Conservatives brought into the fold, but not Abbott
Scott Morrison rejected calls to return Tony Abbott to cabinet but elevated key conservatives in a bid to calm the partyroom.
Scott Morrison has rejected calls to return Tony Abbott to cabinet but has elevated key conservatives in a bid to calm the partyroom and kept most of the ministers who staged the leadership coup against Malcolm Turnbull.
The new Prime Minister has also increased the number of women in cabinet, from five to six, following the decision by foreign minister Julie Bishop to move to the backbench.
In a move to stem the bleeding of the failed energy policy, NSW minister Angus Taylor, who backed Peter Dutton in the leadership contest, has been appointed energy minister, with colleagues claiming as a former business expert working in the sector he was one of the few in government “that understood it”.
Mr Abbott will be offered an olive branch in the form of an emissary role, most likely in the area of indigenous affairs. Mr Abbott has been in early talks with Mr Morrison but has not yet accepted the offer. Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce will undertake a new role as drought envoy.
Mr Dutton, Mr Morrison’s key leadership rival, will return to the home affairs portfolio but will lose immigration, which becomes a separate ministry within the Home Affairs Department as first proposed by Mr Morrison when he was immigration and border protection minister. Dutton loyalist Mathias Cormann was retained as Finance Minister and Senate leader.
Mr Morrison will also re-energise the fight against the unions, with the restoration of the industrial relations portfolio. In seeking an urgent truce with the Catholic schools sector, Simon Birmingham will be replaced as education minister by Social Services Minister Dan Tehan, a Victorian Catholic.
Minister Marise Payne will be moved out of defence amid internal criticism of her sales job on one of the Coalition’s policy strengths, but will be promoted to foreign affairs minister on the advice of Ms Bishop.
Moderate leader and Defence Industries Minister Chris Pyne, a key Turnbull backer, will also be rewarded by taking over defence, while a numbers man for Mr Morrison, Queenslander Stuart Robert, will be returned to the ministry after being forced out in 2016 over accusations of improperly using his position as a minister on a trip to china.
Susan Ley will also return to the ministry after being dumped following a travel rorts scandal.
In other moves, small business will be returned to cabinet in a redesign that will see every state and territory represented in the broader ministry.
However, Mr Morrison has risked a backlash from conservatives, with leading conservative and junior minister under Mr Morrison, Michael Sukkar, being left out of the ministry after resigning last week along with 12 other ministers in a vote of no-confidence in Mr Turnbull. Mr Morrison said he was confident his MPs would cease their internal war, and called for major cultural change to draw a line under the Abbott-Turnbull wars. “I’m not go to pretend to you that those things are fixed quickly,” he said.
“But I do believe that this provides the opportunity, having reached out, having ruled a line, ensuring that the events of the past week go no further than that.”
While promoting some of the younger conservatives, others were punished, while his moderate backers were rewarded.
Senator Birmingham, a South Australian moderate, was given the role of trade minister while Dutton-supporter Steven Ciobo was moved sideways into defence industry.
The energy portfolio has been separated from environment, which has been handed to West Australian Melissa Price, who has been promoted to cabinet.
But other key Dutton supporters Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and James McGrath were stripped of their frontbench positions. Further, Human Services Minister Michael Keenan will keep his portfolio but has been moved out of cabinet to work under Families and Social Services Minister Paul Fletcher, who has been elevated to cabinet.
Into the ministry is Sydney-based moderate David Coleman, to serve under Mr Dutton as immigration and multicultural affairs minister, with cyber security also being absorbed into home affairs.
Mitch Fifield, who quit the cabinet last week, returns to communications, and Greg Hunt retains health, despite resigning last week. Another key numbers man for Mr Morrison from his home state of NSW, Alex Hawke, was promoted to special minister of state and Kelly O’Dwyer has been given the jobs, small business and industrial relations portfolio, in a move that elevates IR and small business into cabinet.
Linda Reynolds has been promoted to assistant home affairs minister, with Mr Morrison placing 11 women on his frontbench with six women in cabinet.
Michelle Landry, Andrew Broad and David Fawcett have been promoted to the outer ministry. Karen Andrews is minister for industry, science and technology.
Michaelia Cash moves to small business, skills and vocational training. Nationals assistant minister Keith Pitt also quit the frontbench.
New Liberal Party deputy leader Josh Frydenberg has already been sworn in as Treasurer.
WA MP Steve Irons has been appointed assistant minister to the Prime Minister, while Morrison backer Ben Morton has not been given a role.
“These roles, I think, provide an opportunity for those who have served at senior levels in the past and continue to make any constructive contribution. I look forward to continuing to engage with Mr Abbott on how he can play a role in those areas, but I fully respect his right to look at these issues as he sees fit,” Mr Morrison said.
He said Australians expected a change in political culture after a week of parliament was consumed by the Liberal leadership change that delayed the roll out of legislation and policy.
Mr Dutton will be sworn in this morning to attend an intelligence security meeting of “five eyes” countries on the Gold Coast today.
The ministry will be sworn in tomorrow.
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THE MORRISON CABINET
Prime Minister Scott Morrison
Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion
Deputy Prime Minister, Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack
Regional Services, Sport, Local Government and Decentralisation Bridget McKenzie
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg
Finance, Public Service Mathias Cormann
Defence Christopher Pyne
Defence Industry Steven Ciobo
Foreign Affairs Marise Payne
Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham
Attorney-General Christian Porter
Home Affairs Peter Dutton
Communications and the Arts Mitch Fifield
Jobs, Industrial Relations and Women Kelly O’Dwyer
Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education Michaelia Cash
Resources and Northern Australia Matthew Canavan
Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews
Education Dan Tehan
Health Greg Hunt
Families and Social Services Paul Fletcher
Agriculture and Water Resources David Littleproud
Environment Melissa Price
Energy Angus Taylor
THE OUTER MINISTRY
Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population Alan Tudge
Special Minister of State Alex Hawke
Veterans’ Affairs, Defence Personnel, Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC Darren Chester
Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman
Senior Australians and Aged Care, Indigenous Health Ken Wyatt
Human Services and Digital Transformation Michael Keenan
Assisting the Prime Minister Steve Irons
Assisting on Regional Development and Territories Sussan Ley
Assisting the Deputy Prime Minister Andrew Broad
Assisting on Roads and Transport Scott Buchholz
Assistant Treasurer Stuart Robert
Assisting on Treasury and Finance Zed Seselja
Assisting on Defence David Fawcett
Assisting on International Development and the Pacific Anne Ruston
Assisting on Trade, Tourism and Investment Mark Coulton
Assisting on Home Affairs Linda Reynolds
Assisting on Social Services, Housing and Disability Services Sarah Henderson
Assisting on Children and Families Michelle Landry
Assisting on Agriculture and Water Resources Richard Colbeck
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