Anthony Albanese has announced his new frontbench, which includes Mark Butler as the incoming Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care.
The decision was announced following a meeting of the Labor caucus of Federal MPs in Canberra late this afternoon. The new ministers will be sworn in tomorrow – Wednesday 1 June.
Mr Butler had been the Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care since January 2021, after moving there from a climate spokesperson role.
Mr Butler was also Australia’s first Minister for Mental Health in the Gillard Government and has held the ministries of Housing, Homelessness, Social Inclusion, Climate Change, Water and the Environment.
Anika Wells has been announced in the outer ministry as the Minister for Aged Care and Minister for Sport, with Ged Kearney, a former nurse and ANMF Federal Secretary, in the role of Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care.
Ms Wells has been vocal about aged care receiving additional funding and support for workers.
Speech from March 31, 2022
Is it true that the new funding for aged care has dropped funding for physio
for our older residents in aged care. I know that as usual the new systems for funding are always trying to get more $$$$$ back every time. This doesn’t help with keeping our older residents more mobile for as long as possible does it now.
These people did not have the benefit of superanuation like those of us who are a little younger so what is the go they have paid their taxes all of their working lives. Would it be possible to have an over view of the new
system please, if this is the case it means that specialists instructions are useless in reguard to our older citizens and their mobility.