The claim

The Cabinet reshuffle following the Coalition's election victory has allowed a number of new faces into the ministry, including women, following the departure of several senior cabinet ministers.

At a press conference announcing the changes, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said:

"The ministry that I announce today maintains the record representation of women in cabinet for an Australian Government, with seven female members of our Cabinet."

Is he correct? RMIT ABC Fact Check runs the numbers.

The verdict

Mr Morrison's claim checks out.

In nominal terms, no other government has ever had seven women in cabinet, as Mr Morrison has since March.

The previous record was six, which was equalled by both Labor and Liberal prime ministers over the last few years.

In proportional terms, Mr Morrison's 30.4 per cent representation of women just edges out the previous record held by former prime minister Kevin Rudd, who achieved 30 per cent representation in the dying days of the last Labor government.

Scott Morrison and Michael McCormack flanked by the female Cabinet ministers in Mr Morrison's ministry, on Wednesday 29 May, 2019. ( ABC News: Andrew Kennedy )

What has changed?

In March 2019, defence industry minister Steve Ciobo announced his retirement.

Mr Morrison then promoted Western Australian senator Linda Reynolds into cabinet in his role, bringing the total number of women in Cabinet to seven, including:

then minister for regional services, Bridget McKenzie

then minister for regional services, Bridget McKenzie Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne

Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne then minister for jobs and industrial relations, Kelly O'Dwyer

then minister for jobs and industrial relations, Kelly O'Dwyer then minister for small and family business, skills and vocational education, Michaelia Cash

then minister for small and family business, skills and vocational education, Michaelia Cash Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews then minister for the environment, Melissa Price

then minister for the environment, Melissa Price then minister for defence industry, Linda Reynolds

In January, Ms O'Dwyer had announced her retirement from politics, but continued in her role until the election.

After the election, Senator Payne and Ms Andrews continued in Cabinet in their roles, whilst Senator McKenzie, Senator Cash and Senator Reynolds were given new or adjusted portfolios, still in Cabinet.

Despite insisting during the final leaders' debate that Ms Price would remain in her role post-election, the Prime Minister moved her to defence industry and demoted her from Cabinet.

Former health minister Sussan Ley, who was demoted in 2017 after an expenses scandal under former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, was brought back into Cabinet to replace Ms Price in environment.

Mr Morrison has promoted South Australian senator Anne Ruston to Cabinet in the families and social services portfolio, thus maintaining the number of women in Cabinet at seven:

Minister for Agriculture, Bridget McKenzie

Minister for Agriculture, Bridget McKenzie Foreign Minister, Marise Payne

Foreign Minister, Marise Payne Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Michaelia Cash

Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Michaelia Cash Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley

Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley Minister for Defence, Linda Reynolds

Minister for Defence, Linda Reynolds Minister for Families and Social Services, Anne Ruston

The graph below shows that indeed, in terms of raw numbers, Mr Morrison's Cabinet has held the record for women in cabinet since early March.

The previous record of six was first held briefly by former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd and subsequently matched by Mr Turnbull and Mr Morrison.

Proportional terms

But Mr Rudd did not just hold the nominal record, he also held the record on proportion.

After returning to the prime ministership, he had six women in his cabinet of 20, or 30 per cent.

Mr Rudd has held that record through the term of the Coalition Government, until recently.

With seven women in a Cabinet of 23, Mr Morrison has barely scraped over the record, with a 30.4 per cent proportion of women in his Cabinet.

This means that no government of either stripe has ever exceeded more than one-third representation of women in cabinet.

Principal researcher: Matt Martino

Sources