Tony Burke takes on home affairs, immigration in expanded role, as Andrew Giles and Clare O'Neil are moved on in reshuffle

Anthony Albanese rejects suggestions Tony Burke will be overloaded in his new position, as Andrew Giles and Clare O'Neil are dumped from the immigration and home affairs portfolios in a significant cabinet reshuffle.

Tony Burke will take on an expanded role following a cabinet reshuffle. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

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4:47 pm July 28, 2024

Don't drop skills focus, business boss urges

Jack Quail

Business Council of Australia boss Bran Black has called on Labor to maintain priority to the skills and training portfolio despite the role being dropped from cabinet.

Under the reshuffle announced by Anthony Albanese on Sunday, Andrew Giles will assume the role of Skills and Training Minister after Brendan O’Connor resigned from the position.

“Our skills and training systems play a critical role in defining and expanding the scope of Australia’s future capabilities,” Mr Black said.

“We’ve seen skills and training given significant priority by the government to date, and we hope that same level of attention will persist notwithstanding the portfolio’s movement to the outer ministry.”

With the Prime Minister appointing Senator Murray Watt as Employment and Workplace Relations Minister in place of Tony Burke, Mr Black said “regressive” workplace laws remained a critical concern for business.

“We’re yet to see the last three rounds of industrial reform track through the economy, and already we’re seeing businesses struggling to adjust,” he said.

“If we want a future characterised by better opportunities for all Australians, we simply can’t afford more workplace relations reform that are a productivity drain on our economy."

4:46 pm July 28, 2024

Tasmanians 'deserted' in reshuffle: Liberal senator

James Dowling

Opposition environment, forestry and fisheries spokesperson Jon Duniam argues the ministerial reshuffle “deserts Tasmanians” as he steps up criticisms of his incoming Labor counterpart, Tasmanian MP Julie Collins.

“Anthony Albanese has again dudded Tasmanians today, in a ministerial reshuffle that leaves our state with one less voice at the decision making table,” Senator Duniam said in a statement.

“This is yet another example in a long list of failings to Tasmanians since the Albanese Labor government came to power.”

It comes as Tasmanian Labor senator Carol Brown stepped down from her ministerial duties to better focus on her ongoing cancer battle. She was previously Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.

“Tasmanians are struggling under the cost of living pressures already inflicted on them by Albanese’s Labor government,” Senator Duniam said.

“They need help. Not more and more of the same incompetence.”

4:39 pm July 28, 2024

Reshuffle will do little for farmers: Littleproud

James Dowling

Nationals leader David Littleproud has argued the Albanese government’s ministerial reshuffle does little to improve the prospects of Australian farmers.

"During the past two years, Labor's agenda has increased taxes, cut funding, abolished industries, and failed to stand up for farmers, which is driving up the cost of living for Australian families at the supermarket checkout," Mr Littleproud said in a statement.

"(Incoming Agriculture Minister) Julie Collins won't change anything because agriculture is seen as a stepping stone into cabinet for Labor members and Minister Collins will toe the line.

"When Julie Collins was last shadow minister for agriculture, she visited farmers outside Tasmania on two occasions over 18 months and could not detail one Labor policy in the election debate.

"Julie Collins has no interest in agriculture and has been punished for her poor performance in housing, so now not only farmers will pay but all Australians will pay through higher prices for their food and fibre from a government uninterested in agriculture.”

Mr Littleproud similarly critiqued the performance of former agriculture minister Murray Watt, who has since moved to the employment portfolio.

"There won't be too many farmers sad to see Murray Watt's departure and if this Labor government's track record over the past two years is anything to go by, his successor won't treat farmers much differently,” he said.

"This Labor government's treatment of farmers has caused the industry to take an extraordinary vote of no-confidence in this government, Murray Watt and Anthony Albanese which hasn't been seen for more than 40 years.

"Murray Watt has left a legacy of treating Australian farmers with contempt and ignoring their needs.”

4:30 pm July 28, 2024

'Core to who we are': Watt on taking employment portfolio

James Dowling

As Employment Minister Murray Watt departs his former portfolio of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, he shares an aim to “protect” recent IR legislation from the Coalition.

“For my whole working life I have fought to get more Australians into work and for workers to have better paid, secure & safer jobs,” Senator Watt said on Twitter/X.

“This is core to who we are as Labor. (I am) honoured to continue that work in the Albanese cabinet as Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.

“I look forward to building on the great outcomes that (former employment minister Tony Burke) has achieved and to protect these gains from Peter Dutton and the LNP, who want a return to lower wages and less secure work.”

He listed the key achievements during his time in the agriculture portfolio as disaster resilience investment, strengthening the biosecurity system and “opening new markets”.

4:24 pm July 28, 2024

Reshuffle a chance to 'reset' on IR: Willox

Jack Quail

Anthony Albnaese’s cabinet reshuffle provides Labor with an opportunity to “reset” its industrial relations and growth agenda, Innes Willox, Ai Group chief executive has said.

“Today’s refreshed cabinet provides the opportunity to reset the government to create more productive workplaces, supporting industry growth and bringing fresh urgency around the key defence policy areas," Mr Willox said.

“We congratulate Murray Watt, the new Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, on his appointment and look forward to working constructively with him in a key area for Australian employers.

“There are a range of highly significant issues currently in play in the portfolio ranging from the implementation of new industrial arrangements and the future of the construction division of the CFMEU which require immediate attention.”

Mr Willox’s comments follow significant concern from within business groups regarding the government’s workplace relations agenda, who claim recently implemented reforms, including a clampdown on labour hire and increased regulation of the gig economy, will undermine workforce flexibility.

Mr Willox also congratulated Tony Burke, Andrew Giles, Pat Conroy, Malarndirri McCarthy and Tim Ayres who assumed different roles via the reshuffle.

“We hope this reset allows the government to focus for the test of its term on delivering policy certainty and a stable environment that supports business productivity, investment and employment.”

4:22 pm July 28, 2024

Indigenous group backs McCarthy's promotion

Paige Taylor

Malarndirri McCarthy will be an excellent Indigenous Australians minister because she understands that past policies have ongoing impacts for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, according to the Healing Foundation.

The Indigenous foundation — which helped the Morrison government design a redress scheme for the Stolen Generations in the NT — says Senator McCarthy brings a “nuanced understanding and lived experience to the many priorities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities”.

Senator McCarthy is a Yanyuwa woman who grew up in the remote Aboriginal community of Borroloola on the edge of the Gulf of Carpentaria. When she finished highschool, she got a cadetship at the ABC in Darwin and worked as a television presenter and reporter for 15 years.

Indigenous leaders have told The Australian they believe she was compelling during the voice campaign but her role was too small. She featured in a series of televised advertisements advocating for the Yes case in the last weeks of the campaign, after successive polls showed the referendum would not succeed.

Former Indigenous Australians minister in the Morrison government, Ken Wyatt, said Senator McCarthy “will make a great replacement” for the retiring Linda Burney.

“She is an experienced leader and has remained grounded to community in all of the work that she has done,” Mr Wyatt said.

In parliament in 2021, Senator McCarthy said:

‘The separation of families and the destruction of communities on a systemic scale cannot simply be forgotten, and the fear and pain remain with not only the members of the stolen generations but their children and grandchildren too.

“We continue to see the long shadow the trauma has cast on relationships, on health and mental health, on people's economic prospects and on culture, language and identity.

“The Stolen Generations have haunted not only the victims but also our national history and conscience. I'd like to think the Stolen Generations are a faraway memory—something that did happen a long time ago. Instead, it happened so recently—right up to where we are now.”

4:11 pm July 28, 2024

Giles faces 'steep learning curve' in new role: housing boss

Jack Quail

Freshly appointed Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles faces a “steep learning curve” to get across his portfolio, Housing Industry Association managing director Jocelyn Martin has warned.

Dumped from the immigration, citizenship and multicultural affairs portfolios, Mr Giles replaces longstanding Labor frontbencher Brendan O’Connor, however the position will not remain in cabinet.

Responding to Mr Giles’ appointment, Ms Martin said the portfolio was a “very complex area” and she hoped he could “get on top of it”.

“It’s hard not to look at his performance in recent times and be concerned about his ability to throw himself into such a complex area but we’re willing to work with him… so he gets up to speed in this area.”

While Labor has rolled out billions to fund fee-free TAFE and established workforce planning agency Jobs and Skills Australia, Mr Giles faces a dwindling number of apprenticeship commencements, threatening to hamstring the government's housing agenda.

4:09 pm July 28, 2024

McManus hails 'groundbreaking' Tony Burke

Jack Quail

Tony Burke has received high praise from the union movement, with ACTU secretary Sally McManus lauding the outgoing employment and workplace relations minister for his "groundbreaking" work in the portfolio.

Having ushered a series of contentious reforms to workplace laws through parliament in the last 12 months, Mr Burke delivered on a series of longstanding policy demands of the union movement which were largely ignored during the Coalition’s near-decade in office.

These include a clampdown on labour hire, new powers to allow the industrial umpire to set minimum pay rates in the gig economy, and changes to make it easier for casuals to convert to permanent roles.

“Minister Burke methodically went about fixing the broken workplace rules and was influenced only by what was right and necessary to make lives better for workers and for the economy,” ACTU secretary Sally McManus said.

“I don’t believe any Workplace Relations Minister has left such a huge legacy and he has achieved it in just over two years. Working people into the future will benefit from his work, we wish him well in his next portfolio.”

3:55 pm July 28, 2024

Take strong action on CFMEU, business chief urges new Employment Minister

Jack Quail

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Andrew McKellar has urged incoming Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt to crackdown on allegations of criminal conduct inside the CFMEU.

“Strong action needs to be taken against the rogue elements in the CFMEU — we want to ensure that the government is pursuing an active response to clean up the mess in that sector,” Mr McKellar said.

Labelling Senator Watt as “positive and engaged”, Mr McKellar added that while the government had already passed much of its industrial relations agenda, he urged Senator Watt to keep an “open mind” to any amendments.

“If we see areas where IR legislation is working in a way which makes it harder for business to create jobs and employ more people, then he'll be open to making changes where necessary,” Mr McKellar said.

“We urge him to be focused strongly on how the portfolio contributes to productivity and flexibility in the economy, ensuring that business can create jobs and employ more people going forward.”

3:45 pm July 28, 2024

Outgoing housing minister thanks PM for 'new challenge'

James Dowling

Outgoing housing minister Julie Collins has spoken on her new role in the portfolio of forestry and fisheries, as well as her continued work as Small Business Minister.

“I welcome the great honour to serve as the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and thank the Prime Minister for this new challenge,” Ms Collins said.

“Agriculture plays a vital role in our country, and our national economy continues to rely on a strong and diverse sector.

“I look forward to continuing the good work of my colleague (former Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister) Murray Watt, alongside my role as Minister for Small Business, and congratulate my colleague Anthony Chisholm on his new role as Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.”

As the MP for Franklin in Tasmania, Ms Collins’ new role will challenge her to take charge on the local issues of salmon farming and native forest logging, where local industry in Tasmania bears the brunt of criticism from environmentalists.

Ms Collins congratulated former home affairs minister Clare O’Neil on her appointment into her former portfolio of housing.