The Hunter will not have a dedicated representative in state cabinet in the next term of government.
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The role of Minister for the Hunter was replaced with the position of Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter and Central Coast during Premier Mike Baird’s Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday.
Gladys Berejiklian, the most recent Minister for the Hunter, was made the state’s Treasurer.
Liberal MLC Scot MacDonald was named the Hunter’s new representative.
The only ministry for a region that remains in cabinet is the role of Minister for Western Sydney, which Mr Baird holds.
Parliamentary Secretaries will also take the place of ministers for the North Coast, Illawarra and the South Coast and Southern NSW.
This means these regions no longer have a dedicated representative on the front bench of Parliament and inside cabinet.
Parliamentary Secretaries report to cabinet each quarter.
“This is a cabinet for today and tomorrow,” Mr Baird said.
“The team that [Deputy Premier] Troy [Grant] and I have chosen represents the perfect mix of experience and new talent to take the state forward.
“I am particularly proud that Gladys Berejiklian and Gabrielle Upton will become the first women in NSW history to hold the positions of Treasurer and Attorney General.”
In other changes, Andrew Constance becomes Minister for Transport and Infrastructure; Niall Blair has been named Minister for Primary Industries and Minister for Lands and Water; Mark Speakman becomes Minister for the Environment, Minister for Heritage and Assistant Minister for Planning; and David Elliott is the new Minister for Corrections, Minister for Emergency Services and Minister for Veterans Affairs.
Nationals MP Leslie Williams has been named Minister for Early Childhood Education, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Assistant Minister for Education.
Pru Goward will be Australia’s first Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, as well as Minister for Women, Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Medical Research and Assistant Minister for Health.