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Jun 1, 2022 - World

Australia's diverse new Cabinet sworn in with record 13 women ministers

Rebecca Falconer
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese poses for a group photo with his female ministers after a swearing-in ceremony at Government House on June 01, 2022 in Canberra, Australia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese poses for a group photo with the women ministers after a swearing-in ceremony at Government House in Canberra, Australia, on Wednesday. Photo: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Australia's new government sworn in Wednesday includes a record number of women in an ethnically diverse Cabinet, and the swearing-in ceremony featured a kangaroo skin cloak, a large Bible and a Quran, per Sky News.

What they're saying: "Proud to lead an inclusive government that is as diverse as Australia itself," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tweeted.

Governor-general David Hurley congratulates Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians, at Government House on June 01, 2022 in Canberra, Australia.
Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney, wearing her kangaroo skin cloak, is congratulated by Governor-General David Hurley as Albanese looks on at Wednesday's swearing-in ceremony. Photo: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

The big picture: Albanese's newly elected Labor Government features 13 women, including Youth Minister Anne Aly, Australia's first female Muslim minister. And Science Minister Ed Husic is the first Muslim to serve in an Australian Cabinet.

  • Meanwhile, Linda Burney, who attended the swearing-in ceremony wearing a kangaroo skin cloak, has become the first woman, and only the second-ever Indigenous person, to serve as Indigenous Affairs minister.

For the record: Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong were sworn in last week so they could fly to Tokyo and meet with President Biden and other world leaders at the Indo-Pacific Quad summit.

Flashback: Australia's previous government faced allegations of sexism, misogyny and sexual misconduct that prompted former Prime Minister Scott Morrison to change rules that previously exempted politicians from complaints about gender discrimination at work and workplace harassment due to a legal loophole.

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