When Paul Keating had the task of recasting his ministry after removing Bob Hawke from the prime ministership in 1991, he opted for minimal change and retained all the key Hawke loyalists in his cabinet. They were, he said, ''old dogs for a hard road''.

Julia Gillard took a different path after finally, and emphatically, seeing off the challenge of Kevin Rudd. Rather than call in the Rudd backers in her cabinet, one by one, and demand either a pledge of loyalty or their resignation, she put the onus on them to make the call.

Who's who? ... Governor-General Quentin Bryce poses for photos with Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her new-look ministry after the swearing-in ceremony at Government House. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Aside from Simon Crean, whom she sacked for bringing the issue to a head and backing a change to Rudd, two cabinet ministers, a member of the outer ministry and a parliamentary secretary walked, prompting more vacancies than there were old dogs to fill them.

The result is the selection of a cabinet for the campaign, where competent ministers in demanding portfolios suddenly have double the workload, suggesting this is a cabinet with an expiry date of September 14.