Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has unveiled his new cabinet following a reshuffle in the wake of Labor’s landslide election win.
Michelle Rowland has been a notable beneficiary in the recent reshuffle, as she transitions from her role in communications to take over from Mark Dreyfus as the new attorney-general.
Tanya Plibersek has been moved from overseeing the environment portfolio to her new position as social services minister, with Murray Watt stepping into her former role.
Anika Wells, already a cabinet member prior to the election, will now have communications added to her responsibilities, alongside her duties in sport. Meanwhile, Health Minister Mark Butler will assume additional responsibilities for the NDIS alongside his current role.
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 Senator Tim Ayres will take Dreyfus’ industry and science portfolio.
The cabinet will be sworn in tomorrow morning.
