Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the reshuffle of the cabinet and ministers on Sunday afternoon, following a week of discussions about the upcoming changes.
The federal government has appointed Tony Burke as the new minister for cybersecurity and home affairs, while the current minister, Clare O'Neil, will move to the real estate portfolio.
Albanese said that this was the first significant change in the government's cabinet council after two years.
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“I expected this would be the team I would choose at the next election,” Albanese said. That is expected to happen sometime this year. In addition to the cybersecurity and home affairs portfolios, Tony Burke will also take on immigration and multiculturalism, while continuing to serve as arts minister and leader of the house.
Albanese also announced a new advisory role for MP Andrew Charlton, as "special envoy for cybersecurity and digital resilience."
"This will be a specific task that I have discussed with Andrew, as well as Tony Burke, the minister for cybersecurity, and Michelle Rowland, the minister for communications, about where Australia and, in particular, the world is going, as there are issues with technology that are changing the way we relate to each other, the way our whole society works," Albanese said.
Albanese also said on Sunday that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) will move from the Home Affairs to the Attorney General's department, to be closer to the Australian Federal Police.
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He also added that he had not considered moving cybersecurity out of the Home Affairs portfolio.
Source: itnews
