Coalition chiefs deny settling scores in shadow cabinet
Dominic Giannini |
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley denies her new-look shadow cabinet is about squaring the ledger after promoting political allies and dumping others.
The reunited coalition’s frontbench includes deputy Liberal leader and nuclear energy advocate Ted O’Brien becoming the shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor taking defence and former SAS soldier Andrew Hastie moving to home affairs.
Jane Hume, who oversaw the coalition’s disastrous work-from-home policy, lost the finance portfolio and was dropped from the shadow ministry as were conservative senators Claire Chandler and Sarah Henderson.
Tim Wilson is a big winner, jumping straight into shadow cabinet with the industrial relations and employment gig after becoming the only Liberal MP to win back a seat from an independent at the May 3 election.
James Paterson takes on finance, Dan Tehan picks up energy and emissions reductions, Michaelia Cash becomes the foreign affairs spokeswoman and Anne Ruston retains health, but adds the National Disability Insurance Scheme portfolio.
Liberal factional powerbroker and Scott Morrison ally Alex Hawke has returned to shadow cabinet after being sent to the backbench by former opposition leader Peter Dutton after the 2022 election.
He supported Ms Ley’s leadership bid and has been rewarded with the industry portfolio as well as becoming the manager of opposition business in the lower house.
Ms Ley denied the ministry was determined by personal grievances following her leadership ballot against Mr Taylor, which she won narrowly with 29 votes to 25.
“Absolutely not,” she told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.
“I know that we have harnessed the talent that we need in this shadow ministry going forward.”
Nationals leader David Littleproud also denied personal feuds impacted his selections for the rural party’s six spots in shadow cabinet.
He demoted two former deputy prime ministers, Michael McCormack and Barnaby Joyce, after both spent the previous week criticising his leadership.
“I made it clear after the last election that I wanted to have generational change,” Mr Littleproud said.
He promoted Ross Cadell (water and emergency management) and Darren Chester (veterans’ affairs) into shadow cabinet.
Pat Conaghan becomes assistant treasurer, the Nationals’ only economic portfolio, and joins the outer shadow ministry.
Nationals deputy Kevin Hogan retains trade and the party’s Senate leader Bridget McKenzie keeps infrastructure.
Liberal MP Julian Leeser retakes his old role as shadow attorney-general after he resigned from shadow cabinet to campaign for the Indigenous voice referendum in 2023.
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price will become the opposition’s defence industry and personnel spokeswoman, demoted from shadow cabinet to the outer ministry.
Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle takes her Indigenous Australians portfolio in shadow cabinet.
Senator Nampijinpa Price sent shockwaves through the coalition when she defected from the Nationals to the Liberals after the election defeat.
She declared an intention to run as Mr Taylor’s deputy, but pulled out after he lost the leadership ballot.
She has now lost the shadow cabinet seat she held while sitting with the Nationals as there’s not enough room at the table for her due to other Liberal promotions.
Ms Ley has dropped the government efficiency portfolio that was assigned to Senator Price after criticism it too closely mirrored the department set up by Elon Musk in the US under the Trump administration.
The announcement followed the Liberals and Nationals agreeing to a renewed political marriage on Wednesday morning.
The Nationals briefly left the partnership as the party fought to have four key policies retained.
These included a recommitment to scrapping a federal ban on nuclear power, a regional investment fund, powers to break up big supermarket chains and universal telecommunications coverage.
Both party leaders insisted the feud was water under the bridge as they stood together publicly for the first time since the break-up to announce the shadow cabinet.
AAP
