Prime Minister Scott Morrison has promoted key allies, Ben Morton and Alex Hawke, in a broad ministerial reshuffle brought on by the resignation of Christian Porter earlier this month.
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Mr Morrison has announced his key confidante, Mr Morton, will take on the responsibilities of Special Minister of State, Minister for the Public Service and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Meantime, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has been promoted to cabinet to fill the vacancy left by Mr Porter.
Federal Labor has leapt on the reshuffle, describing it as a reward for mates and without integrity.
While the reshuffle timing is due to Mr Porter's controversy in accepting an anonymous donation to fund personal legal fees, the Prime Minister said he was making changes to reflect Australia's recent AUKUS submarine deal and Quad leaders meeting with Japan, the US and India.
"These changes provide a timely opportunity to reinforce some of the key issues the government is progressing," Mr Morrison said.
"It is timely, particularly given the AUKUS arrangements, which will see us be working together with the United States and the United Kingdom, linking up our industry, our science and technology supply chains."
The move for Mr Morton, a West Australian Liberal, enhances his current public service responsibilities and puts him in crucial negotiations with Mr Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg over commonwealth-state relations, parliamentary, electoral and financial affairs.
"He will be assisting me particularly with federation responsibilities, the National Federation Reform Council and supporting my role in the national cabinet," Mr Morrison said.
Mr Hawke - regarded as one of Mr Morrison's lieutenants - will retain all of his existing responsibilities as Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Minister, but he has been promoted to cabinet to fill the vacancy left by Mr Porter.
"Minister Hawke did an absolutely extraordinary job most recently in the evacuation from Kabul," Mr Morrison said.
"That was an incredibly complex exercise, and it was done with an enormous amount of effort and great skill and professionalism."
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Mr Hawke is in the midst of the high-profile case of the Murugappan family which is battling through the courts to remain in Australia. He recently granted to three of the four members 12-month bridging visas, allowing them to remain in the country.
The Sydney based MP has thanked the Prime Minister for his cabinet appointment.
"Having served a number of years in the Immigration portfolio and as a Western Sydney MP from a migrant family, I understand how important a well managed migration program is for our society and our economy," Mr Hawke said in a statement.
"Under the Morrison government, Australia continues to successfully integrate people from so many different cultures and backgrounds into our values and way of life. It is a privilege to be part of that great tradition."
Labor leader Anthony Albanese has criticised the reshuffle as a wasted opportunity that "goes to the heart of the failure of integrity at the heart of the Morrison government."
"Instead of using the reshuffle as an opportunity to give this country the cabinet that it deserves, he's used it as an opportunity to reward his mates," he said.
"In particular, the promotion of Alex Hawke, one of the few people in the Liberal Party who are actually close to Mr Morrison, has been rewarded with a cabinet position."
The former portfolios held by Mr Porter have been split between Angus Taylor and Melissa Price.
Mr Taylor will steer the Morrison government's climate action program while taking on Industry. He will become the Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction, and Mr Morrison talked of him using "great gusto, great professionalism and skill" in pursuing government objectives.
Labor's industry spokesman Ed Husic criticised the move to "clump a massive portfolio" on top of Mr Taylor's current responsibilities, while Mr Albanese said Mr Taylor did not deserve a promotion.
The minister was accused in 2019 of faking documents in a feud with Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore over climate change action, but a police investigation into the matter was ultimately dropped.
"This is yet another reminder of how so many people in Mr Morrison's government, walking, talking reminders of the need for a national anti-corruption commission," he said.
He's also called on Mr Porter to not just resign from the ministry, but resign from Parliament over the unknown donors, describing his position as "simply untenable".
Meantime, Mr Morrison said the Minister for Defence Industry, Melissa Price, would receive the science and technology portfolios.
"I recently promoted Melissa again to the cabinet and she's been hitting the marks and doing a terrific job and it's great to have her in the new roles," Mr Morrison said.
In another promotion, the Member for the Melbourne seat of Goldstein, Tim Wilson, steps into the outer ministry and will help Mr Taylor with climate responsibilities in becoming the Assistant Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction.
Mr Wilson says his approach to the new role will be "emissions down, jobs up."
Mr Porter resigned as Minister for Industry, science and Technology following revelations he took $1 million in mystery funds to help support his discontinued defamation case against the ABC and ABC journalist Louise Milligan.
Mr Porter has been at the centre of historical rape allegations which he strenuously denies.