Returning Coalition returns Sussan Ley to Cabinet post

The news comes little more than a week after Ms Ley comfortably retained the federal seat of Farrer for a seventh term, despite powerful backlash over the water debate and the serious threat of ‘water candidate’ Kevin Mack.

Her return to the frontbench may come as a shock to Ley’s sceptics, with several colleagues claiming her career in cabinet was over in January 2017 in the wake of revelations about her use of taxpayer-funded entitlements.

These included her purchase of an $800,000 Gold Coast investment property during a taxpayer-funded trip to Queensland and her regular use of expensive charter flights to travel on busy capital city routes.

Ms Ley has refused interviews at this stage, saying she would like to ‘‘get across’’ her new portfolio first, however she said in a statement she was ‘‘pleased and proud’’ to be appointed Environment Minister.

‘‘Australians hold strong views on caring for our environment, both locally and globally, and I look forward to listening to the variety of perspectives and ideas that will be put forward, as well as implementing our government’s strong range of policy initiatives in this portfolio,’’ she said in the statement.

‘‘I would also like to thank the team in the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities who assisted me in my most recent role as Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories.

‘‘I wish my friend and colleague Nola Marino (Member for Forrest) all the best as she takes up this new position.”

Ms Ley has held a range of other portfolios in the past, serving as Employment Participation Shadow Minister and Childcare and Early Childhood Shadow Minister from 2010-13.

She was appointed Education Assistant Minister when the Abbott government came to office, taking on the much higher profile health portfolio in December 2014.

At that time, she was also Sport Minister, with aged care added to her portfolio when Malcolm Turnbull became Prime Minister.