Peter Dutton puts broom through frontbench to clear dead wood with eye to 2025

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton. Picture: Richard Walker

Peter Dutton has put a broom through the Coalition frontbench to remove dead wood and give himself a fighting chance at the 2025 election.

The axing of Alex Hawke, Linda Reynolds, Melissa Price, Keith Pitt, Stuart Robert and Andrew Gee from the Opposition Leader’s shadow cabinet removes underperformers and those more interested in playing factional politics than doing their job.

The “fresh faces” have been rewarded for turning up and being in Canberra for the right reasons.

The shadow cabinet elevations of Andrew Hastie, Jane Hume, ­Julian Leeser, Kevin Hogan and Ted O’Brien acknowledge five MPs who have won praise from across the parliamentary divide for seeking the best outcomes for Australia and their communities.

New shadow minister Jane Hume. Picture: Aaron Francis/The Australian

Despite their ministerial in­experience, Dutton is banking on their enthusiasm and ideas to renew the Coalition and move on from the Abbott-Turnbull-­Morrison era. After three terms in government, Coalition strategists hope the revamped frontbench will successfully prosecute a policy agenda focused on the economy, climate change and national security in a time of global upheaval.

The Coalition shadow cabinet, which features 10 women, boasts a mix of experience and new blood.

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley moves into industry, skills and training, former energy minister Angus Taylor takes on Treasury, Simon Birmingham shifts from fin­ance to foreign affairs, Karen Andrews stays in home affairs and Michaelia Cash reclaims employment and workplace relations.

Dutton’s decision to draft rookies in key shadow cabinet roles is a calculated gamble.

Leeser, one of the most respected MPs in Canberra, will be methodical in holding Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to account.

Hastie, a former SAS captain, parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security chair and assistant defence minister, will apply similar rigour to Defence Minister Richard Marles. In the Senate, Birmingham and Hume have been matched with Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher in foreign affairs and finance.

Bolters Hogan and O’Brien will have little time to get their heads around the key trade and climate change/energy portfolios.

Ambitious Victorian conservative Michael Sukkar, who narrowly held his Melbourne seat of Deakin, has been handed the daunting challenge of social ser­vices, NDIS and housing.

With the Nationals winning an additional shadow cabinet spot and reclaiming the trade and tourism portfolio, David Littleproud found jobs for Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack to support “harmony” in country party ranks.

While Coalition MPs understand they face a long road back to power, Anthony Albanese’s post-election honeymoon has already been disrupted by an energy crisis, rising interest rates and inflation, and Chinese aggression.

Now his frontbench is sorted, Dutton will expect his team to hit its straps quickly.