Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s history-making Labor ministry was sworn in at Government House in Canberra this morning.
Albanese’s frontbench includes a record number of women in cabinet and in the outer ministry, as well as Australia’s first Muslim ministers.
The ministers are:
- Richard Marles: Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Defence.
- Penny Wong: Minister for Foreign Affairs.
- Don Farrell: Minister for Trade and Tourism.
- Dr Jim Chalmers: Treasurer.
- Senator Katy Gallagher: Minister for Finance, Public Service and Women.
- Tony Burke: Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for Arts.
- Mark Butler: Minister for Health and Aged Care.
- Andrew Giles: Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs.
- Chris Bowen: Minister for Climate Change and Energy.
- Tanya Plibersek: Minister for Environment and Water.
- Catherine King: Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.
- Linda Burney: Minister for Indigenous Australians.
- Amanda Rishworth: Minister for Social Services.
- Bill Shorten: Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Government Services.
- Mark Dreyfus: Attorney-General.
- Brendan O’Connor: Minister for Skills and Training.
- Jason Clare: Minister for Education.
- Julie Collins: Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness and Minister for Small Business.
- Michelle Rowland: Minister for Communications.
- Madeleine King: Minister for Resources and Northern Australia.
- Murray Watt: Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Foresty, and Minister for Emergency Management.
- Ed Husic: Minister for Industry and Science.
- Clare O’Neill: Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cyber Security.
The Prime Minister described the new ministry as being “as inclusive as Australia itself”.
In a post on Twitter, the new Minister for Multiculturalism said it’s “an incredible honour to take on the role.”
“There’s so much work to be done, and it’s so important to who we are, and how we rebuild,” Minister Giles added.
While a record 10 of the 23 cabinet positions are filled by women, it is less than the 50-50 split that it was in Labor’s shadow cabinet.
The ceremony comes a day after the ABC projected Labor would pick up the seat of Gilmore, taking it to a total of 77 in the lower house, meaning it will be able to appoint a speaker and not lose its majority.
