Cabinet Member

"The Minister of Health will be Braiford Dillman," Arthur continued his announcement.

This was a name that seemed unfamiliar; he wasn't a government official or a seasoned politician, but rather a commoner from an ordinary family.

The reason he was elected Minister of Health was simple: he was one of the rare graduates from a renowned European medical school and a well-known doctor in New South Wales.

Among Australia's population of over three million, more than half were gold prospectors drawn by the allure of gold and the gold rush, with less than a third being talents attracted by the various colonies.

In such an environment, it was hardly surprising that someone like Braiford Dillman, possessing a high level of expertise in a specific field, would be given significant responsibility.

"The Minister of Education will be Richard Noble Chapman," Arthur continued his announcement.

Richard Noble Chapman was the Governor of Tasmania and had the least influence among the six governors.

Compared to other states, Tasmania, with a population of just over seventy thousand, lacked competitiveness. Even though Arthur had been quite considerate in allocating Lower House seats to Tasmania, they only received seven seats.

However, Richard Noble Chapman excelled in one area. Knowing that direct economic competition with other colonies was impossible, he made a sound decision: to establish schools and develop education.

Coupled with the natural advantage of a small population, Tasmania achieved a remarkable literacy rate of eighty percent, with seventy percent of the population having completed primary school, making it the state with the best educational conditions among the six Australian states.

His appointment as Minister of Education was a testament to the parliamentarians' recognition of his ability and experience in developing education.

Soon, Arthur announced the complete list of Cabinet members.

The Minister of Public Security would be Thomas Czech, the former Governor of South Australia. His election was due to his personal reputation and advantages, requiring no further explanation.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs would be Andrew King Porter, the Governor of Queensland. Like Governor Thomas Czech, this required no further explanation.

The Minister of Welfare would be Walter Bligh, the Governor of Victoria. Walter Bligh had developed welfare in Victoria quite well and enjoyed a good reputation throughout Australia; his election as Minister of Welfare was only natural.

The positions of Minister of Defense and Finance would be filled by Kent Clafford Lauren and Roger Joseph Ebert, respectively.

Kent Clafford Lauren was the son of Butler Hunter and a graduate of the British Military Academy.

Arthur felt completely at ease with him serving as Minister of Defense.

As for Roger Joseph Ebert, he was a talent left to Arthur by Duke Arthur. Roger and Butler Hunter were responsible for managing all of Duke Arthur's assets, with Roger overseeing the factories and Butler Hunter managing the castles.

Roger was undoubtedly instrumental in the development of the factories left by Duke Arthur to their current scale.

Both men had followed Arthur to Australia from the very beginning and had immediately changed their nationality to Australian, which allowed them to participate in the Lower House elections and achieve success.

The most crucial position, Prime Minister, was awarded to Governor Evan.

Governor Evan held the most influence among the original colonial factions in Australia and was the leader among the governors.

Appointing him to the most important position in the Cabinet Government would not only satisfy the original colonial powers but also stabilize the situation in Australia.

Of course, Arthur also benefited from this arrangement and gained the favor of several governors.

After all, Arthur had significantly reduced the powers of the Cabinet Government from the outset, and the Prime Minister's authority was greatly diminished.

The current Cabinet Government only possessed executive power and was subject to the supervision of the Upper House and Arthur.

The most powerful departments within the Cabinet Government, Finance and Defense, were also controlled by Arthur. Under these circumstances, whoever held the position of Prime Minister would not be able to pose a sufficient challenge to Arthur. The Cabinet Government was merely a tool for Arthur to indirectly rule Australia.

"Alright, these are all the members of the Cabinet Government. Let us congratulate them on their election and the formal establishment of the Cabinet!" Arthur said with a smile after announcing all the names.

Clap clap!

Instantly, the conference room erupted in warm applause, and those who had been successfully elected showed smiles of joy and excitement.

The Australian Cabinet differed from other monarchical cabinets. Taking the Cabinet Government of the British Empire as an example, typically, after the Prime Minister was elected, they would personally form the entire cabinet.

This meant that the selection of cabinet members was at the discretion of the Prime Minister. Although the tenure of these cabinet members generally coincided with that of the Prime Minister, such a cabinet had a clear advantage: all cabinet members were united under the Prime Minister's leadership, allowing the government to function more effectively.

But Australia did not require this. All cabinet members were elected by the Lower House, not appointed by the Prime Minister.

The benefit of this approach was a significant dispersion of cabinet unity, transforming the cabinet into Arthur's tool of rule rather than a power body comparable to Arthur's.

"Upon becoming a member of the Cabinet, all other positions should be automatically relinquished. Those of you holding other positions should submit your resignation letters to your original institutions within one week. The governors of each state will temporarily retain their positions. Once the State Assemblies hold elections to decide on new governors, you will automatically lose your gubernatorial positions," Arthur said with a smile.

The positions in the Cabinet Government were certainly superior to all other roles, and Arthur would not permit officials to simultaneously hold important cabinet positions and significant state-level roles.

This would lead to divided attention, preventing them from effectively fulfilling their duties. Secondly, it would grant individuals excessive power, which, while not posing a threat to Arthur's authority, could easily lead to the formation of political factions and the creation of trouble.

"Yes."

The governors of each state were actually well-prepared. Compared to the powerful cabinet members, the position of Governor, while seemingly holding great power, was in reality subject to regulation by Arthur, the government, both houses of parliament, and even the state assemblies, with their actual authority repeatedly curtailed.

Under these circumstances, it was clear to anyone with foresight which position to choose and which less important position to forgo, making the decision not too regrettable.

"Alright, this concludes the Lower House meeting. The government's election has come to an end. The immediate task for all members of parliament is to conduct an in-depth investigation into the current state of Australia and to fill the legal gaps in the Australian Constitution," Arthur said with a smile. "All cabinet members will assume their duties starting this afternoon. Your primary task is to familiarize yourselves with your respective departments and related matters. We will convene a cabinet meeting in one week."