Peter Dutton makes way for women after Coalition clear-out

Peter Dutton has installed 10 women into his shadow cabinet and handed promotions to Andrew Hastie, Jane Hume, Julian Leeser and Ted O’Brien.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, right, and leader of the National party David Littleproud in Brisbane on Sunday. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has installed 10 women into his shadow cabinet and handed promotions to Andrew Hastie, Jane Hume, Julian Leeser and Ted O’Brien in a major clean-out of the Coalition frontbench.

Former cabinet ministers Alex Hawke, Linda Reynolds, Melissa Price, Keith Pitt, Andrew Gee and Stuart Robert were either axed or relegated to outer shadow ministry roles, with Mr Dutton ushering in generational renewal.

Mr Dutton and Nationals leader David Littleproud on Sunday announced a raft of “fresh faces” on the Coalition frontbench after Josh Frydenberg and Ken Wyatt lost their seats and former foreign affairs minister Marise Payne asked to not be considered for a prominent role.

Senator Payne was appointed Mr Dutton’s shadow cabinet secretary, as Angus Taylor picked up Treasury and Simon Birmingham was handed foreign affairs.

Jane Hume. Picture: Gary Ramage

Angus Taylor. Picture: David Mariuz

The Nationals won six shadow cabinet positions – including ­resources and northern Australia, handed to senator Susan McDonald – and reclaimed the trade and tourism portfolio from the Liberals after winning all of their seats and gaining an additional Senate spot.

Mr Hastie, a former SAS captain who withstood swings in Perth to comfortably hold his seat of Canning, was rewarded with the job of opposition defence spokesman. Senator Hume, who played a prominent role during the election campaign, was promoted into the shadow cabinet as opposition finance and public service spokeswoman.

Other shadow cabinet winners were Mr Leeser (attorney-general and Indigenous Australians), Mr O’Brien (climate change and energy), Michael Sukkar (social services and NDIS), and Nationals MP Kevin Hogan (trade and tourism).

Despite the Liberals suffering a heavy election defeat on May 21, Mr Dutton said his frontbench had “incredible depth of talent” and would take the fight to Labor with their own policy agenda.

“I’ve been very cognisant of trying to bring people through for an opportunity. I’m really pleased that we have, in our cabinet of 24, 10 women. We’ve tried to get a balance here. The balance is not just across jurisdictions, not just in terms of gender, but experience,” Mr Dutton said.

Andrew Hastie. Picture: Martin Ollman

Susan McDonald. Picture: Alix Sweeney

“The 10 women that we’ve got in the cabinet will be a very significant part of speaking with one voice to the Australian public. We do want to win votes back from women who supported the Greens. Don’t forget that people left the Labor Party at this election as well and we have a good story to tell and I intend to tell it.”

The former defence minister said voters would have “buyer’s remorse” by the end of Anthony Albanese’s three-year term.

“Labor will drive up inflation. Already, you have a ratings agency which is out there talking about our AAA rating being negatively impacted because of the amount of money Labor is proposing to spend,” he said. “If you spend that in a high-inflationary environment, interest rates will be higher, cost of living will be higher … and that’s going to be the lived experience, unfortunately.”

Alan Tudge, who was forced to stand down from cabinet last year amid investigations into a relationship with former staffer Rachelle Miller, was named by Mr Dutton as education spokesman and a “very significant part of our team”.

Mr Littleproud, who retains the agriculture portfolio, said his picks for the Nationals frontbench were about “renewal and generational change”.

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce will sit in the shadow cabinet as veteran affairs spokesman alongside Mr Hogan, deputy Nationals leader Perin Davey (water and emergency management) and Bridget McKenzie (infrastructure and transport).

In the outer shadow ministry, Mr Littleproud selected former Nationals leader Michael McCormack as international development and Pacific spokesman and Mr Gee as regional health and education spokesman.

“I will continue to draw on both (Mr Joyce and Mr McCormack) to ensure the National Party is able to nurture the next generation in a harmonious way in making sure we are a constructive part of this Coalition,” Mr Littleproud said.

“It’s about making sure we draw on those that have the experience to bring the harmony and peace within our party room, but bring the next generation through.”

Newcomers named in shadow outer ministry and assistant ministry roles include James Paterson, Phillip Thompson, Melissa McIntosh, Gavin Pearce, Tony Pasin, Angie Bell and Dean Smith.

Mr Taylor said his focus in Treasury would be on the “aspirations of hardworking Australian families and businesses, particularly small businesses”.