Melbourne, May 29
Scott Morrison was sworn in as Australia’s Prime Minister on Wednesday along with a “hungry, committed and united” team of ministers after the ruling Conservative Coalition led by him staged a surprise victory defying exit polls in the general elections.
The new Coalition ministry for the 46th Australian parliament was sworn in at the Government House in Canberra with Morrison taking the oath as a new Prime Minister and Michael McCormack as the Deputy Prime Minister.
Morrison promoted New South Wales MP Sussan Ley, Linda Reynolds and Anne Ruston to the Cabinet and inducted Jane Hume, Ben Morton, Alan Tudge Stuart Robert on the government frontbench. He wore a traditional kangaroo skin, called a “booka” given to him by indigenous Noongar people from his home state, Western Australia. Morrison, 51, and Deputy Prime Minister McCormack were the first to be sworn in by the Governor General Peter Cosgrove at the ceremony, accompanied by their families.
A record number of seven women were sworn into the new Cabinet with Nationals deputy leader Bridget McKenzie becoming Australia’s first female agriculture minister.
The Cabinet includes Australia’s first Aboriginal federal cabinet minister, West Australian MP Ken Wyatt, who will be in charge of indigenous affairs.
Wyatt received a standing ovation from the gathering at the ceremony when he stepped up to be sworn to become the first Aboriginal person to sit in Cabinet.
The 46th Parliament is expected to open in the first week of July. — PTI
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2HIjh6i
via Today’s News Headlines
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