Greg Hunt, minister for industry, innovation and science. Photo by Pilar Valbuena for CIFOR, courtesy of Flickr.
Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has reshuffled the Turnbull frontbench, naming Greg Hunt as minister for industry, innovation and science. In addition, all members of his previous cabinet are reappointed, with some of them shifting into new roles.
Dan Tehan takes on the new portfolio of minister assisting the prime minister for cybersecurity, in addition to his minister for veterans’ affairs and minister for defence personnel roles. Craig Laundy is now assistant minister for innovation.
Christopher Pyne has been appointed to the newly created role of minister for defence industry, in charge of the development of military technology. Hunt moves from environment to Pyne’s vacated industry, innovation and science portfolio.
Josh Frydenberg will include the environment role in his new title of minister for environment and energy. In addition, Fiona Nash will add the local government and territories portfolio to her current role of regional development and communications. Mitch Fifield has kept his portfolio as communications minister.
Kelly O'Dwyer lets go of her small business portfolio, to be taken on by Michael McCormack. O'Dwyer’s former title as assistant treasurer has been renamed minister for revenue and financial services.
Peter Hendy and Wyatt Roy lost their seats at the election.
The industry has welcomed Turnbull’s reshuffled frontbench.
StartupAUS CEO, Alex McCauley welcomed the appointment of Craig Laundy as assistant minister for innovation.
He said Wyatt Roy and Ed Husic had been the first frontbenchers on each side to take on this focused innovation role.
“Both men were welcomed as honorary members of startup communities around the country, and we look forward to welcoming Craig Laundy with equal enthusiasm.
“One of our key objectives is providing greater support for the creation and growth of tech start-ups, specifically those that have the potential to be globally commercial companies. If we are to become a knowledge intensive economy, we need to up our game by assisting ‘generation start-up’ in incentivising their ideas. This is an area that we believe requires considerable attention,” he said.
Brosa co-founder, Ivan Lim, said the answer the Aussie start-up community is now seeking will be clarity around the National Innovation and Science Agenda.
“Will any aspects of the agenda change? It was spearheaded by Turnbull and his innovation team who are now no longer part of the picture,” he said.
“Greg Hunt and Craig Laundy will need to make it clear about its short-term and long-term prospects in continuing the discourse. They need to understand the space. As the new ministers are coming in cold, they need to figure out how to tap into the ecosystem from a micro and macro point of view. This will be their major challenge.”
The new ministry will be sworn in at Government House in Canberra on July 19.
