The swearing in of the first Howard Ministry will take place on Monday 11 March 1996. Today I announce the composition of the Ministry and the Departmental changes which I will be recommending to the Governor-General.
The Ministry list is attached to this statement.
The Ministry is talented, dedicated and determined to govern in the best interests of the Australian people. We begin this task with a great sense of the responsibility which the Australian people have bestowed upon us and the expectations they rightly have that we will implement our programme with integrity, energy and an ongoing sense of their needs and concerns.
The Ministry reflects the ' broad church' of views and priorities for which the Coalition Parties stand. It consists of men and women drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds and interests and all committed to ensuring that Australia realises; more of its great potential to the benefit of all in our community.
In line with our commitments to smaller governmnent, the size of both the Ministry and the Cabinet will be reduced from their levels under the previous government. A more streamlined government will also enhance the quality and timeliness of decision-making.
I will also be appointing Parliamentary Secretaries in a number of portfolios who will complement the Ministerial team. Parliamentary Secretaries to the Prime Minister will be Chris Miles who will have responsibility for Cabinet issues and Senator Nick Minchin who will have responsibility for arrangements relating to the Constitutional Convention and Native Title legislation.
DEPARTMENTAL CHIANGES
In considering appropriate administrative structures, I have had in mind:
- the importance of effective implementation of the policies and priorities of the Government
- the desirability, in so me areas, of rationalising allocations of functions
- the need to minimise the degree of administrative disruption to ensure that agencies can carry out the important tasks they will now have
There will be no new departments of State, but two departments, the Department of Tourism and the Department of Housing and Regional Development, will be abolished and their functions absorbed into existing departments.
The functions of the Department of Tourism, which is by far the smallest Commonwealth department, will be allocated to the ( renamed) Department of Industry, Science and Tourism under John Moore.
Upon the abolition of Housing and Regional Development, responsibility for industry aspects of housing will return to the Department of Industry, Science and Tourism. Portfolio coverage of two of our most important industries housing and tourism will thus be consolidated. Welfare housing will pass to the Department of Social Security under Jocelyn Newman while John Sharp will have responsibility for regional development as the Minister for Transport and Regional Development, in charge of the department of that name. Local government will be the responsibility of Warwick Smith as Minister for Sport, Territories and Local Government, one of the two Ministers in the portfolio of Environment, Sport and Territories. The senior minister, who will represent the portfolio in the Cabinet as Minister for the Environment, is Senator Robert Hill.
Other significant rationalisations of functions include:
- consumer affairs functions, currently the responsibiliy of the Attorney-General's portfolio, will transfer to the portfolio of Industry, Science and Tourism where they will be the responsibility of Geoff Prosser as Minister for Small Business and Consumer Affairs.
- Senator Jocelyn Newman will be the Minister Assisting me for the Status of Women. The Office of the Status of Women will, as I undertook before the election, remain in my department.
- the science functions until now located in the Prime Minister's portfolio will move to the Industry, Science and Tourism portfolio, where they will be the responsibility of Peter McGauran as Minister for Science and Technology.
- the Office of Multicultural Affairs will move from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet into the renamed portfolio of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, to be administered by Philip Ruddock.
The new Productivity Commission, which combines the functions of the Industry Comrmission, the Economic Planning Advisory Commission and the Bureau of Industry Economics, will be located in the Treasury portfolio under Peter Costello once the legislation to create it is in place. Meanwhile, the three agencies will be co-located in the portfolio so that amalgamation can begin on an administrative basis. The Australian Securities Commission will also transfer
to the Treasury portfolio. It is important, in the view of the governent, that responsibility for regulation of financial markets be consolidated in a single portfolio.
Two other departments will be renamed so as to better reflect the priorities of the government. They are the Department of H-ealth and Family Services, which in addition to having Michael Wooldridge as the portfolio minister, will have Judi Moylan as the Minister for Family Services; and Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, where the portfolio minister will be Senator Amanda Vanstone, with David Kemp as the Minister for Schools, Vocational Education and Training.
PARLIAMENTARY APPOINTMENTS
The Leader of the Government in the House of Representatives will be Peter Reith and the Deputy Leader will be Peter McGauran.
The Leader of the Government in the Senate will be Senator Robert Hill and the Deputy Leader will be Senator Richard Alston.
The Chief Government Whip in the House of Representatives will be Alan Cadman and Government Whips will be Stewart McArthur and Trish Worth. National Party Whips will be Noel Hicks and Garry Nehi.
Mr Bob Halverson who served as Chief Opposition Whip informed me that he did not wish to be considered for appointment as Chief Government Whip. It is my understanding that he will seek the support of the Liberal Party in another position.
HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS
There will be some changes in departmental secretary arrangements.
Mr Paul Barratt who has been the Executive Director of the Business Council of Australia since 1992 will rejoin the public service as Secretary to the Department of Primary Industries and Energy. Other newly appointed secretaries will be:
- Mr Philip Flood, to head the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Mr Flood has been Director-General of the Office of National Assessments since 1995.
- Mr Roger Beale, who is Associate Secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, will be Secretary to the Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories.
- Dr Neil Johnston, who is a Deputy Secretary in the Department of Social Security, will be Secretary to the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
Because we are reducing the number of departments and making some new appointments, several secretaries will be leaving the public service. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge their contribution to the public service and the nation.
Dr Michael Keating, the head of my department, has informed me that he intended to retire this year. Dr Keating is a highly professional public servant who is widely respected for his work at the centre of public sector reform. I have asked him to stay on for the time being to assist with the transition of the new government. I would hope that Dr Keating will continue to have some involvement with the Commonwealth Government after he retires.
The opportunity has also been taken for some rotation of departmental secretaries. A list of departmental secretaries is attached.
We have a high regard for these public service leaders and for the public service as a whole. We expect secretaries, and the departments they manage, to make a significant contribution to good and effective government as we set about implementing our policy programme.
CABINET OFFICE
I have also decided to establish a Cabinet Office within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Michael L'Estrange will head the office and be accountable directly to the Prime Minister. Mr L'Estrange has experience as an officer of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and as Chief Policy Adviser to former Coalition Leaders, as well as heading the Canberra-based Menzies Research Centre since its establishment. The Cabinet Office will be a small unit, staffed from within and outside the public service, which will provide the Prime Minister with advice on issues before Cabinet as well as strategic policy directions.
8 March 1996
(See attached PDF for formatted copy of Ministry List and Departmental Secretaries)