The second Albanese ministry has been sworn in following a slew of new ministers promoted in a cabinet reshuffle.
Malarndirri McCarthy has become the second Indigenous woman to hold the Indigenous Australians portfolio after her direct predecessor Linda Burney announced her retirement.
Pat Conroy has also jumped into cabinet following the retirement of Brendan O’Connor but retained his defence industry and Pacific portfolios.
Jenny McAllister is the new emergency management minister after she was promoted to the outer ministry.
Clare O’Neil and Andrew Giles had their home affairs and immigration portfolios stripped and given to Tony Burke in the reshuffle.
Mr Burke’s employment and workplace relations portfolio has gone to Murray Watt, whose agriculture portfolio has moved to Julie Collins.
Ms O’Neil has become the new housing and homelessness minister and remained in cabinet as Mr Giles was sworn in as the skills minister after it was dropped into the outer ministry following Mr O’Connor’s retirement.
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley criticised the changes, saying the wider reshuffle was touted as replacing retiring ministers.
“Anthony Albanese has had to change half his team … that’s a huge concession the government’s failing to deliver,” she told ABC radio.
Ms Ley also chastised the dropping of the skills out of cabinet and being given to Mr Giles, saying it was too important to be a “consolation prize” after he was dumped from immigration.
“The heavy hitting and the decisions are made around the cabinet table, if you’re not sitting at that table, then you don’t get to have a say,” he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denied moving his home affairs and immigration ministers equated to a political scalping as the opposition claimed they were dumped for incompetence.
Filling cabinet spots had “a knock-on effect,” he said.
Senior ministers also came to the defence of Ms O’Neil, saying the shuffle wasn’t an admission of failure.
“Not at all, what we’re doing is with Clare O’Neil moving to housing after the good work she’s done in cyber security,” cabinet minister Bill Shorten told Seven’s Sunrise.
“She’s now going to be our lead spokesperson on housing. Clare will be great in that gig.”
Minister Mark Butler defended the wider movements but didn’t address a question about the shuffle not necessarily requiring a knock on effect after Senator McCarthy replaced Ms Burney and Mr Conroy took Mr O’Connor’s spot, with his skills portfolio not remaining in cabinet.
Kate Thwaites, Josh Wilson and Julian Hill have been promoted to the assistant ministry and three special envoys have also been appointed.
Peter Khalil, the new envoy for social cohesion, vowed to work on a way forward to strengthen Australia’s multiculturalism as community tensions simmer, the new envoy for social cohesion says.
“Australia has been a relatively harmonious society for decades, but we do face challenges, and it’s important to be able to work on those challenges and address them and enhance our democracy,” he told ABC radio.
Mr Khalil’s promotion came amongst a slate of cabinet and ministry changes spurred by the retirement of two cabinet ministers and assistant minister Carol Brown stepping back from the leadership role due to health reasons.
The coalition would take the same frontbencher to the next election, Ms Ley confirmed.
By Dominic Giannini in Canberra
