After a week of turbulence, Leader of the Opposition Sussan Ley has announced her Shadow Ministry to begin the 48th Parliament.
Senator Anne Ruston will return as the Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, also taking on responsibility for the NDIS for the Coalition.
This move reflects the changes announced by Prime Minister Albanese for the Labor Ministry, with Senator Ruston’s role reflecting the expanded role given to Minister Mark Butler.
Senator Ruston will also take on the role of Shadow Minister for Sport.
Second term MPs Zoe McKenzie and Sam Birrell will join the Coalition’s health team, taking on the role of Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Shadow Minister for Regional Health respectively.
The announcement also sees a brand new finance team for the Coalition, with Liberal Deputy Leader Ted O’Brien taking on the role of Shadow Treasurer, with Senator James Paterson stepping into the role of Shadow Finance Minister.
While the Coalition may be seen as being lost in the political wilderness, they still have a vital role to play in advocacy. Even with 94 seats in the House of Representatives, Labor still require the support of either the Coalition or Greens to pass legislation in the Senate.
The experience vacuum caused by the loss of so many MP’s needs to be filled by expert counsel from experts in their fields, of which your organisation has several. The role of The Opposition will always be to hold Government to account and with Minister Butler’s new super-portfolio, it is important that healthcare remains a top priority.
If you or your team or you would like to schedule a time to discuss the election result in more detail and learn more about new Coalition parliamentarians and the Shadow Ministry, please contact us.
