How Ministers Line-Up in New Gillard Government

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has responded to electoral feedback with a shake-up of her Cabinet and ministry.
How Ministers Line-Up in New Gillard Government
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard (centre L) joins Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce (centre R), Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Wayne Swan (front row, 4th R), former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd (front row, 2nd R) and her new ca (Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images)
9/13/2010
Updated:
9/14/2010
<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/104073685_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/104073685_medium.jpg" alt="Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard (centre L) joins Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce (centre R), Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Wayne Swan (front row, 4th R), former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd (front row, 2nd R) and her new ca (Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images)" title="Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard (centre L) joins Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce (centre R), Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Wayne Swan (front row, 4th R), former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd (front row, 2nd R) and her new ca (Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-112383"/></a>
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard (centre L) joins Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce (centre R), Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Wayne Swan (front row, 4th R), former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd (front row, 2nd R) and her new ca (Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images)
SYDNEY—Prime Minister Julia Gillard has responded to electoral feedback with a shake-up of her Cabinet and ministry.

The new ministerial line-up will see substantial change with four new ministers, new roles in the outer ministries and over half the Cabinet with new or changed responsibility: Kevin Rudd is back, this time as Foreign Minister, and Stephen Smith has been moved to Defence; Penny Wong has been moved to Finance while Greg Combet has been given her Climate Change portfolio; Chris Bowen has been moved from Finance to Immigration while Simon Crean is to be responsible for a new ministry of Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government plus the Arts.

Dr Geoff Robinson, political analyst at Deakin University, said the Gillard ministry was “a reasonable selection” in response to events before and after the elections.

Kevin Rudd’s appointment to Foreign Minister was widely expected as a result of the former prime minister’s support during the campaign, he said.

While many Queenslanders had questions about the Rudd Government there was much sentiment about the way Kevin Rudd, a Queenslander, had been removed, adding fuel to Labor’s concern about its standing in Queensland.

Stephen Smith, who graciously stepped aside as Foreign Minister for Mr Rudd, is expected to meet the challenge of the more demanding Defence portfolio.

Regional Development

Dr Robinson believes the most interesting and challenge ministry will be Simon Crean’s Regional portfolio, created in response to demands by regional independents.

“What exactly that is going to mean and how that is going to work will be a challenge for Simon Crean” said Dr Robinson, “actually putting into place the new regional development push and ostensibly keeping independents onside.”

However, after 20 years in Parliament and with Primary Industries, plus Employment, Education and Training among the portfolios he has held, Simon Crean says he is passionate about his new role and believes he is up to the job.

“Regions deserve not just a fair go, they deserve their individual diversity to be understood better and for them to be able to come up with creative local solutions as to how they can make it work better for them,” he told the ABC.

Immigration

<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/Untitled3_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/Untitled3_medium.jpg" alt=" (Courtesy Of Australian Govt.)" title=" (Courtesy Of Australian Govt.)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-112384"/></a>
 (Courtesy Of Australian Govt.)
Dr Robinson said Immigration had been like a “poisoned chalice” for left leaning Chris Evans who will get his teeth into more comfortable territory in the Jobs, Skills and Workplace Relations portfolio.

Chris Bowen, as the member for Fairfield, one of Sydney’s, indeed Australia’s, most culturally diverse electorates may gain more traction in the Immigration portfolio than in Finance where he championed substantial superannuation reforms that were little promoted during the election campaign, Dr Robinson said.

Penny Wong, forced to wear Kevin Rudd’s unpopular agenda on Climate Change, will be given the opportunity to show what she can do in the Finance portfolio, a position Dr Robinson says will give her access and influence in Cabinet.

Meanwhile Greg Combet, former secretary of the ACTU from 2000 to 2007 and considered a rising star when appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement in the Rudd Government, will be tested as the new Climate Change minister.

“There is a burden of expectations for Greg Combet. This is an opportunity for him to really make his mark, but I think it will be a test of whether or not he can deliver on the promise that a lot of people think that he has,” said Dr Robinson.

Faceless Men

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(Courtesy Australian Govt.)
Notable are the appointments of those who have been credited with Kevin Rudd’s removal as Prime Minister–David Feeney, Bill Shorten, Don Farrell, Gary Gray and Mark Arbib are on the front bench.

Dr Robinson says it will give those like Mark Arbib, who is responsible for Indigenous Employment, the opportunity to show what they can really achieve.

Bill Shorten, he said, had a proven record and he was expecting him to step up in his role Assistant Treasurer.

“He does seem to be across a lot of policy areas compared to a lot of those Labor leaders who just make the same speech again and again,” he said.