Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will reshuffle his ministerial cabinet after two ministers announced they would retire at the next election.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney and Skills and Training Minister Brendan O'Connor will step down from their portfolios to make way for new talent.
Ms. Burney was the first Indigenous woman elected to the House of Representatives in 2016 and played a leading role in The Voice referendum, which was ultimately voted down by the Australian public.
Mr. O'Connor is a long-serving Labor minister who was elected to parliament in 2001. He previously served in the small business, home affairs, and employment participation portfolios.
Mr. Albanese said he recently had discussions with the two ministers about their future, and they informed him they decided not to contest the next election.
Front Bench Reshuffle on Sunday
The prime minister said this gives him an opportunity to refresh the front bench on July 28, with the new ministry to be sworn in the following day.
“I have spoken to the caucus chair, Sharon Claydon. Nominations will be called for front-bench positions to be filled in accordance with our caucus rules, and I intend to announce a new ministerial lineup on Sunday in Canberra. Then for the new ministry to be sworn in, those filling new positions will be sworn in on Monday morning,” Mr. Albanese said.
Mr. Albanese said Ms. Burney and Mr. O'Connor have made an outstanding contribution to the government and country, and he is “proud to call them my friends.”
“I am proud to have witnessed firsthand their passion for this nation, their determination to leave this country better for their contribution as members of Parliament and as ministers,” he said.
Ms. Burney said it was time to pass the baton onto the next generation after 21 years in politics, including eight years in federal parliament and 13 years in the New South Wales (NSW) Parliament.
Regarding the failed voice referendum, Ms. Burney said its “outcome was, of course, disappointing, but we accept that outcome.”
“We make progress and then we have setbacks. That’s the history of Indigenous justice in this country. But with every passing generation, the arc bends a little bit more towards justice,” she said.
Mr. O'Connor meanwhile, said he wants to spend “more time at home” and help the “renewable and regeneration” of the party.
He highlighted that he had been a frontbencher for 23 years and had served as a minister for almost half that time.
“I have been a minister for everyday federally when Labor has been in office since the election of the government, and I know that I have been very fortunate by anyone’s definition,” he said.
“I am indebted to the Labor Party for allowing me to be their candidate.”
Voice Was a ‘Debacle’: Opposition
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton criticised Ms. Burney’s leading role in The Voice referendum.“The Voice was a debacle for our country. It was a $450 million waste of taxpayers money. It divided the country,” he said on 2GB radio.
“Even to this very day, the prime minister and Linda Burney can’t tell you whether they’re still in favour of Makarrata or truth telling. They’ve got money in the budget for it, but they don’t want to talk about it.”
He said rather than spending resources on The Voice, the Labor government should have been focused on reducing inflation and other cost of living pressures for Australians.
“In the first 16 months [of office], instead of The Voice, they should have been concentrating on making good economic decisions,” Mr. Dutton said.
