Australia’s new Health Minister if Scott Morrison wins election

Australia is in the grip of a pandemic but Health Minister Greg Hunt is retiring. Here are the frontrunners for the top job.

In a pandemic, it’s the second-hardest job after the Prime Minister’s.

Yet come May 21, Australians have no idea who would be their health Minister if the coalition was re-elected.

Health Minister Greg Hunt is retiring at this election and Scott Morrison is yet to announce his replacement.

Several ministers are in the mix as potential successors, including Minister for Regional Health David Gillespie, whose work background is as a gastroenterologist.

The other obvious successor is Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Senator Richard Colbeck, although his time in the portfolio has been chequered.

The Tasmanian Senator Colbeck went to the cricket instead of attending an inquiry into Covid deaths in aged care and didn’t know how many nursing home residents died of the virus on his watch.

Under his stewardship nearly 2000 frail elderly nursing home residents have died and 26,193 residents and 27,444 staff have caught Covid since the pandemic began.

The possibility of a Colbeck succession has many in the health sector privately concerned.

Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck could be the next Health Minister. Picture: Gary Ramage

Meanwhile, Mr Gillespie, a National Party MP from NSW has worked hard to try and improve the training system for doctors in the bush.

Other possibilities for the job include Minister for Families and Social Services Anne Ruston or Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews who previously held the science portfolio.

Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy Senator Jane Hume is another contender. She has been trusted as one of the Coalition’s official campaign spokespeople.

Prime Ministerial favourite and Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Ben Morton and Angus Taylor Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction have also been suggested.

Finance Minister Senator Simon Birmingham is unlikely to want to swap his economic portfolio for the health job.

Minister for Families and Social Services Anne Ruston is also in the running. Picture: Amanda Parkinson

Mr Hunt, a trusted pair of hands who ensured science trumped politics in managing the pandemic, has told News Corp he will continue to be health Minister until election night.

With Covid still raging, voters have a right to know who will get his job if Mr Morrison wins the election.

Asked whether Australians would know before they went to vote who would be health Minister under a coalition government Mr Morrison said on Sunday: “they’ll know that fairly soon over the course of about the next week or so”.

Retiring Federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt. Picture: David Caird

The appointment of ministers is made by the prime minister but he has to include a proportion of National Party MP’s and balance the factions and state representation in his own party.

Opposition health spokesman Mark Butler said thousands of people are catching Covid daily and it’s never been harder or more expensive to see a GP

“We are in the middle of a pandemic and Scott Morrison still can’t tell Australians who will be his health spokesperson,” he said.

“The Liberals have never prioritised healthcare and Australians won’t forget Scott Morrison’s “it’s not a race” attitude to the vaccine rollout.”