Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I advise the Senate that, subsequent to the election, the caucus of the federal parliamentary Labor Party has re-elected me to serve as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and has elected Senator Kristina Keneally as Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. I acknowledge and thank Senator Don Farrell for his service and loyalty in that role during the life of the 45th Parliament.

I further advise that Senator Urquhart has been re-elected to serve as Chief Opposition Whip in the Senate, Senators Ciccone and McCarthy have been elected to serve as deputy opposition whips, and—an announcement that I am particularly pleased about—Senator Katy Gallagher is back and has agreed to serve as Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate. She'll be supported by Senator Kitching as Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate. I congratulate all senators on their appointments and acknowledge and thank former Senator Ketter, Senator O'Neill and Senator Chisholm for their previous service with respect to various roles in the previous parliament. I also congratulate senators who've been elected or re-elected to this place, and I particularly welcome five senators on our side who have taken their seats in the Senate.

My congratulations to government senators who have been appointed to parliamentary positions, and particularly those who've been appointed or reappointed to the executive. I congratulate my friend and colleague Senator Cormann on his position as Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Birmingham as deputy leader—we have hugged and made up. Everyone is very happy about that. Actually, we shook hands and made up! And, of course, Senator Ruston as manager, and it's good to see so many South Australians in the leadership team. To all of those who have been appointed to the executive, it is obviously an enormous privilege to serve the Australian people as a Minister of the Crown for the Commonwealth of Australia. We wish you well in the discharge of those responsibilities.

More broadly, I congratulate the coalition on forming government. Obviously, the opposition would have preferred ourselves to have been on the other side of the chamber in the 46th Parliament. However, we respect the result of the election and the choice of the Australian people. I say to my Labor colleagues: keep the faith. We know Labor governments change the country for the better and we are determined to do better on the next occasion.

This is a different Senate to that of the 45th Parliament. The coalition has a larger contingent. It is a smaller crossbench. We anticipate this government will have somewhat of an easier time passing its legislation through this place, and we have also already seen hints of the overreach that became the hallmark of the Howard government from 2004. We know the Australian people do not expect the coalition to get a free pass in the Senate. We on this side of the chamber will continue to hold to our values. Labor senators take seriously the role of the opposition in the Senate. We will hold the government to account. We will robustly debate issues confronting Australia and Australians, and we will apply scrutiny to the executive.

I seek leave to table the shadow ministry list for the 46th Parliament and to have it incorporated into Hansard.

Leave granted.

The document read as follows—

SHADOW MINISTRY

Each box represents a portfolio. Shadow Cabinet Ministers are shown in bold type .