Dreyfus in as A-G, Albanese names new ministry
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has unveiled his full first ministry, with a new Attorney-General to be sworn in following Senator Katy Gallagher’s interim stint in the role.
Last Monday (23 May 2022), Senator Katy Gallagher was sworn in as the federal Attorney-General, prior to PM Albanese and Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong flying to Japan for the Quad meeting.
Earlier tonight, Albanese unveiled the full first ministry of his prime ministership, which will include 10 women in the cabinet.
“This is an exciting team, it’s a team which is overflowing with talent, with people who are absolutely committed to making a difference as ministers and assistant ministers in my government,” he said in a press conference this evening (31 May).
“This is the largest number of women who have ever served in an Australian cabinet, with 10 women in the cabinet. In addition to that, in terms of the ministry, there are 13 women in the ministry and 19 frontbenchers.”
Among those named in the cabinet is Mark Dreyfus QC, who will be Attorney-General – a role he held for six months in 2013, in the former Labor administration.
In a tweet, Mr Dreyfus wrote: “I am deeply honoured to be appointed Attorney-General of the Commonwealth of Australia in the Albanese Labor government. Now it’s time to get to work and restore integrity in government. Let us now begin!”
Mr Dreyfus – who appeared on The Lawyers Weekly Show in 2018 to discuss the need for a national integrity commission – will also serve as cabinet secretary.
Soon-to-be A-G Dreyfus took silk in 1999 and has been the member for Isaacs since 2007. He had served as shadow A-G since 2013, when Tony Abbott assumed the prime ministership.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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