Parkes MP Mark Coulton has been elevated into the outer ministry in a Cabinet reshuffle late on Thursday.
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Mr Coulton, who had served as the deputy speaker in the House of Representatives since August 2016, will now step into the role of Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment.
He’ll be working closely with Trade Minister Steve Ciobo, and said he was thrilled with the promotion when he heard the news from newly minted Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.
“I’m really quite excited,” Mr Coulton said on Thursday evening as he celebrated with family and staff.
“I’m particularly pleased about it because it will be working with some of the countries on free trade agreements and because a lot of my electorate is so much underpinned by trade, I think I’ll find it really relevant to be able to do things that will benefit the people I ultimately represent.
“I really wasn’t expecting it and so when Michael came around and saw me late this afternoon I was very pleased to be given the opportunity. I quite enjoyed the role of deputy speaker, but always looking for another challenge.”
Victorian Nationals MP Darren Chester was the biggest winner in Thursday’s ministerial reshuffle, which was prompted by the resignation of Barnaby Joyce on Monday.
Mr Chester was returned to the front bench to take on Mr McCormack’s former portfolio of Veteran’s Affairs, while Mr McCormack becomes Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.
Mr Chester was controversially dropped from Cabinet in 2017 when Mr Joyce was still at the helm of the Nationals.
Meanwhile mid-north coast MP Luke Hartsuyker has been demoted, with Mr Coulton taking his portfolio.
It’s the highest position Mr Coulton has held in the government since his election in 2007.
Mr Coulton was a vocal supporter of Mr McCormack in the lead-up to his election as Nationals leader on Monday, after Mr Joyce resigned to the back bench.
But Mr Coulton said his support for the new Deputy Prime Minister was not the reason for his promotion.
“I hope it’s more than that, because quite a few of us backed Michael and quite a few of my friends have been demoted – my friend Luke Harsuyker had this job and he was demoted,” Mr Coulton said.
”When Michael promoted me to it, he obviously thought I was up to doing it.”
Mr Coulton will be sworn in at Government House on Monday, after which he expects to be briefed on exactly what his new role as a junior minister will involve.
“I’ll be working under Minister Ciobo, so certainly I’ve obviously got to be briefed up as to what my responsibilities will actually be but I think it’ll be involving a bit of travel to other countries so it’ll be quite good,” he said.
“I’ll have to get more specific instructions as to what my role will be … but certainly it will involve trade which I’m quite interested in.”
