The Australian Cabinet’s New Groove

Abbott's old guard has been swept aside in a radical cabinet reshuffle from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Labelling it a "21st Century Government", Turnbull is responsible for Australia's first female Minister of Defence, the introduction of a Minister for Cities and the Built Environment, and the return of Science to the cabinet.

"One of the great challenges for any leader is to ensure that there is renewal… that invariably means in fact, that very capable people have to move on, stand aside, so that others can come through," he said in a press conference on Sunday.

This new-look cabinet sees an increase to 21 ministers from 19, with several more women now sitting on the frontbench.

Liberal MP for Higgins, Kelly O'Dwyer is the most high-profile appointment—now the Minister for Small Business and the first ever female MP to sit in the Treasury, as Assistant Treasurer.

But it wasn't great news for everyone. Several high-profile cabinet ministers have been kicked off the frontbench entirely, including Eric Abetz, Kevin Andrews, Joe Hockey, Ian Macfarlane, and Bruce Billson. Hockey has announced he will resign from parliament, presumably, leaving another black hole for Australia's satirists.

This cabinet reshuffle hasn't entirely been a night of the long knives for Abbott's staunchest defenders though. Mathias Cormann remains as Minister for Finance, Peter Dutton as Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, along with George Brandis as Attorney General—albeit losing his post as Arts Minister.

Removing Brandis from the Arts Ministry was conveniently timed; in the past week, Nick Cave, Hannah Kent, and JM Coetzee called for Brandis' removal in an open letter. In Brandis' place is Victorian Senator, Mitch Fifield, who is also onboard as Minister for Communication.

Alongside Mitch Fifield are plenty of other Liberal Party upstarts that most voters won't be familiar with. Assisting Christopher Pyne in the Ministry of Innovation, Engineering and Science is Wyatt Roy, a 25-year-old frontbencher from Queensland. One of the Liberal Party's best communicators, Josh Frydenberg, now sits as the Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia.

The reshuffle leaves five of Abbott's key ministers out of significant power, along with a sizeable generational shift for the Liberal Party, with many of John Howard's old ministers falling out of Turnbull's favour.

Speaking to this point, Turnbull only had thanks for outgoing ministers Andrews and Abetz, adding "you have to have turnover and renewal".

As of this morning, these ministers have been sworn in from Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, and presumably Turnbull's "ministry for the future" begins.

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