New government includes record 13 women ministers
CANBERRA: Australia’s new government sworn in on Wednesday includes a record 13 women, including the first female Muslim to serve in the role and the second Indigenous person named Indigenous Affairs minister.
The ceremony conducted by Governor-General David Hurley in the capital, Canberra, came 11 days after new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led the center-left Labour Party to an election victory over the incumbent conservatives.
“Proud to lead an inclusive government that is as diverse as Australia itself,” Albanese wrote on Twitter. “Welcome to all these new Labour members.”
Youth Minister Anne Aly is Australia’s first female Muslim minister, while industry and science minister Ed Husic is the first Muslim to serve in Cabinet.
Linda Burney became the first woman, and only the second Indigenous person, to serve as Indigenous affairs minister.
Albanese formed an interim ministry, that included 4 other key members, two days after the May 21 election so he could attend a Quad group meeting in Tokyo, attended by US President Joe Biden and the leaders of Japan and India.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles - who was part of the interim ministry along with Penny Wong in foreign affairs, Jim Chalmers as treasurer and Katy Gallagher in finance - has been assigned the defence portfolio.
Don Farrell is the new trade minister and Tanya Plibersek the environment minister, while Clare O’Neil will be in charge of home affairs and Chris Bowen takes energy.
Former Labour leader Bill Shorten will be minister for government services.
Of the 30 ministers appointed to the new government, nearly half are women. Women also hold a record 10 spots out of 23 in core Cabinet roles.
With some votes still to be counted from last month’s election, the Labour Party has secured enough seats to hold an outright majority in the 150-seat House. Albanese’s Cabinet includes some new faces as well as some lawmakers who served in the previous Labour government that last held power nine years ago. “We have an overflow of talent on our side of the parliament,” Albanese said, adding that “it’s the most experienced incoming Labour government in our history since federation”.
Albanese has been getting support from an unusual source: British singer-songwriter Billy Bragg.
Bragg wrote on Twitter that he’d awoken to find that “the new prime minister of Australia had quoted my lyrics in his first press conference”.
Bragg went on to say he wasn’t surprised as he’s been friends with Albanese for more than 20 years after they met at a theatre in Sydney and bonded over a shared love of music and compassionate politics.
“The challenges he faces are daunting and I don’t envy him his success,” Bragg wrote. “Some of us just sing about making the world a better place - he now has the responsibility of delivering on that promise.”
Albanese on Tuesday said Labour will govern in its own right, claiming 77 seats in the 151-seat lower house, letting it form a majority government without the support of climatefocused independents and Greens.