The Shadow Cabinet of Australia (also known in the Coalition as the Opposition Front Bench) is a group of senior Opposition spokespeople who are regarded as an alternative Cabinet to the Australian Government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual Minister or portfolio of the Government. Neither the Shadow Cabinet nor the Shadow Ministers have any official status in the Parliament of Australia. The party rules and practices of the Opposition party determines selection of party leadership and membership of the Shadow Cabinet.
Since October 2013, the Shadow Cabinet has been led by Opposition Leader, Bill Shorten, leader of the Australian Labor Party, following the 2013 Australian federal election.
Members of the current Shadow Cabinet
Under Bowen's interim leadership, Labor frontbenchers retained the same portfolios as they held in the Rudd Ministry prior to the 2013 Australian federal election, with two exceptions: Chris Bowen acted as Opposition Leader and Richard Marles acted as Shadow Defence Minister (because former Defence Minister Stephen Smith had retired at the election).[1][2] The Shadow Cabinet was reshuffled under Shorten's leadership on 18 October 2013.
With Bernie Ripoll and Jan McLucas stepping down from the frontbench due to both of them not recontesting the 2016 federal election, a minor reshuffle took place in October 2015.[3]
| Officeholder |
Office(s) |
| Bill Shorten MP |
|
| Tanya Plibersek MP |
- Deputy Leader of the Opposition (2013–present)
- Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Development (2013–present)
|
| Senator Penny Wong |
|
| Senator Stephen Conroy |
- Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (2013–present)
- Shadow Minister for Defence (2013–present)
|
| Chris Bowen MP |
- Shadow Treasurer (2013–present)
|
| Michelle Rowland MP |
- Shadow Minister for Small Business (2015–present)
- Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Multiculturalism (2013–present)
- Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications (2013–2015)
|
| Tony Burke MP |
|
| Mark Dreyfus QC MP |
- Shadow Attorney-General (2013–present)
- Shadow Minister for the Arts (2013–present)
- Deputy Manager of Opposition Business (2013–present)
|
| Senator Kim Carr |
- Shadow Minister for Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Industry (2013–present)
- Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science (2013–present)
|
| Anthony Albanese MP |
- Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport (2013–present)
- Shadow Minister for Tourism (2013–present)
- Shadow Minister for Cities (2015–present)
|
| Senator Katy Gallagher |
- Shadow Minister for Mental Health (2015–present)
- Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness (2015–present)
- Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on State and Territory Relations (2015–present)
|
| Mark Butler MP |
- Shadow Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water (2013–present)
|
| Jason Clare MP |
- Shadow Minister for Communications (2013–present)
|
| Kate Ellis MP |
- Shadow Minister for Education (2013–present)
- Shadow Minister for Early Childhood (2013–present)
|
| Joel Fitzgibbon MP |
- Shadow Minister for Agriculture (2013–2015)
- Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs (2014–present)
- Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (2015–present)
|
| Catherine King MP |
- Shadow Minister for Health (2013–present)
|
| Jenny Macklin MP |
- Shadow Minister for Families and Payments (2013–present)
- Shadow Minister for Disability Reform (2013–present)
|
| Richard Marles MP |
- Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (2013–present)
|
| Brendan O'Connor MP |
- Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations (2013–present)
- Shadow Special Minister of State (2015–present)
|
| Shayne Neumann MP |
- Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs (2013–present)
- Shadow Minister for Ageing (2013–present)
|
[4]
Outer Shadow Ministry
| Officeholder |
Office(s) |
| Bernie Ripoll MP |
- Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Small Business (2013–2015)
- Shadow Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation (2013–2015)
- Shadow Minister for Sport (2013–2015)
|
| Senator Claire Moore |
|
| Senator Don Farrell |
- Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC (2013–2014)
- Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs (2013–2014)
|
| David Feeney MP |
- Shadow Minister for Justice (2013–present)
- Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC (2014–present)
- Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs (2014–present)
- Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence (2013–present)
|
| Julie Collins MP |
- Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Local Government (2013–present)
- Shadow Minister for Employment Services (2013–present)
|
| Andrew Leigh MP |
- Shadow Assistant Treasurer (2013–present)
- Shadow Minister for Competition (2013–present)
|
| Sharon Bird MP |
- Shadow Minister for Vocational Education (2013–present)
|
| Stephen Jones MP |
- Shadow Assistant Minister for Health (2014–present)
|
| Senator Jan McLucas |
- Shadow Minister for Mental Health (2013–2015)
- Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness (2013–2015)
|
| Senator Doug Cameron |
- Shadow Minister for Human Services (2013–present)
|
| Amanda Rishworth MP |
- Shadow Assistant Minister for Education (2014–present)
- Shadow Assistant Minister for Higher Education (2014–present)
|
| Jim Chalmers MP |
- Shadow Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation (2015–present)
- Shadow Assistant Minister for Productivity (2015–present)
- Shadow Assistant Minister for Trade and Investment (2015–present)
- Shadow Minister for Sport (2015–present)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition (2013–2015)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Trade and Investment (2013–2015)
|
Shadow Parliamentary Secretaries
| Officeholder |
Office(s) |
| Julie Owens MP |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business (2013–present)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education (2013–2015)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education (2015–present)
|
| Senator Jacinta Collins |
- Shadow Cabinet Secretary (2013–present)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition (2013–present)
|
| Michael Danby MP |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition (2013–present)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Arts (2013–present)
|
| Ed Husic MP |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Treasurer (2013–present)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition assisting with Digital Innovation and Startups (2015–present)
|
| Terri Butler MP |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition (2015–present)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Child Safety and Prevention of Family Violence (2015–present)
|
| Senator Sam Dastyari |
- Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate (2015–present)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition (2015–present)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Youth (2015–present)
|
| Matt Thistlethwaite MP |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs (2013–present)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration (2013–present)
|
| Gai Brodtmann MP |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence (2013–present)
|
| Alannah MacTiernan MP |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Infrastructure (2014–present)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Western Australia (2014–present)
|
| Warren Snowdon MP |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for External Territories (2013–present)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia (2013–present)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Indigenous Affairs (2013–present)
|
| Senator Lisa Singh |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney-General (2013–2014)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Water (2014–present)
|
| Senator Louise Pratt |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Water (2013–2014)
|
| Tony Zappia MP |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Manufacturing (2013–2015)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health (2015–present)
|
| Amanda Rishworth MP |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health (2013–2014)
|
| Graham Perrett MP |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney-General (2014–present)
|
| Nick Champion MP |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health (2014–2015)
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Manufacturing (2015–present)
|
| Senator Carol Brown |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families and Payments (2013–present)
|
| Senator Helen Polley |
- Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Aged Care (2013–present)
|
See also
References
