Shadow health ministry named

Catherine King, the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing in the previous Labor Government and a former director for the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, has been named Shadow Health Minister.

Shane Neumann has been appointed Shadow Minister for Ageing and Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten made the announcements as he unveiled his shadow ministry on Friday.

Ms King, who served as Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing in government between 2010 and 2013, holds a degree in social work and a masters in public policy from the Australian National University. She worked in the social welfare sector in Ballarat and later in the public sector in Canberra. Prior to entering parliament she was a senior manager at KPMG’s health consulting practice.

Mr Neumann, who replaced Ms King as Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing in March 2013, has described himself as having a “deep commitment and understanding” of health issues.

Before entering parliament Neumann worked with the West Moreton District Health Council and served on the board of Queensland Baptist Care (now Carinity), which was responsible for aged care facilities in Ipswich and surrounding areas.

Also in the shadow health portfolio are Melissa Parke as Shadow Assistant Minister for Health;  Jan McLucas as Shadow Minister for Mental Health; Amanda Rishworth as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health; Warren Snowdon as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Indigenous Affairs; and Helen Polley as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Aged Care.

Responding to the unveiling of the shadow cabinet,  Australian Medical Association president Dr Steve Hambleton noted: “The health sector is fortunate to have a former health minister as Prime Minister, a passionate advocate for the National Disability Insurance Scheme as Opposition Leader, and another former health minister as Deputy Opposition Leader.”

He added that the AMA hoped “that all this valuable health policy experience in the new parliament works in a bipartisan way to produce better health outcomes in the Australian community.”

Read the full shadow ministry