☕️ Meet the new government decision-makers

Reminder there is a Liberal leadership contest today. The contenders:

The vote is happening at about 10am. Grab the popcorn.

"It's a great honour to lead our great party... We're not lazy, we're not complacent. We will continue to always put regional Australians before everyone else."
Nationals Party leader David Littleproud, who was re-elected as leader yesterday. He defeated challenger Queensland Senator Matt Canavan after a private vote in Canberra.

127,172 tonnes
The amount of beef exported from Australia in April – an all time record. The U.S. remained the highest market, exporting 37,213 tonnes, with China following by 12,151 tonnes exported for the month.

You’re taller in the morning than at night. Specifically, you are on average 1cm taller due to decompression of the spine while sleeping. The spine is compressed due to gravity and movement throughout the day.

An Australian man working for a humanitarian organisation has been killed in a Russian attack in Ukraine.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would not name the person at this stage, but expressed his “deepest condolences and sympathies with is family and loved ones”.

The PM confirmed the Australian “was not a participant” in the conflict, but was instead volunteering with a humanitarian organisation.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed which MPs will form his Cabinet in this term of Parliament.

Cabinet positions include roles like the Defence Minister, the Treasurer, and the Minister for Women.

Labor won the election in a landslide against the Coalition, with at last 93 MPs and 28 Senators elected.

Some MPs have been promoted, while others have lost their senior roles due to factional rivalries within the party’s ranks.

Here are the faces of Albanese’s second term.

A Cabinet is a small group of senior ministers who have responsibility over certain areas of government.

Various ministers did not recontest the election, including NDIS Minister Bill Shorten, Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones, and Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney.

This means there have been some “vacancies” to fill.

Anthony Albanese will serve as Prime Minister for another three years.

He has led the Labor Party since 2019, taking over from Bill Shorten.

Albanese has been in Parliament as the member for the Sydney seat of Grayndler since 1996.

He is the first Labor Prime Minister since Bob Hawke in the 1980s to lead the party to back-to-back election wins.

Richard Marles has been returned as the Deputy Prime Minister. He will also serve as Defence Minister.

Marles has held his Victorian seat of Corio since 2007, which is based around Geelong.

In recent days, Marles has been criticised by party members for spearheading factional deals to elevate two Victorian MPs to the cabinet.

As a result, former Ministers Ed Husic and Mark Dreyfus have been removed from the frontbench.

Jim Chalmers will return to the frontbench as Labor’s Treasurer.

Chalmers increased his margin in the Brisbane-based seat of Rankin, which he has held since 2013.

In the campaign, he was tasked with promoting Labor’s cost of living promises, including a tax cut and $150 energy bill discount that will take effect from July.

Chalmers is widely seen as a possible future leader of the Labor Party.

Penny Wong has been re-appointed as Foreign Affairs Minister, after holding the title in the last term of Parliament.

Wong has been a Senator for South Australia since 2001.

She’s the first foreign affairs minister in Australia to have been born overseas.

Wong is a close friend of the PM and introduced him onstage before his election night victory speech.

Katy Gallagher will continue her roles of Minister for Women, Government Services, and the Public Service, and Finance Minister.

Gallagher has been a Senator for the ACT since 2014.

She is a close adviser to the PM and held the key role of managing Labor’s legislation in the Senate in both Government and Opposition.

Tanya Plibersek will become Minister for Social Services.

Plibersek has held the inner-city electorate of Sydney since 1998.

In the last term of Parliament, she was the Minister for the Environment and Water.

She has previously served as Minister for Housing, Women, and Health.

Mark Butler will continue his role as Health Minister, taking on the portfolios of the NDIS, aging and disability.

Butler has represented Adelaide’s western suburbs since 2007.

As Health Minister in the last term of Parliament, he headed the Government’s campaign against vaping, including new laws banning their sale outside of pharmacies.

Michelle Rowland will swap the portfolio of Communications for the role of Attorney-General.

Rowland takes over from Mark Dreyfus, who had held the portfolio in Opposition and Government from 2013.

The replacement was the result of factional (sub-groups formed around political interests) agreements.

Queensland Senator Murray Watt has moved into the Environment and Water portfolio, taking over from Tanya Plibersek.

Watt was the Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations in the last government.

He will now be tasked with negotiating reforms to overhaul the national environment laws.

Albanese has vowed to pass the reforms this term.

Western Australia MP Anne Aly has been named as Minister for Small Business, International Development, and Multicultural Affairs.

Aly has been promoted to cabinet after serving in the outer ministry as Early Childhood Education Minister. She spearheaded three days of subsidised childcare for lower and middle-income families earlier this year.

Aly will be the only Muslim MP in cabinet.

Science and Industry Minister Ed Husic lost his Cabinet spot in factional negotiations. NSW Senator Tim Ayres will take Husic’s portfolios.

Annika Wells will take over Communications, which was previously held by the now-Attorney-General Michelle Rowland.

Amanda Rishworth will take on the portfolio of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Modibodi are changing the game (again) - launching period-proof swimwear just in time for those of us planning a warmer escape this Aussie winter.

With built-in protection for light to heavy flow and recycled materials crafted in partnership with SEAQUAL®, it’s made for comfort, confidence, and those moments when your period doesn’t take a break.

It’s hoped the initiative will lead to better disease screening rates and early intervention care. The policy aims to encourage all Polish citizens over the age of 20 to seek healthcare, regardless of their financial position. In a statement on X, the National Health Fund of Poland said patients who use the free service will be able to discuss their results with local medical staff, who will help them create an “individual health plan.”

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Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

Remember Elizabeth Holmes, who was convicted of fraud over her blood-testing start-up Theranos?

Holmes claimed Theranos could run a range of tests from a small drop of blood, but it turned out their machines were faulty.

Now, her partner, Billy Evans, has founded a new blood-testing start-up.

According to The New York Times, Evans’ new company, Haemanthus, is developing a device that detects diseases by analysing blood, saliva, and urine samples.

In a statement to X, Haemanthus said it is “not Theranos 2.0” and that its “approach is fundamentally different.”

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced his Cabinet for the next term of Parliament. It followed a week of very public in-fighting in the Labor Party about who should be elevated to the Cabinet.

In today’s podcast, we’re going to explain the concept of ‘factions’ and the role that factions played in discussions about the Cabinet.