By Staff Writer
The Prime Minister, John Howard, has announced changes to his Ministry, including two promotions to Cabinet, three new appointments to the outer Ministry and two new Parliamentary Secretaries.
Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone will depart the Ministry along with former Minister for Vocational and Technical Education, Gary Hardgrave. Mr Hardgrave will be contesting the next election and the Prime Minister expressed confidence that he will retain the seat and continue with a successful parliamentary career.
Arts and Sports Minister, Rod Kemp, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Sandy Macdonald, agreed to step down and will not contest the next election.
Within the Cabinet, the Prime Minister announced a number of changes.
Former Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has been elevated to Minister for The Environment and Water Resources, replacing Senator Ian Campbell who will assume the position of Minister for Human Services.
In addition, the former Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Kevin Andrews has taken on the role of Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.
The former Minister for Human Services, Joe Hockey has been appointed Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.
“Both Mr Turnbull and Mr Hockey have performed very strongly in their existing portfolios and both now take on important new responsibilities,” the Prime Minister said.
Two departments have undergone name changes with the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs changing to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Reflecting growing concer over Australia’s most precious resource, the Department of the Environment and Heritage has become the Department of The Environment and Water Resources.
Within the outer Ministry the Federal Member for Goldstein, Andrew Robb, has been appointed to the portfolio of Vocational and Further Education.
The position of Minister for the Arts and Sport has been filled by a new ministerial appointment, Queensland Senator George Brandis.
The final change to the Ministry sees the appointment of Senator for the Northern Territory, Nigel Scullion, appointed to the portfolio of Minister for Community Services, in place of Federal Member for Parkes, John Cobb.
Peter Lindsay becomes the new Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence and Tony Smith becomes Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister.
Federal Member for Flinders, Greg Hunt, has become Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Federal Member for Petrie, Teresa Gambaro, has become Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.
The Prime Minister says there will continue to be 12 parliamentary secretaries within the new ministerial arrangements.
Notably, two of those 12 parliamentary secretaries will be assistant ministers in recognition of particular responsibilities they will each have and their relative seniority.
Those two appointments include the current Minister for Community Services, John Cobb, appointed to Parliamentary Secretary as Assistant Minister for The Environment and Water Resources.
The current Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing, Christopher Pyne, has also been designated as an Assistant Minister.
The new Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries will be officially sworn in next Tuesday (January 30).
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