20 December 2017
I am honoured to have been appointed by the Prime Minister as Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate in addition to my ongoing roles as Minister for Communications and Minister for the Arts.
I welcome Bridget McKenzie to the portfolio as Minister for Regional Communications where she will make a strong contribution to the communications needs of Australians who live and work in the regions.
The past four years as Manager of Government Business in the Senate have been challenging, but working with colleagues across all parties has seen the Government achieve significant legislative results.
In the last year alone the Government has passed 133 pieces of legislation and 180 in total since the election.
I acknowledge the outstanding leadership team of George Brandis and Mathias Cormann in securing these outcomes.
I congratulate and look forward to working with Mathias Cormann as Leader of the Government in the Senate and Simon Birmingham as Manager of Government Business in the Senate in continuing to deliver good outcomes through the Australian Senate.