Latest news with #shadowministry
ABC News
3 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Coalition back together
The Liberals and Nationals are officially back together, announcing their new shadow ministry. Meanwhile, the Albanese government is facing blowback for approving the extension of Australia's largest gas project.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
‘Treaty of Versailles': angry Liberal MPs warn makeup of Coalition shadow ministry will make new enemies
A rump of Liberal MPs are fuming over the makeup of the new shadow ministry, warning the perceived rewarding of supporters and sidelining of factional rivals was a 'Treaty of Versailles'-type peace deal that would cause long-term unrest. One Liberal MP said the appointments would 'create enemies', setting up an early challenge for new leader Sussan Ley as she attempts to rebuild the party. After striking a deal with the Nationals to reunite the Coalition, Ley is facing an internal backlash after dumping senior figures in favour of a new breed of MPs in a major reshaping of the Peter Dutton-era frontbench. Liberal sources said the makeup of the frontbench could be viewed as a mix of moderates and people who were 'very close' to Ley – such as Alex Hawke – and the 'flag bearers' for the party's right wing, who needed to be retained in senior roles to preserve a degree of factional balance. This group included Angus Taylor, James Paterson, Andrew Hastie and Michaelia Cash. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email While the most high-profile demotion, Jane Hume, is from the party's moderate flank, arguably the biggest losers were the conservatives. Sarah Henderson was relegated to the backbench while Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was demoted to the outer shadow ministry. Claire Chandler will also sit on the backbench after being forced out of shadow cabinet. Price claimed some of the appointments were not based on 'merit' as she expressed disappointment with her demotion on Sky News. A group of younger conservative MPs, including Henry Pike, Cameron Caldwell and Garth Hamilton, were all overlooked as Ley handed junior portfolios to moderates such as Maria Kovacic, Dave Sharma and Gisele Kapterian, subject to her winning Bradfield. Other ambitious backbenchers such as Aaron Violi and Simon Kennedy also missed out. Veteran rightwinger Tony Pasin – a key backroom player in Taylor's failed leadership tilt – was demoted as expected. Moderates Tim Wilson, Andrew Bragg and Angie Bell were among the biggest winners after promotions to shadow cabinet. The reaction to the shadow ministry presents an immediate test for Ley as she tries to rebuild from the 3 May election disaster. One conservative MP said the shadow ministry was more 'Treaty of Versailles than Marshall Plan' – a historical reference used to suggest the appointments would cause ongoing angst. The Treaty of Versailles was the peace deal between Germany and the allies that followed the first world war. The harsh conditions imposed on Germany were considered to have laid the foundations for the second world war. The Marshall Plan was the US-led initiative to help rebuild Europe after the second world war. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Asked for their view on the shadow ministry, another MP who missed out on a senior role referenced former Liberal prime minister's Tony Abbott's old saying about reshuffles. 'The Abbott truism that reshuffles create enemies will live out this term,' they said. In a blitz of morning television and radio on Thursday, Ley defended her frontbench choices and decision to promote more moderate voices. Ley called Price 'a real talent' and said she had 'a new, expanded role' in a critical area. 'I'm excited by the role Jacinta will play in that, and I've had a great chat with her about that role and as part of my team, she's excited to go forward with it,' she told 4BC radio. Ley on Radio National dodged several questions about Price's claims that 'merit' was not rewarded in the reshuffle, repeatedly declining to address her claims directly. 'She is part of that team. She's an incredible Australian in terms of her ability to connect. But I'm very proud of my team,' Ley said in response. Senator James Paterson, the new shadow finance minister, conceded on Radio National that while merit was the most important issue in a frontbench reshuffle, 'I'd be lying if I said merit is the only consideration' – calling it a 'political process' where leaders had to balance geographical, gender and party room factors. 'I'm disappointed on behalf of Sarah [Henderson], in particular, who did a great job in her portfolio and is a valued colleague as well, and Jacinta, understandably, would have preferred to be in shadow cabinet. We would all like to be in shadow cabinet,' he said. Asked about future unity in the Coalition party room, Paterson said ideas would have to be 'robustly tested' inside the party. Arguably the biggest internal fight for the Coalition this term will be over whether to dump or retain the net zero by 2050 target. In his latest intervention in the debate, the Nationals senator, Matt Canavan, published a bizarre anime-style video with the tagline 'dark Nats rise' and promising to 'defeat net zero'. Accompanied by a song with some lyrics in Japanese, the translation on screen includes lines like 'our nation needs a hero to defeat the net zero' and 'We rise, we fight, dark Nats burning through the night', with animation of men destroying wind turbines and solar panels.
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Ted O'Brien tipped for shadow treasurer as MPs jockey for plum portfolios on all-Liberal frontbench
Anthony Albanese says the Nationals will get no 'reward' in terms of extra resources or staff for deserting the Coalition, as Sussan Ley considers how to fill an entire shadow ministry with only Liberal MPs. The Liberal deputy leader, Ted O'Brien, is tipped to assume the treasury spokesperson role when Ley makes her frontbench announcement – possibly on Thursday – but most of the Liberal caucus may be in line for a shadow ministry position, after the Nationals dealt themselves out by snubbing a new Coalition agreement. Liberals are also adamant that the Nationals' decision should mean Ley and her team receive all the extra staff traditionally given to the opposition. When asked how extra staff would be divided up among the conservative parties, Albanese said on Wednesday: 'We'll give consideration to all of those matters. But clearly it is not reasonable that there be more staff or a reward, if you like, for the fact that you have this division.' O'Brien, who as deputy can choose his own portfolio, is understood to be seeking treasury. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Ley, as the new opposition leader, is expected to substantially refresh the shadow ministry formed by Peter Dutton. At a minimum, she must fill several key roles left vacant by Liberal MPs not re-elected, including foreign affairs, housing, social services, NDIS and assistant treasury. She must also fill portfolios formerly held by Nationals members, including Indigenous Australians, water, resources, agriculture, trade, infrastructure, veterans, international development and manufacturing. The election drubbing also wiped out a new generation of rising Liberal talent, including Keith Wolahan, Jenny Ware, James Stevens and Bridget Archer. There are 29 ministers named in the Labor government, plus Albanese, with another 12 assistant ministers. Pending final counting, the Liberal party room – minus the Nationals – will have around 50 members, meaning most could end up with a shadow ministry or assistant role. O'Brien's expected move into treasury leaves open his former position as energy spokesperson. A different role will also be required for the senior MP and former shadow treasurer Angus Taylor. A common sentiment among Liberal sources was that the Nationals' split created opportunities to reposition the Liberal party after two successive defeats, without the influence of the more conservative country party. One Liberal parliamentarian said the absence of Nationals from the shadow frontbench created more promotion opportunities for Liberals. Guardian Australia has previously reported Taylor and the Liberal senator James Paterson have both been linked to potential moves into defence or foreign affairs, with Dan Tehan and Dave Sharma also mentioned for foreign affairs. Jane Hume and Andrew Hastie may also find themselves in new positions. Tim Wilson, the former assistant minister for energy, is expected to be vaulted into a shadow portfolio after winning back the seat of Goldstein. He told Sky News the Coalition split was a 'really exciting opportunity … to find our Liberal mojo juice again, and to stand up.' The likes of Julian Leeser and Andrew Wallace, as well as newer rising star MPs like Zoe McKenzie, Aaron Violi and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, could also be in line for new roles. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Jockeying for frontbench roles, as well as staff and other parliamentary resourcing, has become a critical thread after the Coalition split. The Liberal party will be recognised as the official opposition in parliament and name shadow ministers, while the Nationals are also expected to announce some of their members to be party spokespeople on key issues – in a similar arrangement to the Greens – also as early as Thursday. Shadow ministers are afforded extra staff and resources, in order to uphold scrutiny and accountability of government ministers, but the same is not extended automatically to those assigned spokesperson roles. The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, has repeatedly conceded Nationals who would have been shadow ministers will now 'take a pretty big pay cut'. While the prime minister by convention sets the number of staff for the opposition and crossbenchers, traditionally the opposition receives about 20% of the government's staff allocation. The parliamentary library said as of May 2024, the government had 495 staff and the opposition 110. Some Liberals are adamant their party should get all the extra opposition staff allotment. Albanese in 2022 faced strong criticism from some on the crossbench after cutting their allocation of staff. Albanese on Wednesday said he'd already spoken to both Ley and Littleproud about the Coalition split, but that decisions about staff for his own ministry – let alone the opposition – were not yet finalised. 'I'll have discussions with both Sussan Ley and David Littleproud about that, as well as the crossbenchers. We haven't sorted out ministerial staff yet, so there's some time to go on that,' Albanese said 'We'll continue to treat people across the parliament … with respect. Those arrangements are really a matter for them.'
