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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has accepted the ministerial appointment recommendations of the leader of his Coalition partner, the Nationals’ Michael McCormack, to reshuffle several major portfolios and elevating Veterans’ Affairs into cabinet.
The new ministers and assistant ministers will be sworn in by the Governor-General later today. The reshuffle follows the resignations of former deputy leader of the Nationals Bridget McKenzie and former cabinet minister Matt Canavan.
The PM announced the changes as follows:
- The Leader of The Nationals [Michael McCormack] will continue on in his current portfolios [Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development] and that will also include a very big focus on the water grid and ensuring that Australia has the water infrastructure it needs for a resilient future.
- David Littleproud will continue to serve in Cabinet. He will take on the portfolios of Minister for Agriculture and that will combine with his other portfolios of Drought and Emergency Management. The issue of natural disasters is one that encompasses all portfolios of government, and obviously, as minister for emergency management, that will have particular responsibilities for him, but when it comes to dealing with natural disasters and our broader resilience to the environment and the climate we are living in — as I outlined at the Press Club last week — I believe this goes across every single portfolio of government.
- Darren Chester will be entering Cabinet, but he will continue to do the wonderful and outstanding job he’s been doing as Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel. I’m advised that this is the first time veterans’ affairs has been back in Cabinet since the late Ben Humphreys in 1993 and I think that sends a strong message about our commitment to veterans in this government.
- Keith Pitt will take on the role and enter Cabinet as Minister for Resources, Water, and Northern Australia, highlighting again the importance of all of those portfolio matters and their presence around the Cabinet table.
- Mark Coulton will continue to serve as Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government.
- Andrew Gee will come into the ministry as Minister for Regional Education, Decentralisation and Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Investment.
- Michelle Landry will continue to serve as an Assistant Minister for Children and Families, and will also serve as Assistant Minister for Northern Australia.
- Kevin Hogan will come into the assistant ministry, where he will be the Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister.
The full current ministry can be found here.
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