Sussan Ley appointed Australian Minister for Health and Sport

Former Assistant Education Minister Sussan Ley has become the second woman in Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's cabinet with her appointment as Minister for Health and Minister for Sport.

Replacing the demoted Peter Dutton, who now becomes Minister for Immigration, Minister Ley's appointment to cabinet answers some of the criticism over the number of women in cabinet and the outer ministry.

Having held a variety of jobs including being an air traffic controller, pilot and shearers’ shed cook prior to enterting parliament in 2001, Minister Ley has been viewed as a success in her role with responsibility for childcare since September 2013. With masters degrees in taxation and accountancy, Minister Ley was also Shadow Assistant Treasurer in Tony Abbott's Shadow Ministry prior to September 2013.

By contrast, Minister Dutton is widely seen to have underperformed in the combined health and sport portfolio, mishandling the GP co-payments issue, making no attempt to be pro-active in linking health and wellness with recreation and physical activity, and doing little more than ceremonial duties with his sport portfolio.

In Minister Ley's twitter profile she describes herself as "recovering punk rocker from a time when it really mattered."

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