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In a statement following his cabinet ministry appointment as Australia鈥檚 Minister for Health and Ageing and Minister for Disability and the NDIS, Mark Butler has set out his priorities. 鈥淔rom Medicare to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), aged care to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Australia鈥檚 systems of care and support are world leading and trail blazing,鈥� Butler said.

鈥淎ustralians are rightly proud and protective of these important social institutions,鈥� Butler said, adding that Labor鈥檚 federal election win had given the government 鈥渁 strong mandate to continue to build on and strengthen these institutions for the decades to come鈥�. Butler said: 鈥淥ur task is crystal clear: to strengthen Medicare, protect the PBS, deliver generational reform to aged care, and secure the future of the NDIS.鈥�

Speaking about his ministerial arrangements in a press conference in Canberra on 12 May, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to get everything in the right spot with the experience that we鈥檝e had during our first term of government. And Mark Butler鈥�, regarding the NDIS responsibility in particular, 鈥渙f course, has a great interest in this area, has had an interest for a long period of time.鈥�

One of the changes Albanese has made in his ministerial arrangements聽is for ageing to be part of the cabinet health portfolio. Regarding this, cabinet portfolios, and the former Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells, Albanese said:聽鈥渢here鈥檚 been multiple changes made. That鈥檚 what happens. And just as there are new members entering the Cabinet, there were new members last year as well.

鈥淵ou know, Anika Wells, for example, came in but kept the same portfolios. Ageing and Aged Care is really part of Health. And as you know, the structure would normally be a Cabinet Minister and then a Minister. We鈥檝e put that in place and I think we鈥檝e got the right people in the right places.鈥� In addition to being Minister for Health in the Albanese government鈥檚 first term, Butler served as Minister for Ageing and Australia鈥檚 first Minister for Mental Health in the Gillard government.

Butler said he looked forward to delivering on the government鈥檚 commitment to Medicare, PBS, aged care and NDIS 鈥渁longside an exceptional team of ministers and assistant ministers, and working closely with stakeholders in the sector鈥�. Also announced by Albanese on 12 May was that Sam Rae is Minister for Aged Care and Seniors in the outer ministry.

Assistant ministers include Rebecca White for Health and Aged Care, and Indigenous Health; Emma McBride for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Rural and Regional Health; and Dan Repacholi as Special Envoy for Men鈥檚 Health.

Image credit: iStock.com/Mihajlo Maricic