The Albanese ministry is the 73rd ministry of the Government of Australia. It is led by the country's 31st Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. The Albanese ministry succeeded the second Morrison ministry, which resigned on 23 May 2022 following the federal election that took place on 21 May which saw Labor defeat Scott Morrison's Liberal–National Coalition.[1]
Although counting was still underway on election night, most media outlets projected that due to severe losses by Morrison's Liberal/National Coalition, Labor was the only party that could realistically form even a minority government. Accordingly, Morrison conceded defeat to Albanese late on election night. Soon afterward, in accordance with longstanding Australian constitutional practice, he advised the Governor-General, David Hurley, that he was no longer in a position to govern. Normally, Morrison would have stayed on as caretaker Prime Minister until the final results were known. However, with the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue due to be held on 24 May 2022, Albanese advised Hurley that he could form a government. Hurley then swore in Albanese and four senior Labor frontbenchers as an interim five-person ministry on 23 May, two days after the election. According to ABC News, Hurley would not have invited Albanese to form a government without assurances that Labor could provide stable government, as well as legal advice that this was the proper course of action.[2][3] According to the Australian Financial Review, Albanese had secured enough support from crossbenchers to be able to govern in the event Labor fell short of a majority.[4] On 30 May 2022, Australian media outlets projected that Labor had won enough seats in the House of Representatives to become a majority government.[5]
After the swearing-in of the interim arrangement, during his first press conference as prime minister, Albanese announced that his first full ministry would be sworn in on 1 June 2022.[6] The members of the ministry were announced on 31 May and sworn in the following day.
Albanese announced on the 25 July 2024 that he would refresh his ministry after two cabinet ministers, indigenous affairs minister Linda Burney and skills minister Brendan O'Connor announced that they would retire at the next Australian federal election, and also immediately step down from the ministry.[7] On 27 July 2024, Carol Brown also announced she would step down from the assistant ministry due to health reasons.[8]
Albanese announced the new ministry on 28 July 2024. Malarndirri McCarthy and Jenny McAllister were selected unopposed by their Labor Left faction to replace Burney and O'Connor as ministers.[9] McCarthy and Pat Conroy were elevated to cabinet. McCarthy, who was previously the assistant indigenous affairs minister, was appointed as the new indigenous affairs minister, while there were no changes to Conroy's portfolios (defence industry and international development). Tony Burke gained the home affairs, cyber security and immigration portfolios from Clare O'Neil and Andrew Giles, while retaining his arts minister portfolio and his position as Leader of the House. Burke's previous employment portfolio was gained by Murray Watt. Watt's agriculture portfolio was given to Julie Collins, which Collins previously held while in opposition. Collins retained her small businesses portfolio while losing the housing and homelessness portfolios to O'Neil.[8]
Giles succeeded O'Connor as skills minister and remained in the outer ministry. Jenny McAllister was promoted to the outer ministry and was appointed as cities minister and emergency services minister, taking over the latter portfolio from Watt.[8]
Kate Thwaites, Josh Wilson and Julian Hill were new additions to the assistant ministry, with Thwaites and Hill having new portfolios, while Wilson succeeded McAllister as assistant climate change minister. McCarthy's previous role as assistant indigenous affairs minister and Brown's previous role as assistant infrastructure and transport minister were not replaced, while McCarthy's role as assistant indigenous health minister was gained by assistant health minister Ged Kearney. Three other assistant ministers also gained new portfolios in addition to their existing ones: Patrick Gorman as Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General, Tim Ayres as Assistant Minister for a Future Made In Australia, and Anthony Chisholm as Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Matt Thistlethwaite was appointed as Assistant Minister for Immigration, with his previous portfolios removed without replacement.[8]
The new ministry was sworn in the following day on 29 July 2024.[8]
Special envoys are additional roles that are not part of the ministry, but have been included here because of their status.[12]
Albanese announced the composition of the full ministry on 31 May 2022.[14][12][15] As Labor frontbenchers Kristina Keneally and Terri Butler lost their seats in the election, Clare O'Neil and Murray Watt were chosen by Albanese as replacements in cabinet while the caucus chose Anne Aly, Anika Wells and Kristy McBain to replace them as ministers.[16] The ministry was sworn in on 1 June 2022.[17]
Tony Sheldon was later appointed on the 24 July 2022 as the Special Envoy for Disaster Recovery while Pat Dodson left his role as Special Envoy for Reconciliation and Implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart when he retired on 26 January 2024.[13][18]On 31 May 2023, assistant ministers Patrick Gorman and Andrew Leigh were additionally appointed Assistant Minister for the Public Service and Assistant Minister for Employment respectively.[19]
Special envoys are additional roles that are not part of the ministry, but have been included here because of their status.[12]
In the interim five-person ministry sworn in on 23 May 2022, Albanese was sworn in as Prime Minister, Labor deputy leader Richard Marles as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Employment, Jim Chalmers as Treasurer, Senator Penny Wong as Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Senator Katy Gallagher as Minister for Finance, Minister for Women, Attorney-General, and Vice-President of the Executive Council.[1] Gallagher would only hold the position of attorney-general for the duration of the interim ministry.[22] The interim ministry would also cover all other portfolios and the sworn-in ministers would be acting ministers for those portfolios. For example, Gallagher and Chalmers were also acting health minister[23] and interim home affairs minister respectively.[24]
Geographic breakdown of the current ministry (as of 29 July 2024[update]), per House of Representatives electorate and state/territory represented in the Senate: