The Second Turnbull Government was sworn in today with the largest Cabinet since the Whitlam government in 1975.
Turnbull’s Cabinet has 23 members, an increase of one from before the July 2 election. The previous 22 members was an increase from 21 when Turnbull became PM in September 2015, and from 19 in the Abbott government.
During the Whitlam government (1972-75), all 27 members of the ministry were in the Cabinet because the system of a Cabinet and Outer Ministry was abandoned. Having so many ministers in the Cabinet was widely regarded as a bad thing and the next Labor government under Bob Hawke reintroduced the two-tier model.
Turnbull has accommodated an increase in ministerial representation for The Nationals by increasing the size of Cabinet from 22 to 23, whilst the Outer Ministry has been reduced from 8 to 7.