.
And although he won’t get a ministerial post, Mr Albanese noted that Pat Dodson would be in charge of overseeing the implementation of the Heart of Uluru Declaration, working with Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney.
Former Shadow Veterans Affairs Minister Shayne Neumann has been demoted to backbench.
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