Promotions, sideways moves, opportunities for rising stars and a few unsavoury dumpings – all features of Anthony Albanese’s new ministry to lead Australia after Labor’s emphatic election win.
Key senior confidants like Richard Marles, Penny Wong, Jim Chalmers and Katy Gallagher retain their roles, but there will be new ministers in crucial portfolios: for the NDIS, social services, environment, communications and the attorney general.
Among nearly two dozen changes or updates to the ministry and list of special envoys, these are six of the biggest moves in Monday’s reshuffle.
Tanya Plibersek (social services)
The experienced Labor minister was “very positive” about her move from environment into social services, according to Albanese.
That’s perhaps not surprising, considering the scrutiny she was under in the previous role, including the prime minister vetoing a deal she had negotiated in the Senate to pass Labor’s nature-positive changes and plans for an environmental protection agency. Those key environmental reforms were stalled under Plibersek, who came under intense criticism from mining groups.
Plibersek moves into social services, arguably a more central ministry which crosses over with numerous other key portfolios. In her new role she will have responsibility for welfare payments, families, disability issues, some issues related to mental health and gambling, and family violence – an issue about which Plibersek has previously spoken strongly and passionately. Labor will remain under pressure to increase social security payments and do more to combat gender-based violence, as well as address families issues – concerns Plibersek appears well-suited to take on.
Murray Watt (environment)
Watt, the popular Queensland senator, continues his ministerial rise after a stint as employment minister. He has been handed one of the trickiest portfolios, having to pick up the stalled environmental reforms and resume what was a nasty fight Plibersek was unable to finish. Albanese has recommitted to the nature-positive laws and the EPA, so Watt has the prime ministerial endorsement to get the reforms over the line – and perhaps the knockabout senator from a mining state might have success in finishing the job Plibersek started.
Watt will come under internal as well as external pressure. Labor’s environment acrtion network, Lean, wants bold changes and claims it should be a “first-order priority” within 12 months, while mining and farming groups will keep up their opposition to the original reforms.
Michelle Rowland (attorney general)
The former communications minister moves into a related portfolio, with a big remit. Rowland, the former Gilbert + Tobin senior lawyer, had specialised in telecommunications, media and technology in her career in the law, and was a natural choice, having previously represented Mark Dreyfus as acting AG.
It’s a large portfolio (made a little smaller with reports that the Australian federal police and Australia Security Intelligence Organisation will be moved to the home affairs ministry), with jurisdiction over the courts, administrative tribunals, family law and financial crimes among others. Dreyfus had overseen major reforms including a first tranche of privacy reforms, a controversial crackdown on hate speech – including mandatory minimum jail terms – implementing a national firearms register and a national hate-crimes database.
Rowland will have to continue shepherding some of those reforms through, as well as looking forward to further privacy reforms flagged by Labor.
Anika Wells (communications)
Wells, the Labor rising star who acquitted herself strongly in aged care, gets another big promotion into Rowland’s former role as communications minister. Considering she’s keeping her existing role as minister for sport, an obvious question is how Wells might address one of the thorniest policy problems in her new job – the government’s long-overdue response to the late Labor MP Peta Murphy’s report calling for a ban on online gambling advertising.
Albanese didn’t address that question directly when Guardian Australia asked twice at the ministry announcement, saying only the government would “continue to do work as we have” in that area. Wells said last year the gambling ad ban “wasn’t ready to go” and conceded that sporting codes’ financial viability was a factor in Labor’s decision. Major sporting codes have directly lobbied against the ad ban.
The prime minister said Wells – the youngest minister in cabinet – would continue with her championing of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
Wells will also have to deal with tricky problems around implementing the under-16s social media ban, which comes into force later this year, with questions still swirling around how the platforms will verify a user’s age. She will also oversee the continued rollout of the national broadband network and take further steps in keeping people safe online on dating apps – all reforms championed by Rowland.
Mark Butler and Jenny McAllister (NDIS)
Health minister Mark Butler and senator Jenny McAllister will get responsibility for the national disability insurance scheme. Butler, the cabinet minister, is expected to lead the negotiations with state government on hospital agreements and foundational supports, while McAllister – previously the emergency minister – will lead the delivery and implementation of that work.
Splitting the responsibility across two highly regarded ministers speaks to the scale of the task of reforming the enormous system, and continuing the work done by former minister Bill Shorten. Keeping costs under control, while still providing the world-leading and life-changing supports for Australians with a disability, will be an immense challenge.
The rising stars
Beyond the headlines, Albanese’s reshuffle promotes a number of new faces and fresh voices. Anne Aly and Tim Ayres, two diligent workers over recent years, get their chance in cabinet. Daniel Mulino gets to put his economic PhD from Yale to use in the Treasury portfolio, while Jess Walsh gets a promotion into the important Labor portfolio of early childhood as the government continues moves toward universal childcare.
Sam Rae, the second-termer from Victoria, gets Wells’ old job of aged care, while former Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White moves straight into the ministry after only coming to parliament in this election. Andrew Charlton, Nita Green and Peter Khalil also get promotions.
Josh Burns, the Macnamara MP, is rewarded with a special envoy position for social housing and homelessness, issues he’s been passionate about since before joining the parliament, while popular Hunter MP Dan Repacholi is named envoy for men’s health, an issue he has spoken strongly about, including recently opening up about his use of weight-loss drug Mounjaro.
