Ley's first shadow ministry is on the mark. But now the hard work starts
Sussan Ley has finally stamped her authority on a much-diminished federal opposition, naming nine new members to her shadow cabinet and rewarding supporters and fellow moderates with roles on her frontbench.
Ley had assistance from voters in clearing out some of the familiar faces – Peter Dutton, David Coleman, Michael Sukkar and Perrin Davey lost their seats in parliament – but she has not hesitated to go further.
Ley and her team could find no space at the top table for former shadow cabinet members Jane Hume, conservative rising star Claire Chandler, former education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson – who has few allies in the party room – and Nationals turncoat Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who has been demoted to the outer shadow ministry.
The appointment of Price to the outer ministry is particularly apposite as the Trump-friendly 'Make Australia Great Again' senator will be bound by shadow ministerial solidarity and unable to freelance outside her defence industry portfolio.
Nationals leader David Littleproud has, as expected, ensured that his great rival and predecessor Barnaby Joyce was dumped, while Darren Chester returns to his former gig of veterans' affairs.
The newly minted opposition leader had an extra week to consider how to assemble her frontbench team because of the quickie Coalition split. The cracks have been papered over for now but divisions are certain to re-emerge when parliament returns and debate resumes on the giant, unresolved net zero fault line that divides the Coalition.
For the most part, Ley has made wise choices. Henderson made a lot of noise but achieved very little in the previous parliament. Hume, fairly or unfairly, is still wearing a decent chunk of the blame for the catastrophic end-work-from-home policy but she, along with Chandler, is likely to return to the frontbench in future.
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The net result is two fewer women in the 23-member shadow cabinet, though this is offset by the Liberals finally promoting a woman to the leadership.
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