After a short sabbatical as Minister for Defence Materiel, Jason Clare has returned to the portfolio having had it added to his existing responsibilities of Minister for Home Affairs and Justice in the latest cabinet shuffle by Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
The change caught many off guard after rumours circulated all week that Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith, would take over the Foreign Affairs role vacated by Kevin Rudd before his leadership challenge.
This however did not eventuate and Smith will continue on as Minister for Defence.
During the press conference Prime Minister Gillard said that Smith had been doing a good job in the Defence portfolio and she wanted him to continue doing that especially with the involvement of Australian troops in the war in Afghanistan drawing to an end and that he had a lot of work in front of him in that portfolio.
"There are major decisions that need to be made in coming months," she said.
Senator Kim Carr, whose role as Defence Materiel Minister could be one of the shortest in Australian history, will now take on the role of Minster for Human Services after he lost the manufacturing portfolio in the reshuffle.