CANBERRA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd unveiled his new cabinet on Monday, filling out key positions left by resigned Julia Gillard supporters with his own caucus supporters.
Chris Bowen, already been sworn in as Treasurer, will take the portfolio of financial services and superannuation from Bill Shorten, who has a new portfolio of education in addition to his old portfolio of workplace relations. Powerbroker Shorten, who switched his support to Rudd from Gillard during last week's Labor power struggle, played a vital role in Rudd's return to the top job.
Australian Associated Press (AAP) said Short is a big winner in this cabinet re-lineup by taking on the education portfolio. "That makes him the chief salesman for Labor's schools funding reforms," AAP commented. School funding reform has been the most important policy Labor has been pushing under Gillard leadership.
Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is also Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, will take on the Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy portfolio vacated by key Gillard supporter, Stephen Conroy.
Joel Fitzgibbon, used to be chief party whip before the aborted Rudd challenge of party leadership in March, joins the cabinet as minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. He was defense minister in Rudd's first government but was demoted over a conflict of interest scandal.
Another key supporter of Rudd, Richard Marles, was promoted to take the portfolio of trade, replacing outgoing Gillard supporter Craig Emerson.
Kim Carr, who resigned as Minister for Human Services in March after the attempted March coup, is brought back to the cabinet as the minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research and minister for Higher Education.
Rudd has also promoted three new women to cabinet, bringing the total number of women in cabinet to six.
Dennis Shanahan, political editor of the Australian newspaper, said Rudd has showed his concern of the rhetoric of gender politics. A conspicuous absence is Labor veteran Simon Crean, whose public calling for a spill of the Labor party leadership in March this year cost his cabinet post as minister for Regional Australia and minister for the Arts. Crean lost in the deputy party leader ballot cast to Albanese at the same caucus meeting which crowned Rudd party leader. Crean announced on Monday that he will quit politics at the upcoming federal election.
Rudd says his new team's top priority will be to keep the economy strong. "That's why I have assembled today a strong economic team, one with vastly more experience and vastly more competence than those we face opposite," he said. He praised his key economic team members, Treasurer Bowen and Minister for Finance Penny Wong, as very intelligent.
Shanahan said Rudd chose his team with a clear intention of distancing himself and his men from the old Gillard team. Latest Newspoll showed that Labor support increased from 29 percent on the weekend before the leadership change to 35 percent a week later, though still lingering behind the Opposition's 43 percent in primary vote.
On a two-party-preferred basis, the Opposition led with only two percentage points of 51 percent for the Opposition over 49 percent for Labor. The same poll showed that Rudd is clearly more popular than Opposition leader Tony Abbott, with 49 percent respondents referring Rudd as preferred prime minister to Abbott's 35 percent. It is widely expected that Rudd would announce an election date earlier than the currently scheduled Sept. 14. Polling results will give Rudd suggestion when to call the election.
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