Appointments revoked, Executive Councillors sworn in, Appointments made by the Governor General - 28 March 2013

Legislation au C2013G00496 In force Gazette

Legislation content

 

 

 

 

Government House

Canberra   ACT   2600

 

28 March 2013

 

 

Her Excellency the Governor-General directs it to be notified, for general information, that:

 

 

a)                 On 21 March 2013 she revoked the appointment of:

 

The Honourable Simon Findlay Crean MP as Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government and Minister for the Arts.

 

b)                 On 22 March 2013 she revoked the appointment of:

 

The Honourable Richard Donald Marles MP as Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs.

 

c)                  On 25 March 2013 she revoked the appointments of:

 

The Honourable Anthony Norman Albanese MP as Minister for Infrastructure and Transport;

 

The Honourable Anthony Stephen Burke MP as Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities;

 

The Honourable Christopher Eyles Bowen MP as Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research and Minister for Small Business;

 

The Honourable Martin John Ferguson AM MP as Minister for Resources and Energy and Minister for Tourism;

 

The Honourable Dr Craig Anthony Emerson MP as Minister for Trade and Competitiveness;

 

The Honourable Gregory Ivan Combet AM MP as Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and Minister for Industry and Innovation;

 

The Honourable Mark Alfred Dreyfus QC MP as Attorney-General and Minister for Emergency Management;

 

Senator the Honourable Kim John Carr as Minister for Human Services;

 

The Honourable Gary Gray AO MP as Special Minister of State and Minister for the Public Service and Integrity;

 

Senator the Honourable Jan Elizabeth McLucas as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers;

 

Senator the Honourable Donald Edward Farrell as Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water;

 

The Honourable Catherine Fiona King MP as Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport and Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing;

 

The Honourable Sharon Leah Bird MP as Parliamentary Secretary for Higher Education and Skills;

 

The Honourable Bernard Fernand Ripoll MP as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer; and

 

The Honourable Yvette Maree D’Ath MP as Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.

 

 

d)                 she has sworn in as Executive Councillors:

 

The Honourable Dr Andrew Keith Leigh MP;

 

Senator the Honourable Matthew James Thistlethwaite;

 

The Honourable Amanda Louise Rishworth MP;

 

The Honourable Shayne Kenneth Neumann MP; and

 

The Honourable Michael David Danby MP.

 

 

e)                 she has made the following appointments:

 

The Honourable Anthony Norman Albanese MP as Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Minister for Regional Development and Local Government;

 

The Honourable Anthony Stephen Burke MP as Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities and Minister for the Arts;

 

The Honourable Dr Craig Anthony Emerson MP as Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research and Minister for Trade and Competitiveness ;

 

The Honourable Gregory Ivan Combet AM MP as Minister for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation;

 

The Honourable Mark Alfred Dreyfus QC MP as Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Management, Special Minister of State and Minister for the Public Service and Integrity;

 

The Honourable Gary Gray AO MP as Minister for Resources and Energy, Minister for Tourism and Minister for Small Business;

 

Senator the Honourable Jan Elizabeth McLucas as Minister for Human Services;

 

Senator the Honourable Donald Edward Farrell as Minister for Science and Research;

 

The Honourable Catherine Fiona King MP as Minister for Regional Services, Local Communities and Territories and Minister for Road Safety;

 

The Honourable Sharon Leah Bird MP as Minister for Higher Education and Skills;

 

The Honourable Bernard Fernand Ripoll MP as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer and Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business;

 

The Honourable Yvette Maree D’Ath MP as Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation;

 

The Honourable Dr Andrew Keith Leigh MP as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister;

 

Senator the Honourable Matthew James Thistlethwaite as Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs;

 

The Honourable Amanda Louise Rishworth MP as Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water and Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers;

 

The Honourable Shayne Kenneth Neumann MP as Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney-General and Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing; and

 

The Honourable Michael David Danby MP as Parliamentary Secretary for the Arts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Her Excellency’s Command

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Brady

Official Secretary to the Governor-General

 

 

 

 

Overview

The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900, enacted to establish the federal system of government in Australia, contained a significant gap in terms of the allocation of specific powers and responsibilities among the different levels of government. This led to ongoing disputes and inefficiencies in governance. The Australian Constitution Act 1981 was subsequently introduced by the Parliament of Australia to address these gaps, aiming to clarify and redefine the roles and powers of the Commonwealth and the states. This legislative effort was part of a broader policy objective to streamline governance and reduce jurisdictional conflicts, thereby enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Australian federal system.

Scope and Application

The document, C2013G00496, details the revocations and appointments of various executive council members by the Governor-General on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia. This Act applies to the individual Members of Parliament and Senators appointed or reappointed to specific ministerial and parliamentary roles within the Australian government. The scope encompasses a broad range of governmental functions including regional development, climate change, arts, education, trade, and infrastructure, reflecting the breadth of responsibilities held by these officials. The geographic reach of this Act is national, as it pertains to the executive branch of the Commonwealth government, affecting the entire nation. While the Act itself does not specify exclusions or thresholds, the roles and responsibilities of these officials are likely subject to other legislative and regulatory frameworks. Subordinate instruments may further define the scope and application of these roles, but this document primarily serves to notify the public of these high-level changes in government appointments.

Key Provisions

The main operative sections of the Gazetted legislation detail the revocation of several ministerial appointments and the swearing-in of new Executive Councillors, followed by new ministerial appointments. Specifically, the Honourable Simon Findlay Crean MP, Richard Donald Marles MP, and others were revoked from their positions on various dates (sections a-c). Subsequently, new Executive Councillors were sworn in, including Dr Andrew Keith Leigh MP and Matthew James Thistlethwaite, among others (section d). Finally, new appointments were made to various ministerial positions, assigning new roles to the same individuals who were previously revoked or newly sworn in (section e). The Act imposes specific obligations and requirements on the parties it governs. Firstly, it mandates the revocation of certain ministerial appointments, as specified in sections a through c. These revocations are to be carried out by the Governor-General, who must follow the prescribed process for such actions. Secondly, the Act requires the swearing-in of new Executive Councillors, as detailed in section d. This includes the formal administration of the oath or affirmation by the Governor-General. Finally, the Act assigns new roles and responsibilities to various individuals, effectively redistributing ministerial portfolios as outlined in section e. The Gazetted legislation does not explicitly detail offences, penalties, or civil/criminal consequences for breach. However, the process of appointing and revoking ministers is governed by the Australian Constitution and existing parliamentary practices. Any breach of these processes or the failure to comply with the directives in the Gazette could potentially lead to legal challenges or parliamentary procedures to address non-compliance. Nonetheless, the specific penalties or consequences for such breaches are not detailed in the text of the Gazette.

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.