(Translated by https://www.hiragana.jp/)
Albo’s first ministry reshuffle: full list of changes

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Albo’s first reshuffle: Full list of changes

Strong performers rewarded with more work and bling while Clare O’Neil follows her junior minister over the side.
Tony Burke (l) and Anthony Albanese (r)
Tony Burke and Anthony Albanese. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has moved to neutralise political liabilities within his government’s inner circle before the election, demoting Clare O’Neil from home affairs and cybersecurity to housing and homelessness and immigration minister Andrew Giles to skills and training in addition to naming a raft of junior ministry promotions.

The reshuffle follows the announcement of the retirement of Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney and Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor at the next election.

While it was widely expected that Giles would be dumped amid ongoing problems with the release of convicted criminals who cannot be deported from immigration detention because they cannot be indefinitely detained — a scenario gifted to Albanese by the previous government — O’Neil’s demotion as the senior minister is likely further than many in the party and the public service were expecting.

While O’Neil was regarded as a strong performer on the cybersecurity front, the reality of the portfolio structure is that the ministry and home affairs portfolio is now largely inward-facing, while the vast majority of cyber threats originate externally, like the spate of ransomware hits and data breaches, as well as the spike in scams and fraud.

A further issue is that it is the Department of Defence that has the ultimate say in the use of cyber as an offensive or defensive capability because the authority to use it vests with the Australian Signals Directorate.

Tony Burke will take over the home affairs ministry but will keep the sweetener of the arts ministry, with which comes a not entirely unpleasant set of cultural functions to attend in an official capacity.

Senator Murray Watt gets promoted from agriculture, fisheries, forestry and emergency services management where he has proven a strong performer and reformer, persistently having used the portfolio to remind the opposition of the ultimate price of climate change.

Senator Jenny McAllister becomes Minister for Cities and Minister for Emergency Management, being elevated from assistant minister for Climate Change and Energy.

Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, a formidable force at committee, becomes Minister for Indigenous Australians to replace Burney, having shadowed the hugely respected trailblazer as her assistant minister previously.

Senator Carol Brown is also stepping back from her role as assistant minister for Infrastructure and Transport for health reasons, but will continue to represent Tasmania in the Senate.

“I am proud to lead a talented and united cabinet government that is focused every day on continuing to deliver better outcomes and more opportunities for all Australians,” Albanese said.

“Our ministry works together, listens to each other and acts decisively with purpose.”

The prime minister said he would recommend to the Governor-General that the new cabinet be sworn in on Monday.

The full list of changes is as follows:

Cabinet changes

Tony Burke MP – Minister for Home Affairs; Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs; Minister for Cyber Security; Minister for the Arts; Leader of the House

Julie Collins MP – Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; Minister for Small Business

Senator Murray Watt – Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations

Clare O’Neil MP – Minister for Housing; Minister for Homelessness

Senator Malarndirri McCarthy – Minister for Indigenous Australians

Pat Conroy MP – Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery; Minister for International Development and the Pacific

Ministry changes

Andrew Giles MP – Minister for Skills and Training

Senator Jenny McAllister – Minister for Cities; Minister for Emergency Management

Assistant ministry changes

Matt Thistlethwaite MP – Assistant minister for Immigration

Patrick Gorman MP – Assistant to the Prime Minister; Assistant Minister for the Public Service; Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General

Ged Kearney MP – Assistant minister for Health and Aged Care; Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health

Senator Tim Ayres – Assistant minister for a Future Made In Australia; Assistant Minister for Trade

Senator Anthony Chisholm – Assistant minister for Education; Assistant Minister for Regional Development; Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Kate Thwaites MP – Assistant minister for Social Security; Assistant Minister for Ageing; Assistant Minister for Women

Josh Wilson MP – Assistant minister for Climate Change and Energy

Julian Hill MP – Assistant minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs

Special envoys

Peter Khalil MP – Special envoy for Social Cohesion

Luke Gosling MP – Special envoy for Defence, Veterans’ Affairs and Northern Australia

Andrew Charlton MP – Special envoy for Cyber Security and Digital Resilience

Second Albanese cabinet

ALBANESE, Anthony — Prime Minister
MARLES, Richard — Deputy Prime Minister Defence
WONG, Penny — Foreign Affairs
CHALMERS, Jim — Treasurer
GALLAGHER, Katy — Finance, Public Service, Women
FARRELL, Don — Trade and Tourism Special Minister of State
BURKE, Tony — Home Affairs, Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Cyber Security, Arts
BUTLER, Mark — Health and Aged Care
BOWEN, Chris — Climate Change and Energy
PLIBERSEK, Tanya — Environment and Water
KING, Catherine — Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
RISHWORTH, Amanda — Social Services
SHORTEN, Bill — NDIS, Government Services
DREYFUS, Mark — Attorney-General, Cabinet Secretary
CLARE, Jason — Education
COLLINS, Julie — Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Small Business
ROWLAND, Michelle — Communications
KING, Madeleine — Resources, Northern Australia
HUSIC, Ed — Industry and Science
WATT, Murray — Employment and Workplace Relations
O’NEIL, Clare — Housing, Homelessness
MCCARTHY, Malarndirri — Indigenous Australians
CONROY, Pat — Defence Industry and Capability Delivery International Development and the Pacific

Outer ministry

KEOGH, Matt — Veterans’ Affairs, Defence Personnel
JONES, Stephen — Assistant Treasurer, Financial Services
GILES, Andrew — Skills and Training
ALY, Anne — Early Childhood Education,Youth
WELLS, Anika — Aged Care, Sport
McBAIN, Kristy — Regional Development, Local Government and Territories
MCALLISTER, Jenny — Cities, Emergency Management

Assistant ministers

ELLIOT, Justine — Social Services, Prevention of Family Violence
THISTLETHWAITE, Matt — Immigration
LEIGH, Andrew — Competition, Charities and Treasury, Employment
GORMAN, Patrick — Prime Minister, Public Service, Attorney-General
KEARNEY, Ged — Health and Aged Care, Indigenous Health
MCBRIDE, Emma — Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Rural and Regional Health
AYRES, Tim — Future Made in Australia,Trade
CHISHOLM, Anthony — Education, Regional Development, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
WATTS, Tim — Foreign Affairs
THWAITES, Kate — Social Security, Ageing, Women
WILSON, Josh — Climate Change and Energy
HILL, Julian — Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs