Today, I announce the following changes to the Coalition Shadow Ministry.
I am delighted that Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price will take on the role of Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians.
Jacinta is a fighter and a warrior for Indigenous Australia. As a proud Territorian, a former councillor and deputy mayor of Alice Springs, and a former small business owner, she has always fought hard to improve the lives of Indigenous women and kids, and tackled immensely difficult issues like the scourge of sexual abuse, domestic violence, and the crisis in law and order in some Indigenous communities.
I am proud of her, and I know she will do an outstanding job in leading the charge for better practical outcomes for Indigenous Australians – not through the Prime Minister’s Canberra Voice Bureaucracy.
Senator Kerrynne Liddle will join the outer shadow ministry as Shadow Minister for Child Protection and the Prevention of Family Violence. Kerrynne had a distinguished career prior to entering the Senate, having worked as a senior business leader, small business owner and journalist. A former small business owner and senior leader in the private and public sector, Kerrynne’s extensive professional experience has led to her success in key areas including in the tourism, energy, media, tertiary education, arts, social housing and indigenous affairs sectors. I am delighted she will join my Shadow Ministry and this critical role will allow her unique policy strengths and insights to come to the fore.
I want to thank the Hon. Karen Andrews MP for her many years of fine service on the Coalition frontbench. Karen has offered to step aside from the Shadow Ministry and to return to the backbench. Karen was a distinguished and first-rate minister during the period of the last Coalition government and I am so grateful for her contribution to the Coalition team over many years.
Senator James Paterson will join the Shadow Cabinet as the new Shadow Minister for ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Affairs. As a member and former chairman of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, James has been at the forefront of many of the critical national security debates facing our country in recent years.
James has done an outstanding job in holding the government to account for its failures in cyber security, along with raising the critical issue of foreign interference in our community. He will retain his existing shadow ministerial portfolio of Cyber Security and I am delighted to bring him into the Shadow Cabinet.
Senator the Hon. Michaelia Cash will return to a familiar portfolio area for her as she takes on the role of Shadow Attorney-General.
A fierce and talented legal operator, I’m delighted Michaelia will take on this position, in addition to her existing Industrial Relations portfolio remit. With the legal uncertainty, complexity, and constitutional risk inherent in the Prime Minister’s Canberra Voice proposal becoming clearer by the day, I know Michaelia will do a forensic job in this role.
I can assure all Australians that the Coalition will continue to focus on delivering positive plans and policies for the future of our country in 2023 and in the lead-up to the next election.
These new shadow ministry appointments strengthen our team as we approach the task ahead.
