Australian PM Unveils New Cabinet; Tanya Plibersek Appointed Minister for Social Services

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has unveiled his new ministry team
• Tanya Plibersek is the new Minister for Social Services
• The move is intended to stabilize party room and reaffirm leadership direction

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a significant reshuffle of the cabinet, transferring Tanya Plibersek from the environment portfolio to social services, and Queensland Senator Murray Watt taking over Labor's faltering "nature positive" reforms and the creation of a federal environmental protection agency.

Michelle Rowland has been made the new Attorney-General, with Health Minister Mark Butler now also handling the NDIS. Aged Care Minister Anika Wells has inherited the communications portfolio. Amanda Rishworth is currently the Employment and Workplace Relations Minister, with Daniel Mulino as Assistant Treasurer. New Labor faces Anne Aly and Tim Ayres enter the cabinet, occupying multicultural affairs/small business and the industry portfolio, respectively.

During a Canberra press conference, Anthony highlighted the significance of the environment portfolio, asserting that Plibersek had supported the move and Watt was ideally placed to deliver reforms. Albanese came to the defense of internal party decisions that had Mark Dreyfus and Ed Husic stripped of important roles, arguing the factional selection process is long-standing and accepted.

The reshuffle also features key appointments of assistant ministers. Dan Repacholi becomes men's health envoy, Josh Burns gets social housing and homelessness, Rebecca White comes in as assistant minister for health and women's affairs, and Andrew Charlton moves into the joint position of Cabinet Secretary and Assistant Minister for Science and Technology.

Anthony also said he would attend the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in Rome, where he will hold meetings with global leaders like Canada's Mark Carney and the European Commission's Ursula von der Leyen.