Who are the other four Labor ministers sworn in today?
Anthony Albanese and his senior team were sworn in this morning.(AAP: Lukas Coch)
Anthony Albanese wasn’t the only Labor member to be sworn into office today — four of his colleagues and cabinet members were as well.
Just after he was officially made Australia’s 31st Prime Minister, some of the party’s most senior members were also sworn into their roles, ahead of a full ministerial swearing-in in the coming weeks.
The group was sworn in early because of the Quad leaders’ meeting between Australia, Japan, India and the United States in Tokyo tomorrow.
While the full line-up of Labor’s frontbench will likely be decided next week, here’s who was also sworn into the “interim ministry” today, and what roles they’ve been given.
Richard Marles
Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles has, at least for the time being, been given the Employment portfolio.
He will also be Acting Prime Minister while Mr Albanese is out of the country.
The appointment is in line with his role in opposition as Shadow Minister for Employment, Skills and Small Business.
But there are questions around his future in that role, with many believing he will instead choose to become Defence Minister.
As deputy leader, he gets to choose what portfolio he takes on.
In either role he faces some pretty tough issues — as Employment Minister he’ll be responsible for maintaining low unemployment while also ensuring there are enough staff to fulfil some of Labor’s key policies like more nurses in aged care.
In Defence, he’d be overseeing a portfolio with one of the biggest budgets, submarine capability gaps and also have to tackle how to negotiate the threat of China to Australia and the region.
Mr Marles was first elected to the seat of Corio in Victoria in 2007 and was briefly the Trade Minister for two months in 2013.
Penny Wong
Penny Wong has been sworn in as the Foreign Affairs Minister; she held the shadow portfolio in opposition for six years, since July 2016.
Senator Wong is joining Mr Albanese on the trip to Tokyo in part to discuss Labor’s major new package for the Pacific and South-East Asia, including major aid for the region.
She and the Prime Minister have also flagged they want to discuss the threat climate change poses to Pacific nations.
Senator Wong was first elected as a South Australian senator in 2001 and held the climate change and finance ministerial positions when Labor was last in government between 2007 and 2010.
ABC
