Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Nationals leader David Littleproud have unveiled their shadow cabinet after renewing the Coalition agreement barely a week since the very public break-up between the Liberal Party and Nationals.
Ley’s Liberal deputy, Ted O’Brien, will be the new shadow treasurer, taking over from Angus Taylor after his failed leadership tilt, while newly elected Goldstein MP Tim Wilson has been elevated straight into the shadow cabinet in the industrial relations, employment and small business portfolio.
Taylor has been named shadow defence minister, while fellow conservatives James Paterson (finance) and Andrew Hastie (home affairs) have also been given prominent positions – although former SAS soldier Hastie had reportedly been seeking a financial or social portfolio.
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Meanwhile, Jane Hume is the biggest loser from the reshuffle, having gone from shadow finance minister and a prominent spokesperson during the election campaign to being left out of the opposition ministry entirely.
Hume appears to have paid the price for several gaffes during the election, having been the key driver of the Coalition’s aborted work-from-home policy and saying without evidence “Chinese spies” were volunteering for Labor just days before polling day.
As finance spokesperson, Hume also played a key role in determining the Coalition’s economic offering, which has been heavily criticised in the wake of its crushing election defeat.
“These are tough days and having been through many days like this myself in my parliamentary career, I recognise that,” Ley said.
“But what I want to say about Jane Hume is she is an enormously talented, fantastic member of this team, who has contributed amazingly over her political career, will continue to do so, and is a strong performer across a range of different subject areas.”
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Former education spokesperson Sarah Henderson has also been dumped from the shadow ministry.
Another loser was Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who was removed from the frontbench to instead sit in the outer shadow ministry in the defence industry and personnel portfolio.
Price had defected from the Nationals following the election to run as Taylor’s deputy leader, but failed to nominate for the position after Ley won the ballot for Liberal leader.
One of the more eye-raising appointments was that of Gisele Kapterian as shadow communications assistant minister, even though she provisionally won her seat of Bradfield by just eight votes and a recount is currently under way.
“Gisele’s appointment is about confidence and the future of women in our party,” Ley said.
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A final result in the seat is not expected for weeks.
Julian Leeser has regained his position as shadow attorney-general after he quit the Liberal frontbench to support the Voice to parliament referendum in 2023, Michaelia Cash will be shadow foreign affairs minister, and Andrew Bragg will take up the housing portfolio.
Alex Hawke, a close backer of former prime minister Scott Morrison who put his influential support behind Ley in the leadership change, has been rewarded with the industry and innovation portfolio, as well as being named manager of opposition business.
The Nationals have been granted their wish for an economic position in the shadow ministry, with Pat Conaghan the new shadow assistant treasurer.
The shadow ministry announcement this afternoon comes after Ley and Littleproud signed off on a new Coalition agreement this morning, eight days after their two parties had split.
Littleproud announced the Nationals would not be renewing the agreement just last Tuesday, citing a lack of guarantees from the Liberals on four policy platforms: nuclear energy, supermarket divestiture powers, regional phone coverage, and a regional future fund.
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However, Ley said a demand from Littleproud to exempt his party from shadow cabinet solidarity – which several Nationals MPs have said was not raised by their leader when the party room voted to split from the Coalition – was a dealbreaker for the Liberals.
The Nationals leader agreed to backtrack on that position last Thursday, before both parties delayed their scheduled frontbench announcements to allow Ley to hold a party room meeting for Liberal MPs to come to an agreement on their junior partner’s policy demands.
Questions hang over Nationals leader
While the new agreement ends the fracture between the two parties, Littleproud is facing questions from within the Nationals over the break-up, and not telling his party room about the shadow cabinet solidarity request.
Queensland MP Colin Boyce last night accused Littleproud of misleading the party, saying he “can’t support” him.
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Last week, former leader Michael McCormack, who helped patch up the split, said he was “ambitious for him” when asked about Littleproud’s leadership – the same words then-treasurer Morrison used about Malcolm Turnbull days before he replaced him as prime minister.
McCormack, who was dumped from the shadow ministry along with fellow ex-leader Barnaby Joyce, also said last week he had no plans to roll his leader “anytime soon”.
Littleproud denied he was punishing either of the experienced MPs for their criticism of the week-long split by removing them from shadow cabinet.
“I made it clear when I became leader three years ago that I wanted to have generational change but, at that point, wanted to respect the leadership that was before me to allow them to impart their wisdom,” he said.
He also denied there was instability in the Nationals.
“I think both former leaders have the party at the core of who they are and what they are,” he said.
“This is about making sure that the course of our party room is one that is collegiate, is always brutally honest – which is a good thing.”
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