Who’s in and who’s out of the new-look Albanese ministry

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s one-time Left faction rival Tanya Plibersek will remain in cabinet as the minister for social services after weeks of speculation about her future.

Plibersek’s move to a different role was widely anticipated following Albanese’s refusal to confirm she would stay on in the environment portfolio. He had earlier stepped in to overrule her on an environment protection agency and salmon farming.

The shifting of Tanya Plibersek (in pink) to social affairs cannot be seen as a demotion. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

But Plibersek’s new portfolio will not be viewed as a demotion, as she takes on responsibility for the department that oversees welfare spending – the single largest expenditure in the federal budget – as well as issues close to her heart, such as domestic violence prevention and gender equality.

“She was very positive about the portfolio,” Albanese said on Monday.

Plibersek’s role is one of dozens of changes to the government’s frontbench and junior leadership positions. Fresh faces will join the ministry after two ministers were controversially dumped when Labor’s bolstered ranks triggered a factional fight over key positions.

These are the winners and losers from Albanese’s reshuffle.

Promotions

Former communications minister Michelle Rowland is promoted to the country’s chief legal role, becoming attorney-general. Anika Wells also receives her second promotion of the year, after joining the cabinet in January when a place came up following Bill Shorten’s departure. Wells becomes communications minister while keeping her sports portfolio, where she will take over negotiations on overdue gambling advertising changes.

Michelle Rowland takes on the prestigious role of attorney-general after Mark Dreyfus was demoted in a factional reckoning led by Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Former youth minister Anne Aly joins cabinet for the first time, as minister for small business, international development and multicultural affairs. She becomes the only Muslim member of cabinet, following the demotion of former minister Ed Husic, but does not directly oversee a government department. Senator Tim Ayres, a close ally of Albanese, also enters cabinet, as minister for industry, innovation and science.

Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke stays in the role he took up in last year’s reshuffle but increases his power. He adds ASIO and the Australian Federal Police to his remit, which returns the national security agencies to the home affairs portfolio after they were moved to the attorney-general’s office for the government’s first term.

Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler acquires additional responsibility for the National Disability Insurance Scheme in a significant expansion of his role. He will be assisted by promotions to the outer ministry, where Senator Jenny McAllister becomes NDIS minister and second-term MP Sam Rae becomes aged care minister. They will work under Butler and implement major reforms to expensive programs kick-started by their predecessors.

Other MPs to join the outer ministry include Senator Jess Walsh, who becomes minister for early childhood education and youth, and Daniel Mulino, who will be assistant treasurer and minister for financial services. Both are promoted directly from the backbench as part of factional arrangements.

Former Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White becomes an assistant minister in her first term of federal parliament, working under the ministers for health and women. Senator Nita Green becomes an assistant minister for the first time, working on tourism and Pacific Island affairs. Andrew Charlton and Peter Khalil are promoted from special envoys to assistant ministers. Charlton, viewed as a future minister, also takes over the cabinet secretary role from dumped attorney-general Mark Dreyfus.

Three backbench MPs have been rewarded with special envoy positions, where they advocate for certain issues: Josh Burns for social housing and homelessness, Marion Scrymgour for remote communities and Dan Repacholi for men’s health.

Demotions and departures

Former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus and former science and industry minister Ed Husic were controversially dumped from the ministry under factional deals. Richmond MP Justine Elliot has also lost her position as assistant minister for social services and family violence.

Former assistant ministers Kate Thwaites and Tim Watts were demoted as assistant ministers but stay in leadership roles as special envoys, for climate change adaptation and the Indian Ocean respectively.

Sideways shuffles

After weeks of speculation about her future, Tanya Plibersek stays in cabinet and becomes social services minister. This is not a demotion from the challenging environment portfolio. Plibersek will oversee one of the biggest areas of government spending.

Former workplace minister Murray Watt will take over the contentious environment portfolio from Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek. Watt is an ally of Albanese, often called upon to put out political spot fires, and will now be responsible for resuming difficult environment protection reforms after the prime minister pulled Plibersek’s attempts last year following objections from WA Premier Roger Cook.

Completing the three-part portfolio swap, former social services minister Amanda Rishworth will change roles midway through an overhaul of disability services to take up workplace relations and employment, where she will deal with the unions in a key role for a Labor government.

Former ACTU secretary Ged Kearney missed out on a mooted promotion and instead moves sideways, from assistant health minister to assistant minister for social services and preventing family violence.

Staying in place

Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher keep their roles in the government’s leadership team. Defence Minister (and Deputy PM) Richard Marles, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Trade Minister Don Farrell also remain in position.

Other cabinet members keeping their roles are Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Education Minister Jason Clare.

Clare O’Neil remains housing minister and adds responsibility for cities, Catherine King stays in infrastructure and transport, Madeleine King remains resources minister, and Julie Collins stays as minister for agriculture, fisheries and forestry.

Malarndirri McCarthy continues as Indigenous affairs minister while Pat Conroy stays as minister for defence industry and focuses on Pacific affairs.

In the outer ministry, Andrew Giles, Matt Keogh and Kristy McBain keep their roles as ministers for skills, veterans’ affairs and regional development, respectively. McBain also takes on emergency management.

Assistant ministers Patrick Gorman, Matt Thistlethwaite, Andrew Leigh, Emma McBride, Anthony Chisholm, Josh Wilson and Julian Hill all keep their roles, albeit with a few tweaks. Susan Templeman and Luke Gosling remain special envoys.

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