Anthony Albanese replaces Mark Butler with Chris Bowen as climate spokesman

Chris Bowen will replace Mark Butler as Labor’s climate spokesman as Anthony Albanese attempts to claw back support among mining regions. See who else has been elevated.

A new look Labor shadow cabinet has been unveiled by leader Anthony Albanese as he attempts to revitalise the party ahead of the next federal election.

Chris Bowen is the party’s new climate and energy spokesman, switching portfolios with Mark Butler who moves to health.

Deputy leader Richard Marles has been appointed National Reconstruction, Employment Skills and Small Business, and his Defence portfolio has been given to Brendan O’Connor.

Trade spokeswoman Madeleine King adds resources to her portfolio and Julie Collins has been moved to Agriculture.

Ed Husic has been made Industry and Innovation shadow minister.

Unveiling his shadow cabinet, Mr Albanese said it would have been “easy” to make smaller changes but he wanted to do the “right thing”.

“This is the strongest team to form a Labor … government,” he said.

Mr Albanese said the creation of the “national recovery” portfolio, which will be taken on by Mr Marles, was to focus on how to create “secure jobs” in the post-pandemic economy.

Earlier in the day, Mr Albanese did give a strong indication reports Mark Butler would be shifted from the contentious energy and climate portfolio in favour of current health spokesman Chris Bowen, were correct.

“I regard (energy and climate change) as an economic portfolio and therefore someone who has been the treasurer of Australia is eminently qualified,” he said.

Mr Bowen was Treasurer in 2013.

The move is also considered an attempt from Mr Albanese to claw back support among coal mining regions.

Mark Butler. Picture: Mick Tsikas

Chris Bowen. Picture: Gary Ramage

But former frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon has warned that change alone was not enough to reassure the party’s rapidly disappearing blue collar base.

A senior figure in Labor’s Left faction, Mr Butler has held the critical portfolio since 2013, but his approach has sparked bitter internal divisions.

He has worked closely with Mr Albanese for many years, serving as his campaign manager in the 2013 election for the Labor leadership.

Former agriculture and resources spokesman Mr Fitzgibbon, a critic of Mr Butler, told The Telegraph that dumping him was a “good start”.

“It should send the right signal to our traditional base, but a change in jockey will not be enough alone,” he said.

“We need to recalibrate our policies and use language that reassures the workers were born to represent that we appreciate what they do and that we have their backs.”

Tanya Plibersek and Bill Shorten.

Last year The Daily Telegraph revealed Mr Fitzgibbon was at risk of losing his Hunter seat as the coal mining region turned on the Labor Party.

Earlier this week former Labor leader Bill Shorten took a thinly veiled swipe at Mr Albanese, warning the party against a “tiny” policy agenda.

Speaking at the launch of The Write Stuff, a collection of essays by members of Labor’s Right faction, Mr Shorten said the party must be “an opposition that stands for something”.

“We must be a party of Labor that stands for the real-world concerns of working men and women,” he said.

But Mr Albanese has played down leadership speculation, and on Wednesday night talked up Labor’s election chances.

“When you look at the position we’re in going into what may well be an election year at the end of the year, in terms of all the polling, we’re very competitive,” he told the ABC’s 7.30.

Originally published as Anthony Albanese replaces Mark Butler with Chris Bowen as climate spokesman