(Bloomberg) -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will announce a new cabinet following the retirement of two senior ministers, putting the center-left government on a pre-election footing ahead of a vote due in less than 12 months.
Albanese told reporters on Thursday that his close ally, Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney, and Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor intend to bow out of politics. The prime minister said he would use the opportunity to reshuffle his ministry, with the new lineup to be revealed on Sunday.
The new ministry will then be sworn into office on Monday, Albanese said. He didn’t elaborate on whether there would be major changes to portfolios, or a simple filling of the two vacant positions.
The resignations, which had long been expected inside the government, will allow the prime minister to bolster his team ahead of an election due by May 2025. The Labor government is only narrowly ahead of the opposition Liberal-National coalition in polls, as Australians struggle with stubbornly strong inflation and elevated interest rates.
While lawmakers on both sides of politics agree that Labor is in a strong position ahead of the election, Albanese faces the possibility of being forced to govern with the support of minor parties given he only holds a slim majority.
Among those being touted for promotion are Agriculture Minister Murray Watt, while Albanese has faced pressure to shift Immigration Minister Andrew Giles out of that portfolio due to criticism of his performance.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
