Australian Prime Minister John Howard reshuffled his cabinet Tuesday in the lead-up to an election year after the retirement of two senior ministers.
Tony Abbott and Amanda Vanstone were promoted after Family and Community Services Minister Jocelyn Newman, the most powerful woman in Australian politics, and Defence Minister John Moore handed into their resignations.
Vanstone, formerly responsible for justice and customs, takes on Newman's portfolio.
Employment Services Minister Abbott assumes responsibility for the senior Employment and Workplace Relations brief in the place of Peter Reith, who moves to Defence.
Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock adds Aboriginal Affairs to his current responsibility for reconciliation.
Howard said the departure of his long-serving colleagues had forced a significant restructuring of the ministry.
"This is a new line-up for the new millennium," he told reporters in Sydney -- SYDNEY (AFP)
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