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Albanese’s cabinet refresh to replace departing Shorten

Amanda Rishworth, Katy Gallagher and Anika Wells will split Shorten's former portfolios.

Amanda Rishworth, Katy Gallagher and Anika Wells will split Shorten's former portfolios. Photos: AAP/TND

Bill Shorten’s portfolio has been divided between three women in a cabinet refresh ahead of the federal election – as concerns over women’s representation in the Coalition continue to bubble.

With Shorten set to step away from parliament on Monday – more than a week earlier than expected – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has taken the opportunity to give his ministry a shake-up before heading to the polls.

Shorten, a former Labor leader, announced last September that he was quitting after 17 years in politics to become vice chancellor of Canberra University. That job begins in February.

Earlier this week, he brought forward his departure to January 20.

On Thursday, Albanese announced that Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth would pick up Shorten’s NDIS portfolio, while Finance Minister Katy Gallagher adds government services – including Centrelink – to her fold. Anne Aly will become junior NDIS minister.

Aged Care and Sport Minister Anika Wells will be promoted to the cabinet, with Albanese highlighting her work throughout the Olympics and aged care reforms.

“Anika Wells has done an outstanding job,” he said in Canberra on Thursday.

The promotions will be made official when the politicians are sworn in at Government House on Monday.

Rishworth and Gallagher paid tribute to Shorten and said they looked forward to taking on the new roles.

The two noted his tireless work in championing the NDIS and uncovering the previous Liberal government’s robodebt scandal.

“Minister Shorten has been a passionate and tireless advocate for people with disability – and leaves big shoes to fill,” Rishworth said.

bill shorten

Bill Shorten, with wife Chloe, will formally quit politics on Monday. Photo: AAP

It is the second time Albanese has reshuffled his cabinet. There was also a significant change to the ministry last July after two veteran politicians announced their retirements and a furore over immigration, which prompted Albanese to switch around his immigration and home affairs ministers.

The newly promoted ministers will be put to the test as voters prepare to take to the polls some time before May 17.

While female representation has been boosted in the government’s A-team, there are concerns the Coalition is failing to address its gender imbalance and pre-selection issues over a key seat have brought the issue back to the forefront.

The electorate of Bradfield in Sydney’s north has historically been a blue-ribbon seat for the Liberal Party, but in recent years it has faced serious challenges from teal independent Nicolette Boele.

Many of the Liberals’ historically safe seats were already taken by female teal independents at the 2022 election. With Bradfield’s Liberal MP Paul Fletcher announcing his retirement at the next vote, the Coalition is reportedly split over his replacement.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott and senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price are backing Nyunggai Warren Mundine, while opposition deputy leader Sussan Ley and former treasurer Joe Hockey have endorsed Gisele Kapterian, a tech company director.

Women make up less than one-third of the Coalition’s MPs and senators, whereas more than half of Labor’s federal parliamentarians are women.

Though the Coalition has previously set gender targets, it has been accused of continually picking men for safe seats held by retiring MPs.

But opposition finance spokeswoman Jane Hume claimed it was “nonsense”, listed some of the Coalition’s female candidates and noted that retiring MPs were not only concentrated in safe seats.

“There’s no such thing as a safe seat anymore,” she told ABC radio.

“Of the seats that we are trying to win – and there are plenty of them – there are some extraordinary women.”

-with AAP

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