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Shorten Announces Minor Changes To Shadow Ministry; O’Neill Promoted

The Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, has announced changes to the ALP shadow ministry, following the resignation of Senator Sam Dastyari.

HammondThe new member for Perth, Tim Hammond (pictured), has become Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs and enters the Shadow Outer Ministry in place of Dastyari. Hammond will continue as the Shadow Minister Assisting for Resources but his Digital Economy and Startups position has been abolished.

O'NeillNSW Right Senator Deborah O’Neill (pictured) will become a shadow parliamentary secretary, as Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Shadow Assistant Minister for Innovation.

Senator Katy Gallagher becomes Manager of Opposition in the Senate, a role also previously held by Dastyari. She retains her position as Shadow Minister for Small Business and Financial Services.

The 48-member executive includes 22 members in the Shadow Cabinet, 10 in the Shadow Outer Ministry and 16 Shadow Assistant Ministers (Parliamentary Secretaries). The total Caucus numbers are not yet final but are likely to be around 95 members. About half of the Caucus will be members of the shadow executive. [Read more…]


Tim Hammond (ALP-Perth) – Maiden Speech

Tim Hammond, the new ALP member for Perth, has delivered his maiden speech to the House of Representatives.

Hammond

Hammond, 40, a barrister, began his legal career with Slater and Gordon. He has specialised in asbestos litigation and acted for indigenous victims of road trauma.

Hammond was promoted directly into the ALP’s shadow ministry as Shadow Assistant Minister for Digital Economy and Startups, Innovation, and Resources and Western Australia. [Read more…]


New Members Of The House Of Representatives

When the new House of Representatives meets for the first time on August 30, it will have 39 new members, 26% of the chamber’s 150 members.

The ALP will have 23 new members, the Coalition 15 and the Nick Xenophon Team 1. There are 25 males and 14 females.

The ALP will have 23 new faces, exactly one-third of its 69 MPs. This includes 16 members in seats the ALP won from the Coalition and includes two returning members, Mike Kelly in Eden-Monaro and Steve Georganas in Hindmarsh. The other 7 new members have replaced retiring sitting members.

The Liberal Party will have 11 new members (19.7%), including Julia Banks, the member for Chisholm, who represents the only seat the Coalition took from the ALP in the election. Ted O’Brien regained the seat of Fairfax from the Palmer United Party. Nine other Liberals replace retiring members. [Read more…]


Shorten Announces ALP Shadow Ministry Portfolio Allocations

The Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, has announced his allocation of portfolios for the ALP’s Shadow Ministry.

The 48-member executive includes 22 members in the Shadow Cabinet, 10 in the Shadow Outer Ministry and 16 Shadow Assistant Ministers (Parliamentary Secretaries). The total Caucus numbers are not yet final but are likely to be around 95 members. About half of the Caucus will be members of the shadow executive.

A number of positions in the Shadow Cabinet have changed hands, although Chris Bowen remains Shadow Treasurer. The biggest winner of the reshuffle is the second-term MP Jim Chalmers, who has been made Shadow Minister for Finance and moves into the Shadow Cabinet.

In other changes, deputy leader Tanya Plibersek has been moved into the high-profile domestic portfolio of Education. The party’s Senate leader, Penny Wong, takes Foreign Affairs.

Senator Kim Carr, for whom the shadow ministry has been expanded from 30 to 32, retains the portfolio of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

Another significant change sees Michelle Rowland take over Communications, whilst Defence goes to Richard Marles and Senator Stephen Conroy takes on Special Minister of State and Sport. The relatively unknown Queenslander, Shayne Neumann, becomes Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. [Read more…]