CANBERRA, Australia _ Prime Minister Scott Morrison kept the bulk of his conservative government's ministry intact, while adding some new faces in his Cabinet after last week's surprise Australian election win.
While promoting Paul Fletcher to the communications portfolio and Stuart Roberts to manage services, Morrison on Sunday indicated he will maintain faith in the team that won a third term for his Liberal-National coalition. Josh Frydenberg will continue in the key role of treasurer and Marise Payne in foreign affairs.
"The ministry will be tasked to deliver on the commitments we set out in the election," Morrison told reporters in Canberra on Sunday "to maintain budget surpluses, to deliver the first surplus that we announced in the budget this year."
Payne will also assume the role of women's minister and she is one of a record seven women in the cabinet. Ken Wyatt was named indigenous affairs minister, the first indigenous Australian to be appointed to Cabinet. The ministry will be sworn in on Wednesday, Morrison said.
Morrison will use his selections to cement his authority over the government, with his stocks sky high after securing the narrow election win despite trailing in opinion polls for years and being in the top job only since August. While he campaigned on a thin agenda, one of his first priorities when parliament resumes will be to legislate sweeping income-tax cuts.
The coalition is on track to win at least 77 seats with two undecided, Australian Broadcasting Corp. analysis showed on Sunday with 83% of the vote counted. That's enough to secure a slender majority in the 151-seat lower house; it will need to negotiate with minor parties to pass legislation in the Senate.
