Prime Minister John Howard has announced the make-up of his new government ministry, prompted by the retirement of former Defence Minister and Leader of the Government in the Senate Robert Hill, with former Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer Mal Brough promoted to the portfolio of Family, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
Brough replaces Senator Kay Patterson who recently resigned from the position.
The federal member for Dickson in Queensland and former Minister for Workplace Participation, Peter Dutton, has been appointed as new Assistant Treasurer.
In other moves, Brendan Nelson has been promoted to the defence portfolio and Finance Minister Nick Minchin takes over as the coalition Senate leader.
Other changes of note include the appointments of high profile backbenchers Malcolm Turnbull and Andrew Robb as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs respectively.
Peter Costello, Alexander Downer and Tony Abbott all retained their respective portfolios of Treasury, Foreign Affairs and Health.
Howard described his new line-up of ministers as “a mixture as always of very experienced, competent people with some new, somewhat younger people who’ve done very well in the past and have promise of doing even better in the future”.
