Julie Bishop was officially sworn in as the new Minister for Education, Science and Training on 27^th January 2006. She replaces Dr Brendan John Nelson who has been appointed as Minister for Defence in a large Cabinet reshuffle announced by Prime Minister John Howard earlier this year.

Prior to the appointment, Ms Bishop was the Minister for Ageing. Under her new position, she will be in charge of a department with a budget of 19.2 billion Australian dollars. She has been a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives since October 1998, representing the Division of Curtin, Western Australia. Educated at the University of Adelaide and the Harvard Business School, she was a barrister, solicitor and a businesswoman in Perth before entering politics.

The Australian Vice Chancellors Committee (AVCC) welcomed the appointment, with Ms Bishop set to work closely with University leaders to follow up proposals taken by her predecessor.