Sussan Ley unveils new frontbench after Andrew Hastie's resignation
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The news: Opposition leader Sussan Ley has tapped senator Jonathan Duniam to replace Andrew Hastie as the Coalition’s home affairs spokesman, with Julian Leeser moved out of the shadow attorney-general role as part of a forced reshuffle.
The context: Hastie, a conservative MP who has made no secret of his long-term leadership ambitions, resigned as home affairs spokesman earlier this month to speak freely from the backbench.
Hastie was the second conservative to leave the frontbench in less than a month, after Ley demoted Jacinta Nampijinpa Price after she refused to declare confidence in the leader.
Ley confirmed on Monday that Hastie’s resignation had triggered a significant reshuffle, with Duniam moved into the home affairs portfolio.
Shadow attorney general Julian Leeser will take over Duniam’s education portfolio, and will continue serving as the opposition’s arts spokesman.
Andrew Wallace, a former speaker and deputy chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS), has been promoted to the frontbench and will become the new shadow attorney general. Wallace will resign from the PJCIS, with Ley nominating veteran and Liberal MP Phil Thompson to replace him.
Highly-regarded second-term MP Zoe McKenzie has been appointed to the vacant cabinet secretary position, and will continue in her role as assistant education minister under Leeser.
Duniam said he was “honoured” by the appointment and thanked Ley for the “opportunity to serve in this crucial role”.
“I thank my good friend, Andrew Hastie, for the work that he has done in this portfolio since the election and I look forward to working in the national interest to get it right for our country and its people,” he said.
What they said: “Labor’s significant failings in Home Affairs risk causing substantial harm to the Australian community,” Ley said in a statement.
“Accordingly, rigorously scrutinising Labor’s handling of this portfolio takes on an even greater importance and Senator Duniam, one of the Coalition’s most talented parliamentarians, will discharge his duties with the determination and work ethic they demand.”
The sources: Sussan Ley statement, Jonathan Duniam statement
