Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made a few changes to the responsibilities of some government departments. Photo: Thomas Lucraft.
Ministerial responsibility for the federal police and the nation’s domestic spy agency returns to the Department of Home Affairs portfolio under Anthony Albanese’s machinery of government (MoG) changes instigated this week.
The Prime Minister has removed the Australian Federal Police and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation from the Attorney-General’s Department and given the agencies to Home Affairs, reversing the decision he made when Labor returned to office in 2022.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke’s powers were expanded to include the two agencies.
Mr Albanese said while there would be some cross-responsibilities between departments, so they could “work seamlessly” on national security issues, Home Affairs was a better fit for the two agencies.
“We’re very confident that we’ve got it right. We want to make sure that people can have access to all of the information at the appropriate time,” the Prime Minister said when announcing the changes.
“There were issues that arose out of information sharing during the, let’s call it the caravan incident for shorthand, and we wanted to make sure that we got it right and learned from that experience.”
The ‘caravan incident’ involved the discovery of a caravan on the outskirts of Sydney in January, seemingly packed with explosives.
There were concerns that a terrorist attack was being planned and the Coalition criticised the government’s response and coordination over the matter between jurisdictions.
An investigation conducted by ASIO, the AFP and the NSW Government found it was a fake plot.
In other MoG changes for Labor’s second term in office, the Department of Health and Aged Care gets a name change to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to allow it to include ministerial responsibility for the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Health Minister Mark Butler has overall responsibility, with Jenny McAllister taking on the role of NDIS Minister (she previously had emergency services).
Mr Albanese said moving the NDIS into the Health Department was being discussed under the previous minister responsible for the scheme, Bill Shorten.
“We’re trying to get everything in the right spot with the experience that we’ve had during our first term of government,” the PM said.
“And Mark Butler, of course, has a great interest in this area, and has had an interest for a long period of time.
“But Jenny McAllister, as well, I think, has shown in the work that she’s done in emergency management in a short period of time that she’s been in the ministry, she is someone who has a capacity to have a great attention to detail, and that is precisely what’s required when it comes to the reform of the NDIS.
“We want to make sure that the NDIS fulfils what its intention was – that everyone has the best opportunity to contribute to Australian society and that people with a disability don’t get left behind.”
In the Australian Public Service mini carve-up, the Health Department loses responsibility for sport, which is going into the Infrastructure Department to make it a priority for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.
“The Commonwealth’s major responsibility for sport is essentially infrastructure,” the PM said.
“So it will go in the department that includes infrastructure, includes communications and will include sport.”
Infrastructure loses its responsibility for cities, with that falling to Treasury as the government implements its housing agenda.
The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet has issued a full list of the MoG changes along with the matters each department will now deal with, along with legislation administered by their respective responsible ministers.
An administrative arrangements order was issued by Governor-General Sam Mostyn to revoke all previous arrangements and was signed by her and the Prime Minister. That order, and the new schedule or arrangements, have been posted on PM&C’s website.
