The new ministry has been sworn in at Government House in Canberra, following a reshuffle announced by Tony Abbott on Sunday.
It was the first time the governor general, Sir Peter Cosgrove, has officiated over the swearing-in ceremony since he took the top job in late March.
“I congratulate all of you and I hope that you can have a restful break,” Cosgrove said on Tuesday morning. “I know 2015 will be a busy year. Again, congratulations and merry Christmas.”
Here are the ministerial changes:
- Social services minister Kevin Andrews moves to defence, following the dumping of his embattled predecessor, David Johnston
- Scott Morrison takes on Andrews’s old portfolio
- Peter Dutton moves from health to immigration
- New cabinet minister Sussan Ley fills the vacancy left by Dutton in the health portfolio. She becomes the second woman in the cabinet after the foreign minister, Julie Bishop
- Ian Macfarlane adds science to his industry portfolio. Science was previously omitted from the ministry
- Christopher Pyne adds skills and training to his education portfolio
- Simon Birmingham is promoted to assistant education minister. He was previously the parliamentary secretary to the environment
- Josh Frydenberg becomes assistant treasurer following Arthur Sinodinos’s resignation
- Brett Mason is dumped as parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs. Steve Ciobo takes that position
- Bob Baldwin becomes parliamentary secretary for the environment
- Three new parliamentary secretaries join the ranks of the frontbench: Christian Porter, Kelly O’Dwyer and Karen Andrews.
The prime minister praised his new-look frontbench. “These ministerial changes will put jobs and families at the heart of the government’s agenda for 2015. This is a government which is committed to building a stronger and more prosperous economy for a safe and secure Australia,” Abbott said during the swearing-in ceremony.
He noted the gravity of the appointments. “We are all acutely conscious of the honour of serving our country as ministers of the crown and as members of your executive council. We pledge ourselves to serve the people of Australia to the very best of our ability.”
Labor’s spokesman on employment, Brendan O’Connor, said the ministerial changes did nothing to maximise job prospects for unemployed Australians.
“There’s no point reshuffling the chairs on the good ship Abbott if there’s not a jobs plan articulated by this government,” O’Connor said on Tuesday.
O’Connor said the prime minister was too focused on changing ministerial jobs, and not on creating jobs for ordinary Australians.
