Al-anwar Newspaper English news in Australia
Several supporters of former Prime Minister Tony Abbott were dropped and some new Member of Parliament with no cabinet experience added to new PM Malcolm Turnbull’s cabinet.
The new team has five women, including Marise Payne as the country’s first female defence minister.
“It is vital to have a contemporary, 21st-century government and that requires renewal,” Mr Turnbull said on Monday.
“There are people who have been promoted to the cabinet who did not support me in the recent ballot, there’s several very dear old friends of mine who have offered to stand down and I accepted that in order to make room for others,” he added.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten criticised that there is the lack of ministers for disability, housing and mental health.
Marise Payne, Senator for Western Sydney, has replaced Kevin Andrews as Defence Minister, will have to deliver a major defence plan within weeks. She was Minister for Human Services in Tony Abbott’s government.
Julie Bishop remains the Foreign Affairs Ministry and Sussan Ley her Health and Sport portfolio.
Employment and Women moves to Michaelia Cash.
Kelly O’Dwyer has been promoted to Assistant Treasurer and Small Business Minister.
The former Social Security Minister Scott Morrison is the new Treasurer now.
The new ministry also includes MP Wyatt Roy, aged 25, from Queensland, who will be Assistant Minister for Innovation.
West Australian and former health bureaucrat Ken Wyatt, the first Aboriginal member of the House of Representatives, has become Australia’s first Indigenous Australian frontbencher, as Assistant Minister for Health.
Tony Abbott has returned to the backbench, along with Treasurer Joe Hockey.
