The National Party was the Liberal Party's coalition partner until the 2025 federal election, and re-elected its party leader David Littleproud on 12 May 2025 after the election.[3] Littleproud and senior Nationals members announced on 20 May 2025 that their party would break away from the Coalition and would not be part of the shadow ministry.[4] A Liberal Party-only shadow ministry was to be announced a few days later. However, the Liberal-only shadow ministry did not eventuate, as the parties instead announced they were looking to negotiate a new Coalition deal.[5] On 28 May, a new Coalition agreement was reached, and both parties would be in a Coalition opposition again. As a result, the shadow ministry would once more consist of both parties.[6]
Current arrangement
The first arrangement of the shadow ministry was announced by Ley and Littleproud on 28 May 2025.[7][8] Due to the changes in the Liberal Party leadership and a few Coalition frontbenchers losing their seats at the 2025 federal election, portfolios were significantly reshuffled from the previous Dutton shadow ministry.[9]
The Liberal Party dropped Sarah Henderson, Jane Hume, Claire Chandler and Tony Pasin from the frontbench, while the National Party dropped Michael McCormack and Barnaby Joyce from the frontbench. All six were shadow ministers in the previous shadow ministry.[9]Rick Wilson (Liberal), who was an assistant shadow minister in the previous shadow ministry, was also not re-appointed to the shadow ministry. Nationals MP Michelle Landry, who was a shadow assistant minister in the previous shadow ministry, had been recently appointed as her party's Chief Whip and was therefore also not re-appointed to the shadow ministry.[10] Nationals senator Matt Canavan, who was last on the Coalition frontbench in 2020 (as a government minister) and had challenged Littleproud for leadership after the election, was not appointed to the frontbench.[9]
James McGrath (Liberal), Andrew Bragg (Liberal), Kerrynne Liddle (Liberal), Angie Bell (Liberal) and Darren Chester (National), all of who were in the previous shadow ministry but not in the shadow cabinet, had been elevated to the latter. Liberal MP Julian Leeser, who was an shadow assistant minister prior to the election, also returned to the shadow cabinet since his resignation in April 2023. Tim Wilson (Liberal) and Ross Cadell (National), who were not in the previous shadow ministry, were also elevated directly into the shadow cabinet. Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who was a shadow cabinet minister in the previous ministry and had defected from the National Party to Liberal Party after the election, was not re-appointed to the shadow cabinet. Instead, she was appointed as a shadow minister in the shadow outer ministry.[9]
Two former cabinet ministers (before 2022) who were not in the previous shadow ministry, Alex Hawke and Melissa Price (both Liberal), were also re-appointed to the front bench, with Hawke being a shadow cabinet minister and Melissa Price being a shadow minister in the shadow outer ministry.[9]
Some members of parliament were also newly appointed to positions in the shadow assistant ministry. Two of them, Maria Kovacic and Leah Blyth, entered parliament between the 2022 and 2025 elections, with Blyth being a Senator for only less than four months prior to her appointment as a shadow assistant minister. Another two entered parliament in the 2025 election, Jamie Chaffey and Gisele Kapterian. Kapterian was provisionally appointed as a shadow assistant minister pending the outcome of the vote recount (and subsequently Court of Disputed Returns) in Division of Bradfield, where she was contesting.[9] The provisional appointment of Kapterian to the shadow assistant ministry was still upheld by Ley during a reshuffle in September 2025.[11] Kapterian would later abandon the recount challenge later that month.[12]
On 10 September 2025, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was forced to resign from the ministry at the request of Ley, over the former's refusal to express confidence of the latter as party leader.[13] On 14 September 2025, Ley announced a reshuffle of the shadow ministry as a result of Price's resignation, with Melissa Price taking over Jacinta Nampijinpa Price's portfolios. Simon Kennedy and Claire Chandler were also elevated to the frontbench, with Chandler returning to the frontbench since being dropped after the election. Chandler took over Melissa Price's portfolios, while Kennedy was allocated a new shadow assistant ministerial role for artificial intelligence, digital economy and scrutiny of government waste.[14][11]
On 3 October 2025, Andrew Hastie resigned from the ministry, due to his disagreements with Sussan Ley on immigration policy, and his inability to comply with Ley's 'charter letters'. [15] On 13 October 2025, Ley announced the third shadow ministry reshuffle in five months. Jonathon Duniam replaced Hastie as the shadow home affairs minister. Julian Leeser replaced Duniam as shadow education and early education minister, while retaining the arts portfolio. Andrew Wallace was elevated from the shadow assistant ministry to the shadow cabinet and replaced Leeser as shadow attorney-general. Zoe McKenzie replaced Wallace as shadow cabinet secretary while retaining her existing assistant shadow ministry portfolios. Aaron Violi and Cameron Caldwell were elevated to the frontbench and were appointed shadow assistant minister for communications and shadow assistant minister for housing and mental health respectively.[16]
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