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July 28, 2024
Anthony Albanese is set to announce the biggest shake-up of his front bench in years, parachuting Tony Burke into the home affairs portfolio and demoting underperforming ministers.
The Prime Minister is set to announce a complete clear-out of the home affairs and immigration portfolio ahead of the election.
The shake up will turf Andrew Giles out of the immigration portfolio as expected.
In a tacit admission that the portfolio areas are the Albanese government’s weakest link in the wake of the High Court decision on indefinite detention, Clare O’Neil is also moving on from the home affairs portfolio.
There is speculation that Tony Burke will take the reins of the powerful home affairs portfolio and hand industrial relations to Queensland’s Murray Watt.
Mr Albanese confirmed at a press conference on Sunday Tony Burke would be responsible for the super portfolio of home affairs and immigration working with two junior ministers.
But he was unable to explain why Andrew Giles and Clare O’Neil we’re being moved beyond saying “because there’s a reshuffle.”
“Tony Burke will be the minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Immigration and multicultural affairs, Minister for Cyber Security, as well as continuing to be Minister for the Arts and Leader of the House.
“Tony of course is a senior Minister, who has been focused on a range of portfolios and has done a great job in employment and workplace relations.
“Julie Collins, having done an outstanding job as Housing Minister, will move to the ministry for agriculture, fisheries.”
Mr Albanese said that Immigration Minister Andrew Giles would move to vocational training and Clare O’Neil would move to housing.
Mr Albanese said he was “very proud” of the fact his cabinet team had been stable over the last two years.
“I would expect that this is the team that I will take to the election when it is held sometime in the future,” Mr Albanese said at a press conference on Sunday.
Liberal leader Peter Dutton said the reshuffle was a vote of no-confidence in the government’s handling of the High Court’s decision on indefinite detention.
“I really think Andrew Giles’ position is completely and utterly untenable,” he said.
“So he should go, that should be the first test for the prime minister, and not just parachuted into another portfolio, he needs to go.
“There’s no way in the world the prime minister could credibly have Andrew Giles in a ministry, given what he’s done so far. And Clare O’Neil, of course, is the co-conspirator to all of that.
“I think there’s a lot of speculation at the moment around Murray Watt moving into the immigration portfolio. He’s basically just a clone of Andrew Giles. So, you can change the sales person, but you still have them read from the same script. They’re weak on borders and people are getting to our mainland at the moment.”
Liberal Senator James Patterson warned the stewardship of the home affairs portfolio was vital.
“Anthony Albanese’s government, the Labor Party have done enough damage to the Home Affairs portfolio and our national security already,” Liberal Senator James Paterson told Sky News on Sunday.
“I hope they don’t do any further damage.
“They dismantled the portfolio when they came to office by taking key agencies like the Federal Police and the Intelligence Commission out of the portfolio and sent it to the Attorney-General’s portfolio.”
The cabinet reshuffle follows the resignation of Linda Burney and Brendan O’Connor and Tasmania’s Carol Brown.
Tasmanian senator Carol Brown announced on Saturday she would step aside from her position as assistant minister for transport and infrastructure due to health reasons but will remain in parliament.
Clare O’Neil is expected to retain a major portfolio and speculation on Sunday morning centred around her being awarded housing or Tanya Plibersek’s environment portfolio with the option of Ms Plibersek taking on housing.
Malarndirri McArthy is tipped take over from Linda Burney as Indigenous Australians Minister.
Outgoing Labor frontbencher Brendan O’Connor predicted new faces including Victoria’s Kate Thwaites were set for promotion.
“It’s great to see it looks likely that Malarndirri McCarthy and Jenny [McAllister] will enter the ministry. They’re assistant ministers now, they both have remarkable energy and talent,” he told Insiders.
“I look forward to watching them if that’s the case in the ministry.”
Cabinet changes
Tony Burke MP – Minister for Home Affairs; Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs; Minister for Cyber Security; Minister for the Arts; Leader of the House
Julie Collins MP – Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; Minister for Small Business
Senator Murray Watt – Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Clare O’Neil MP – Minister for Housing; Minister for Homelessness
Senator Malarndirri McCarthy – Minister for Indigenous Australians
Pat Conroy MP – Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery; Minister for International Development and the Pacific
Ministry changes
Andrew Giles MP – Minister for Skills and Training
Senator Jenny McAllister – Minister for Cities; Minister for Emergency Management
Assistant Ministry changes
Matt Thistlethwaite MP – Assistant Minister for Immigration
Patrick Gorman MP – Assistant to the Prime Minister; Assistant Minister for the Public Service; Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General
Ged Kearney MP - Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care; Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health
Senator Tim Ayres – Assistant Minister for a Future Made In Australia; Assistant Minister for Trade
Senator Anthony Chisholm – Assistant Minister for Education; Assistant Minister for Regional Development; Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Kate Thwaites MP – Assistant Minister for Social Security; Assistant Minister for Ageing; Assistant Minister for Women
Josh Wilson MP – Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy
Julian Hill MP – Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
Special Envoy changes
Peter Khalil MP – Special Envoy for Social Cohesion
Luke Gosling MP – Special Envoy for Defence, Veterans’ Affairs and Northern Australia
Andrew Charlton MP – Special Envoy for Cyber Security and Digital Resilience
