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12 May 2025

Therapeutic Albanese's formal announcement of his ministry

Monday, 12 May 2025

Cabinet

Anthony Albanese MP	Prime Minister
Richard Marles MP	Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Defence
Senator Penny Wong	Minister for Foreign Affairs
Dr Jim Chalmers MP	Treasurer
Senator Katy Gallagher	Minister for Finance Minister for the Public Service Minister for Women Minister for Government Services
Senator Don Farrell	Minister for Trade and Tourism Special Minister of State
Tony Burke MP	Minister for Home Affairs Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Minister for Cyber Security Minister for the Arts
Mark Butler MP	Minister for Health and Ageing Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme
Chris Bowen MP	Minister for Climate Change and Energy
Catherine King MP	Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
Amanda Rishworth MP	Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Jason Clare MP	Minister for Education
Michelle Rowland MP	Attorney-General
Tanya Plibersek MP	Minister for Social Services
Julie Collins MP	Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Clare O’Neil MP	Minister for Housing Minister for Homelessness Minister for Cities
Madeleine King MP	Minister for Resources Minister for Northern Australia
Senator Murray Watt	Minister for the Environment and Water
Senator Malarndirri McCarthy	Minister for Indigenous Australians
Anika Wells MP	Minister for Communications Minister for Sport
Pat Conroy MP	Minister for Defence Industry Minister for Pacific Island Affairs
Dr Anne Aly MP	Minister for Small Business Minister for International Development Minister for Multicultural Affairs
Senator Tim Ayres	Minister for Industry and Innovation Minister for Science

Outer Ministry

Matt Keogh MP	Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Minister for Defence Personnel
Kristy McBain MP	Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories Minister for Emergency Management
Andrew Giles MP	Minister for Skills and Training
Senator Jenny McAllister	Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme
Dr Daniel Mulino MP	Assistant Treasurer Minister for Financial Services
Senator Dr Jess Walsh	Minister for Early Childhood Education Minister for Youth
Sam Rae MP	Minister for Aged Care and Seniors

Assistant Ministers

Patrick Gorman MP	Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Assistant Minister for the Public Service Assistant Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Matt Thistlethwaite MP	Assistant Minister for Immigration Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade
Dr Andrew Leigh MP	Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury
Ged Kearney MP	Assistant Minister for Social Services Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence
Emma McBride MP	Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health
Senator Anthony Chisholm	Assistant Minister for Resources Assistant Minister for Regional Development Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Josh Wilson MP	Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Assistant Minister for Emergency Management
Julian Hill MP	Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs Assistant Minister for International Education
Rebecca White	Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health Assistant Minister for Women
Dr Andrew Charlton MP	Cabinet Secretary Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy
Senator Nita Green	Assistant Minister for Northern Australia Assistant Minister for Tourism Assistant Minister for Pacific Island Affairs
Peter Khalil MP	Assistant Minister for Defence

In addition, I intend to appoint the following Special Envoys.

Special Envoys

Susan Templeman MP	Special Envoy for the Arts
Luke Gosling OAM MP	Special Envoy for Defence, Veterans’ Affairs and Northern Australia
Dan Repacholi MP	Special Envoy for Men’s Health
Josh Burns MP	Special Envoy for Social Housing and Homelessness
Marion Scrymgour MP	Special Envoy for Remote Communities
Kate Thwaites MP	Special Envoy for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience
Tim Watts MP	Special Envoy for Indian Ocean Affairs

Posted at 07:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (39)

Hear, hear.

Monday, 12 May 2025

pic.twitter.com/cMT1cDxNz8
— Senator Matt Canavan (@mattjcan) May 11, 2025

Posted at 03:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)

New Albanese Cabinet and Ministers announced

Monday, 12 May 2025

New ministry list out: Rowland to AG, Wells to communications, Plibersek to social services, Rishworth to employment, Watt to environment among other changes pic.twitter.com/IHxXbwwa48
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) May 12, 2025

Posted at 02:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

2GB's Mark Levy commits career suicide - lazily bloviating on abortion - "I SUPPORT IT!"

Monday, 12 May 2025

There are some subjects that invoke intensely private, conscientious and deeply held beliefs on matters of principle.

Churches, counsellors and spiritual advisors are best placed to guide discussions on those matters.

There are definitely matters that should publicly be approached with gravitas, respect and some caution.

Wise broadcasters take these topics seriously, and avoid broadcasts that are likely to insult, deeply offend and turn-off substantial numbers of their listeners.

Today, Mark Levy voluntarily brought up the topic of abortion.

He gave it a brief, passing, once-over-lightly mention - then told us "I support it".

The switchboard at 2GB would have been swamped with calls today and you can bet, none of them would have gone to air.

Levy decided to flippantly throw away a lazy view in support of abortion which would have lost him a substantial slice of the listenership. Just like that.

Look, my view is fairly straightforward. When it comes to a woman's body, it's her decision.

You might think that's a simplistic view on things, but who am I to tell a woman what she should or shouldn't do with her body?

That's a decision for her.

It's something I certainly support as well.

He supports it.

Here it is:

Michael Smith 573 · 2GB's Mark Levy commits career suicide - bloviating on abortion

DATE	EVENT/DOCUMENT
1990	Julia Gillard becomes a Partner at Slater and Gordon and is in the Industrial Relations Department of law firm
20-08-91	Letter to Bruce Wilson from Julia Gillard concerning a vacancy at the AWU
1-05-91	Julia Gillard brought her property at 36 Phillip Street, Abbotsford Vic property settled in July and she borrowed $40,000 from Slater & Gordon for the deposit and the rest from Westpac bank
6-03-92	Advertisement appeared in the paper for Incorporating the Workplace Reform Association - Theiss may have used it for reference

17-03-92	Locals concerned the Accident and Death Fund was being used to buy property and office equipment with the funds they paid into the fund.
18-03-92	Boulder fund suspended
15-05-92	Bruce Wilson and Julia Gillard go to a meeting with the miners in Kalgoorlie
18-05-92	AWU announce it is taking over the fund at Boulder paper article
13-02-93	Contract of sale signed by Bruce Wilson
13-02-93	Purchase of 85 Kerr Street Fitzroy by Julia Gillard and B Wilson who attended the Auction
13-02-93	blewitt-getting-his-addres.html Purchase of 85 Kerr Street Fitzroy by Julia Gillard and Bruce Wilson who attended the Auction
15-02-93	Letter to Slater & Gordon about the 1/85 Kerr Street sale
15-02-93	Ralph Blewitt is appointed Western Australian Branch Secretary in the week 15 to 19 February
16-02-93	Olive Brosnan and Heidi chasing up the Power of Attorney - notes
17-02-93	Olive Brosnan makes this further note regarding Heidi, a sales person with the Real Estate firm GA Thomson. Note that Heidi returns the call and says that she will let Olive Brosnan have the original Power of Attorney (when she gets it?) and will need a certified copy in return
22-02-93	Slater and Gordon acknowledges that it has received the Contract of Sale, Section 32 Statement and the Power of Attorney from GA Thomson.
23-02-93	Olive Brosnan certifies Power of Attorney
3-03-93	A memo from Sylvia to Olive Brosnan about the application for the loan for Ralph Blewitt and the Kerr Street property
4-03-93	Letter/fax from Hewitt & Company stating Ralph Blewitt Wages Ref VB/CS
9-03-93	Memo to Olive Brosnan from Sylvia about the loan approval and the return of the chq for $500 from Ralph Blewitt’s personal account
10-03-93	Letter from Slater & Gordon addressed to Ralph Blewitt explaining mortgage details Page 1, Page 2, Page 3
10-03-93	Memo Julia Gillard wants details of penalty interest rates
12-03-93	Memo to Julia Gillard from Olive Brosnan about penalty interest rates
17-03-93	Memo of fees for house - Bill of costs
18-03-93	Letter to Ralph Blewitt requesting Cheque for $67,772.30
18-03-93	The cheque for $67,772.30
22-03-93	Settlement date for Kerr Street purchase
23-03-93	Land Transfer document
31-03-94	Dawesville project costs
Aug-Sept 94	Julia Gillard went on holidays while Bruce Wilson organised house renovations
Aug-Sept 94	Interview with Slater & Gordon about the Renovations
6-02-95	New bank accounts for Construction Fund
17-02-95	AWU-FIME amalgamate (2 Victorian Branches)
12-04-95	Cheque from AWU WRAI account $46,550
27-04-95	Cheque for $15000 - $10 000 for K Spyridis and $5000 cash
30-06-95	AWU went back to central funding arrangements
25-07-95	Letter from Robert Smith (AWU) to Ian Cambridge and Steve Harrison about the unknown AWU bank accounts
27-07-95	Letter to the National Executives about the freezing of the accounts
2-08-95	Union National Finance committee meet to discuss what was going on start of investigations into the frozen accounts
4-08-95	Bob Smith wrote to Ian Cambridge to say the AWU was going to charge Bruce Wilson
10-08-95	Ian Cambridge visits QC Richard Kenzie from Maurice Blackburn for discussions to fix it (get union money back)
14-08-95	Internal Review into Julia Gillard’s involvement of the AWU -WRA and she is put on restricted duties
14/15 Aug 95	Other Joint secretaries of the Unions paid out the signatories of the accounts - hand writing on the cheques Link 1 Link 2
16-08-95	Bruce Wilson redundancy cheque $55,204
17-08-95	Letter to stop the cheques Ian Cambridge
17/18 Aug 95	All accounts were closed bar 2 general and grants accounts and redundancies given out
18-08-95	Affidavit - Bill Ludwig - Bruce Wilson get sprung
11-09-95	Julia Gillard interviewed by Geoff Shaw, Peter Gordon and Nick Styant-Browne at Slater and Gordon - It’s recorded and she goes on leave of Absence until May 96 (WA AWU-WRA not yet discovered by AWU yet)
31-01-96	Ian Cambridge addresses AWU Qld Branch meeting
3-04-96	Ian Cambridge talked with Commonwealth Bank - Diary entry - Discovery of Workplace Reform Association INC. WA branch
6-05-96	Discovery of Accounts in AWU name by Ian Cambridge letter from Commonwealth Bank
7-05-96	Fax from Com bank listing the accounts in the AWU name - for Ian Cambridge
1-06-96	Newspaper article about Joe Trio and the AWU fraud article from sometime in 1996
3-06-96	Ian Cambridge received bank records after the discussions with the bank back in April Ian Cambridge spoke to AWU Officials in Perth and they never heard of the Workplace Reform Association Inc.
5-07-96	Diary entry Ian Cambridge - spoke to Branch Official Russell Frearson about the $400,000 going through the account
31-07-96	Geoff Shaw Slater & Gordon General Manager gets Subpoena to supply all documents relating to purchase of 1/85 Kerr Street
13-08-96	Court proceeding where Geoff Shaw is to produce the documents from the Subpeona Link 1, Link 2
6-01-97	Memo from Investigating Detective Dave McAlpine about the AWU fraud
6-02-97	Memo to fraud squad from Theiss stating they hadn’t been defrauded Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4
17-02-98	Memo fraud squad about Theiss - Ralph Blewitt said Theiss auditors required that the WRA needed to be Inc.