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| Cabinet newcomers take their seats | Cabinet newcomers take their seats |
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| Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's new ministry has a number of new faces with some interesting back stories. Now counted as members of his cabinet are a former UN lawyer, a senator who once complained about not being picked up from Melbourne airport by a limousine, and more than one person who voted for Julia Gillard in the leadership spill. | Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's new ministry has a number of new faces with some interesting back stories. Now counted as members of his cabinet are a former UN lawyer, a senator who once complained about not being picked up from Melbourne airport by a limousine, and more than one person who voted for Julia Gillard in the leadership spill. |
| Sharon Bird: minister for regional development, regional communications and road safety | Sharon Bird: minister for regional development, regional communications and road safety |
| A Gillard supporter who declared she would like to keep her higher education ministry after the leadership spill, Bird has instead been moved to minister for regional development, regional communications and road safety. Over her career Bird has been a TAFE and high school teacher as well as an electorate officer and in March this year was promoted to minister for higher education and skills by Gillard. She voted for Gillard in the most recent leadership spill but did not resign from her position, telling the ABC it was up to Rudd to decide whether she should keep it or not. | A Gillard supporter who declared she would like to keep her higher education ministry after the leadership spill, Bird has instead been moved to minister for regional development, regional communications and road safety. Over her career Bird has been a TAFE and high school teacher as well as an electorate officer and in March this year was promoted to minister for higher education and skills by Gillard. She voted for Gillard in the most recent leadership spill but did not resign from her position, telling the ABC it was up to Rudd to decide whether she should keep it or not. |
| Bird has been the MP for the Illawarra electorate of Cunningham since 2004 after first contesting it in 2002 in a byelection which she lost to a Greens candidate. She cut her teeth in politics as councilor for the Shellharbour council in the early 1990s and served as parliamentary secretary for higher education in 2012 before joining the ministry. | Bird has been the MP for the Illawarra electorate of Cunningham since 2004 after first contesting it in 2002 in a byelection which she lost to a Greens candidate. She cut her teeth in politics as councilor for the Shellharbour council in the early 1990s and served as parliamentary secretary for higher education in 2012 before joining the ministry. |
| Jacinta Collins: minister for mental health | Jacinta Collins: minister for mental health |
| Collins is aligned with Labor's socially conservative right wing, holding several senior positions with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association before entering parliament. Collins is like a number of other Labor MPs with this background: she is pro-life, and against same sex marriage, and she votes accordingly on conscience issues. The Victorian was installed in the Senate in 1995 but lost the seat in 2005 to Family First parliamentary leader Steve Fielding. She was re-elected to the Senate in 2007 and promoted to the outer ministry by Gillard after the 2010 election as parliamentary secretary for school education and workplace relations and last year became the manager of government business in the Senate when Mark Arbib resigned. She has worked mostly in the policy area of workplace reform. In last week's leadership ballot, Collins saw off fellow Victorian senator Kim Carr to emerge as Labor's new deputy Senate leader. | Collins is aligned with Labor's socially conservative right wing, holding several senior positions with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association before entering parliament. Collins is like a number of other Labor MPs with this background: she is pro-life, and against same sex marriage, and she votes accordingly on conscience issues. The Victorian was installed in the Senate in 1995 but lost the seat in 2005 to Family First parliamentary leader Steve Fielding. She was re-elected to the Senate in 2007 and promoted to the outer ministry by Gillard after the 2010 election as parliamentary secretary for school education and workplace relations and last year became the manager of government business in the Senate when Mark Arbib resigned. She has worked mostly in the policy area of workplace reform. In last week's leadership ballot, Collins saw off fellow Victorian senator Kim Carr to emerge as Labor's new deputy Senate leader. |
| Collins made headlines in 2009 after complaining that a commonwealth limousine was not available for her when she landed in Melbourne after a parliamentary sitting week and to her "disbelief" she was told to catch a cab. In 2011 she received the Christian Values award from the Australian Christian Values Institute, joining the ranks of the opposition leader, Tony Abbott; the prime minister, Kevin Rudd; and the independent MP Bob Katter, who are previous recipients of the award. | Collins made headlines in 2009 after complaining that a commonwealth limousine was not available for her when she landed in Melbourne after a parliamentary sitting week and to her "disbelief" she was told to catch a cab. In 2011 she received the Christian Values award from the Australian Christian Values Institute, joining the ranks of the opposition leader, Tony Abbott; the prime minister, Kevin Rudd; and the independent MP Bob Katter, who are previous recipients of the award. |
| Julie Collins: minister for housing and homelessness, community services, Indigenous employment and economic development, and the status of women | Julie Collins: minister for housing and homelessness, community services, Indigenous employment and economic development, and the status of women |
| Collins came to the House of Representatives in 2007 and held onto her seat in the 2010 election to be promoted soon after Labor formed minority government. She was parliamentary secretary for community services and Tasmania under Gillard who made her the minister for community services, minister for Indigenous employment and economic development, and minister for the status of women in 2011. Rudd has promoted her from the outer ministry to cabinet, adding housing and homelessness to her other portfolios. | Collins came to the House of Representatives in 2007 and held onto her seat in the 2010 election to be promoted soon after Labor formed minority government. She was parliamentary secretary for community services and Tasmania under Gillard who made her the minister for community services, minister for Indigenous employment and economic development, and minister for the status of women in 2011. Rudd has promoted her from the outer ministry to cabinet, adding housing and homelessness to her other portfolios. |
| The year before being elected to the House of Representatives, Collins made an unsuccessful bid for the Tasmanian state parliament. Collins rose up through the Labor party in Tasmania before winning her seat working in an electorate office and as a Senate adviser before becoming personal assistant and adviser to the Tasmanian premier, Jim Bacon, from 1998 to 2003. | The year before being elected to the House of Representatives, Collins made an unsuccessful bid for the Tasmanian state parliament. Collins rose up through the Labor party in Tasmania before winning her seat working in an electorate office and as a Senate adviser before becoming personal assistant and adviser to the Tasmanian premier, Jim Bacon, from 1998 to 2003. |
| Catherine King: minister for regional Australia | Catherine King: minister for regional Australia |
| King has been known as a strong campaigner since she started her parliamentary career in 2001 as the only Labor member to win a seat from the Coalition at the election. She has widened her margin from 2.2% in 2004 to 11.7% in 2010 and was one of the few Labor MPs to increase her margin in that election. | King has been known as a strong campaigner since she started her parliamentary career in 2001 as the only Labor member to win a seat from the Coalition at the election. She has widened her margin from 2.2% in 2004 to 11.7% in 2010 and was one of the few Labor MPs to increase her margin in that election. |
| In the reshuffle brought on by the resignation of some of Rudd's supporters in March she was made minister for regional services, local communities and territories and road safety. | In the reshuffle brought on by the resignation of some of Rudd's supporters in March she was made minister for regional services, local communities and territories and road safety. |
| Rudd has promoted her to the cabinet as minister for regional Australia despite King voting for Gillard in the leadership spill. Her promotion has been criticised by the opposition spokesman for regional development, Barnaby Joyce, who argued King does not represent regional Australia. | Rudd has promoted her to the cabinet as minister for regional Australia despite King voting for Gillard in the leadership spill. Her promotion has been criticised by the opposition spokesman for regional development, Barnaby Joyce, who argued King does not represent regional Australia. |
| "There is nothing more infuriating for regional Australia than to see people who spruik the mantra, wear RM[Williams]s, wander out to the country and walk amongst the gum trees, but don't actually do anything," he said. | "There is nothing more infuriating for regional Australia than to see people who spruik the mantra, wear RM[Williams]s, wander out to the country and walk amongst the gum trees, but don't actually do anything," he said. |
| Joel Fitzgibbon: minister for agriculture | Joel Fitzgibbon: minister for agriculture |
| One of Rudd's most high-profile supporters, Fitzgibbon was dumped as the government whip by Gillard in March after throwing his support behind Rudd in the spill which never eventuated. In the lead-up to the latest leadership spill, Fitzgibbon appeared on Sunrise openly mocking the lines given to ministers by press officers to deal with the day's issues. In Rudd's first term as prime minister, Fitzgibbon was the defence minister but resigned in 2009 after an army general was instructed to meet with Fitzgibbon's brother, the CEO of insurer NIB Health, at which they discussed defence health contracting. | One of Rudd's most high-profile supporters, Fitzgibbon was dumped as the government whip by Gillard in March after throwing his support behind Rudd in the spill which never eventuated. In the lead-up to the latest leadership spill, Fitzgibbon appeared on Sunrise openly mocking the lines given to ministers by press officers to deal with the day's issues. In Rudd's first term as prime minister, Fitzgibbon was the defence minister but resigned in 2009 after an army general was instructed to meet with Fitzgibbon's brother, the CEO of insurer NIB Health, at which they discussed defence health contracting. |
| Six months before he resigned, Fairfax Media revealed the Defence Department had undertaken a covert investigation into Fitzgibbon's relationship with Chinese-Australian businesswoman Helen Liu, fearing it was a potential security risk. | Six months before he resigned, Fairfax Media revealed the Defence Department had undertaken a covert investigation into Fitzgibbon's relationship with Chinese-Australian businesswoman Helen Liu, fearing it was a potential security risk. |
| Fitzgibbon came to the House of Representatives in the seat of Hunter in Labor's 1996 election loss to John Howard. He served in various shadow ministry portfolios from 2003 until the party won government in 2007. Fitzgibbon has been rewarded for his loyalty to Rudd with the portfolio of agriculture. | Fitzgibbon came to the House of Representatives in the seat of Hunter in Labor's 1996 election loss to John Howard. He served in various shadow ministry portfolios from 2003 until the party won government in 2007. Fitzgibbon has been rewarded for his loyalty to Rudd with the portfolio of agriculture. |
| Richard Marles: minister for trade | Richard Marles: minister for trade |
| Marles was part of of the Victorian right faction revolt in 2006 in which sitting Labor MPs were ousted to make way for Marles, the attorney-general, Mark Dreyfus, and the education minister, Bill Shorten. Marles won the Geelong based seat of Corio from Gavan O'Connor who at the time said it was payback from the Victorian right because O'Connor was a Mark Latham supporter. Marles rose up through the unions after working as lawyer at Slater and Gordon, where the former prime minister, Julia Gillard, cut her teeth. Marles was parliamentary secretary for Pacific island affairs and foreign affairs until March this year when he expressed his support for Rudd to return to the leadership of the party. | Marles was part of of the Victorian right faction revolt in 2006 in which sitting Labor MPs were ousted to make way for Marles, the attorney-general, Mark Dreyfus, and the education minister, Bill Shorten. Marles won the Geelong based seat of Corio from Gavan O'Connor who at the time said it was payback from the Victorian right because O'Connor was a Mark Latham supporter. Marles rose up through the unions after working as lawyer at Slater and Gordon, where the former prime minister, Julia Gillard, cut her teeth. Marles was parliamentary secretary for Pacific island affairs and foreign affairs until March this year when he expressed his support for Rudd to return to the leadership of the party. |
| Marles has taken over Craig Emerson's portfolio of trade. | Marles has taken over Craig Emerson's portfolio of trade. |
| Melissa Parke: minister for international development | Melissa Parke: minister for international development |
| Parke hails from Western Australia and in her pre-parliamentary career was a lawyer for the United Nations in Kosovo, Lebanon, Gaza and New York. She made an unsuccessful bid for the lower house in Western Australia's 1996 state election and three years later started her work for the UN in its peacekeeping role in Kosovo before working with Palestinian refugees in Gaza. She spent time working at the UN headquarters in New York and was part of the team in Beirut which investigated the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister, Rafic Hariri. | Parke hails from Western Australia and in her pre-parliamentary career was a lawyer for the United Nations in Kosovo, Lebanon, Gaza and New York. She made an unsuccessful bid for the lower house in Western Australia's 1996 state election and three years later started her work for the UN in its peacekeeping role in Kosovo before working with Palestinian refugees in Gaza. She spent time working at the UN headquarters in New York and was part of the team in Beirut which investigated the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister, Rafic Hariri. |
| She was working in New York when she decided to leave the UN to return home to Australia in early 2007, and that year ran for the House of Representatives in the seat of Fremantle. | She was working in New York when she decided to leave the UN to return home to Australia in early 2007, and that year ran for the House of Representatives in the seat of Fremantle. |
| Parke has been given the newly created portfolio of international development and was quick to speak out on welfare after her promotion. She is pushing for the Newstart allowance to be reviewed, telling Fairfax radio it was difficult for people to live on it "with any kind of dignity". | Parke has been given the newly created portfolio of international development and was quick to speak out on welfare after her promotion. She is pushing for the Newstart allowance to be reviewed, telling Fairfax radio it was difficult for people to live on it "with any kind of dignity". |
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