STATEMENT ON NEW PORTFOLIOS

I take on the role as Minister for Home Affairs, Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, and Cyber Security with a deep sense of responsibility and resolve.

There is nothing a Federal Government does that is more important than keeping Australians safe.

The Albanese Labor Government is committed to strong and secure borders.

By maintaining strong borders we can deliver an orderly and compassionate immigration system that is tailored to the needs of the nation.

When I took over the immigration portfolio in 2013 boat arrivals were at an all-time high.

The policy changes I oversaw delivered an 90 per cent reduction in the number of people putting their lives at risk on boats.

I have a deep commitment to modern multicultural Australia and I look forward to working with communities across Australia. I also look forward to continuing Clare O’Neil’s important work in protecting the nation from cyber threats.

I pay tribute to the law enforcement and intelligence officers who keep Australia safe, often at personal risk. I look forward to working with them.

I take on this role after two successful years as Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.

During this time the Government has kept unemployment at historic lows, while getting more people into secure work and delivering better wages and safer workplaces.

We’ve overseen record increases in the minimum wage and award wages because we actually turned up at the Fair Work Commission to argue low-paid workers shouldn’t go backwards. We’ve also started the important work of restoring the balance to the Commission itself.

The first legislation I introduced in this portfolio delivered 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave – an entitlement many people in the labour movement had been advocating for many years.

With our Secure Jobs, Better Pay laws we fixed the bargaining system so that more workers and businesses are now benefiting from enterprise agreements.

With our Closing Loopholes laws we stopped the labour hire loophole that was ripping off workers, particularly in the mining sector. We also made wage theft a crime, delivered a better deal for casual workers and ensured gig workers will benefit from minimum standards.

The proudest achievement is the contribution our workplaces changes have made to continued pay rises and closing the gender pay gap, which is now at record lows.

During all this time Murray Watt represented this portfolio in the Senate. He is perfectly placed to continue this work and deliver for working Australians.

I am also honoured that I am staying on as Minister for the Arts, a portfolio I have held for a decade. I look forward to continuing to implement the vision set out in Revive, the ambitious national cultural policy we announced 18 months ago.

I’m also looking forward to continuing in the role of Leader of the House, overseeing the Albanese Government’s ambitious legislative agenda.

ENDS