Education, employment and economics are at the forefront of the Ministry just announced by Kevin Rudd in Canberra.

Incoming Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard keeps Workplace Relations, but adds Education and Employment to her portfolios in a move to greater integrate education, training, employment and workforce participation.

Wayne Swan is Treasurer with Lindsay Tanner in Finance. The dry but warm Tanner has potential to be a great Labor Finance Minister. He will be ably supported by Craig Emerson, who will assist with business deregulation as well as serving in the outer ministry as Minister for Small Business, Independent Contractors and the Service Economy.

Streamlining will also be a focus of the human services portfolio, with Joe Ludwig charged with finding savings through welfare reform.

Antony Albanese will become the Commonwealth’s first infrastructure minister, in charge of another area nominated by Rudd as vital to economic development.

Peter Garrett will be the senior minister in a new Environment, Heritage and the Arts portfolio, with Penny Wong also in Cabinet as Minister for Climate Change and Water.

Stephen Smith has a big promotion, becoming Minister for Foreign Affairs.

As tipped in Crikey yesterday, John Faulkner is returning to Cabinet. His experience will be put to work as Special Minister for State and Cabinet Secretary.

Other Cabinet members include Kim Carr as Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science & Research; Martin Ferguson as Minister for Resources, Energy and Tourism; Tony Burke as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; Simon Crean as Minister for Trade; Nicola Roxon as Minister for Health & Ageing; Jenny Macklin as Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services & Indigenous Affairs; Joel Fitzgibbon in Defence; Robert McClelland as Attorney-General; Chris Evans as Minister for Immigration & Citizenship and Stephen Conroy as Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

Justine Elliot and Kate Ellis, two members of the Class of 2004, become members of the outer ministry, in the Ageing and Youth & Sport portfolios respectively.

Nick Sherry becomes Minister for Superannuation & Corporate Law; Brendan O’Connor Minister for Workforce Participation; Tanya Plibersek Minister for Housing and the Status of Women; Alan Griffin Minister for Veterans Affairs; Warren Snowden Minister for Defence Personnel and Science, with newcomer Bob Debus taking the newly created Home Affairs portfolio.

Newcomers have done well with Parliamentary Secretaries positions.

Maxine McKew becomes Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister; Greg Combet Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence; Bill Shorten Parliamentary Secretary to Jenny Macklin; Mike Kelly a second Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence and Gary Gray Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Infrastructure.

Veterans Bob McMullan and Duncan Kerr will also become Parliamentary Secretaries, along with Laurie Ferguson, Ursula Stephens, Anthony Byrne and John Murphy.