A number of new and veteran Labor politicians were formally sworn in as part of the Prime Minister’s first ministry, in a series of historic appointments.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, (centre front), and his ministers after being sworn in on June 1, 2022.
(tla / dpa)
Australia’s new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s cabinet has been sworn in. Ten of the 22 ministries are headed by women – more than ever before in the country’s history. Both the Foreign and Home Offices are led by women with Penny Wong and Clare O’Neil. Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of Defense is Richard Marles, who has also been Deputy Labor Party leader since 2019.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has put diversity at the center of his new ministry. The new Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic, is the first Minister with a Muslim background in the Cabinet. And Minister for Early Education and Youth, Anne Aly, is the first woman of Muslim background to be sworn in as Minister. Linda Burney (65) is the first woman with indigenous roots to head the Australian Indigenous Ministry.
Labor won the general election on May 21 and is back in power for the first time in almost a decade. The conservative coalition led by former Prime Minister Scott Morrison suffered a bitter defeat. Albanese (59) can govern with a slim majority and will not depend on the votes of other parties. Labor got 77 of the 151 seats in the House of Commons.