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Amanda Rishworth tipped to take over NDIS from Bill Shorten in pre-election cabinet reshuffle​on January 13, 2025 at 2:00 pm

Social services minister a logical pick to succeed Labor’s departing former leader, insiders sayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBill Shorten is tipped to hand the reins of the national disability insurance scheme to the social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, in a small reshuffle prompted by the former Labor leader’s departure before this year’s federal election.Shorten will resign from cabinet at the end of the month to become vice-chancellor at the University of Canberra, opening up vacancies in the NDIS and government services portfolios as well as in Labor’s 30-member ministry.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading…Social services minister a logical pick to succeed Labor’s departing former leader, insiders sayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBill Shorten is tipped to hand the reins of the national disability insurance scheme to the social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, in a small reshuffle prompted by the former Labor leader’s departure before this year’s federal election.Shorten will resign from cabinet at the end of the month to become vice-chancellor at the University of Canberra, opening up vacancies in the NDIS and government services portfolios as well as in Labor’s 30-member ministry.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading…   

Bill Shorten is tipped to hand the reins of the national disability insurance scheme to the social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, in a small reshuffle prompted by the former Labor leader’s departure ahead of this year’s federal election.

Shorten will resign from cabinet at the end of the month to become vice-chancellor at the University of Canberra, opening up vacancies in the NDIS and government services portfolios as well as in Labor’s 30-member ministry.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on Monday confirmed there would be a January reshuffle but didn’t “envisage major changes” with the 2025 federal election due to take place on or before 17 May.

Labor MPs, government insiders and disability sector leaders say Rishworth is a logical choice to succeed Shorten given the social services minister already has oversight of policy for disabled Australians who aren’t on the NDIS.

Rishworth will on Tuesday headline the launch of a new national autism strategy designed to break down barriers to social and economic inclusion for people with disability.

The first action plan, to be unveiled in Perth, is backed by $42.3m in funding, which includes $19.9m over four years for a peer support program for autistic people.

“Addressing the barriers autistic people face in areas like education, employment and diagnosis is long overdue and we are proud to deliver a strategy that will change lives for the better,” Rishworth said.

The case to merge the NDIS and social services portfolios is strengthened by the fact Rishworth is responsible for the new system outside the NDIS – known as “foundational supports” – that will be rolled out to ease the burden on the fast-growing disability scheme.

As for government services, which oversees welfare agencies such as Centrelink, Albanese is tipped to either park the portfolio with an existing senior minister, such as the health minister, Mark Butler, or hand a junior minister a pre-election promotion.

The veterans’ affairs minister, Matt Keogh, the aged care minister, Anika Wells, and the local government minister, Kristy McBain, are considered the leading contenders for elevation.

All three are from Shorten’s right faction.

Several senior Labor sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Guardian Australia that Keogh merited a promotion after his work responding to the defence and veterans’ suicide royal commission and rebuilding the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Elevating Keogh would also address the perceived underrepresentation of senior ministers for Western Australia, which has just one representative in cabinet despite its electoral importance for Labor.

Shorten’s resignation will also open up a spot in Labor’s 30-member ministry. Tim Watts, Peter Khalil and Raff Ciccone – all from the Victorian right faction – would be in the mix for promotion, sources said.

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is also preparing to reshuffle his frontbench to replace his retiring foreign affairs spokesman, Simon Birmingham, and the manager of opposition business, Paul Fletcher.

Coalition MPs were expecting a reshuffle before Christmas but Dutton decided against it.

Asked on Monday about the timing, Dutton said: “No, we’ll announce that soon.

“We’ve got some incredible talent on the frontbench and the backbench and it’s always hard to find a spot for everybody, obviously. But we’ll make that announcement in due course.”

 

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