Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott says his new ministry is one of the most experienced in the Coalition’s history and reflects some significant promotions.
Abbott announced his cabinet and outer ministry team in Canberra on Monday, nine days after the Coalition’s election win over Labor. The Cabinet will be sworn in on Wednesday.
The team includes South Australians Christopher Pyne (Education Minister and the only SA member of Cabinet), Jamie Briggs (Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, in the outer ministry) and Simon Birmingham (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment).
Pyne retains his role running parliamentary tactics as Leader of the House, and takes higher education into a full education ministry.
“This is the team to provide strong and stable government,” he told reporters.
“This is one of the most experienced incoming ministries in our history.”
However, Abbott said he was disappointed there wasn’t more women in his 19-member cabinet.
Incoming Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop will be the only woman.
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The situation would have been different if Victorian Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella been ahead on votes in her seat of Indi, Abbott said.
“Plainly, I am disappointed that there are not at least two women in the cabinet,” he said.
“Nevertheless there are some very good and talented women knocking on the door of the cabinet and there are lots of good and talented women knocking on the door of the ministry.
“You can expect to see as time goes by more women in both the cabinet and the ministry.”
Liberal Senator Sue Boyce said she was shocked and embarrassed that there was only one female cabinet minister in the incoming Abbott government.
Boyce, who is retiring from parliament when her term in the Senate expires next July, said the lack of women in cabinet should be a wake up call for the Liberal Party.
“It’s a systemic problem for our party,” Boyce said in a statement.
“It’s a shame that this shocking and embarrassing statistic will permanently tarnish a wonderful victory.”
Boyce urged the party to reform preselection processes in order to foster the depth of talent to ensure both women and men take on senior roles.
Abbott said the new government’s task was to “calmly” implement the commitments it made to the Australian people during the election campaign.
“You’ll see there is enormous stability in this team but there has been as well some significant promotions,” he added.
Senator Mathias Cormann enters cabinet as Minister for Finance instead of Andrew Robb, who will become Minister for Trade and Investment.
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In the outer minister, Senator Fiona Nash will be Assistant Minister for Health and Senator Michaelia Cash will be the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection as well as Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women.
Abbott said he was taking a “back to basics” approach when it came to titles in the new ministry.
“With grandiose titles of the former government, it sometimes seemed that ministers needed an extra large business card to contain all of their various titles,” he said.
His ministers would have short titles, and his colleagues in the outer ministry would be simply described as “Assistant Minister”.
“I’m determined as far as humanly possible, to have clear lines of authority,” Abbott said.
Former Howard government immigration minister Philip Ruddock will take on the job of chief government whip.
Abbott said there was no one better to guide the class of 2013, which will include some 30 new Coalition members.
“I can think of no better person to act as tutor-in-chief to our new members than Philip Ruddock – the father of the house – a man of unrivalled experience, knowledge, insight, judgment and character,” he said.
Nationals leader Warren Truss will be Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development.
He will be supported in the infrastructure portfolio by Liberal MP Jamie Briggs as Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development.
Senator Arthur Sinodinos joins the outer ministry as Assistant Treasurer, after being Mr Abbott’s parliamentary secretary in opposition.
Steve Ciobo returns to the executive after an absence of three years as parliamentary secretary to the Treasurer, Joe Hockey.
Paul Fletcher becomes parliamentary secretary for Communications, while Josh Frydenberg and Alan Tudge will be parliament secretaries to the prime minister.
Michael McCormack will be the parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Finance.
Queensland MP Warren Entsch would chair a special committee for development of northern Australia.
“Warren is the embodiment of northern Australia,” Abbott said.
Abbott confirmed he supported Bronwyn Bishop to become Speaker of the House of Representatives.
