On Monday 3 December 2007, at Government House, Canberra, Their Excellencies the Governor-General Ma...

On Monday 3 December 2007, at Government House, Canberra, Their Excellencies the Governor-General Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC and Mrs Marlena Jeffery received the Prime Minister-designate, Mr Kevin Rudd MP and Ms Therese Rein. The Governor-General administered the Oath of Office as Prime Minister of Australia and the Executive Councillor's Oath to Mr Rudd and the Executive Councillor's Affirmation to Ms Julia Gillard. Afterwards, the Governor-General presided at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council and later signed the instruments abolishing, establishing and re-naming Departments of State. Later the Governor-General signed instruments of appointment of Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries to their respective new offices.

Later, the Governor-General and Mrs Jeffery attended a ceremony at which the Governor-General issued the Oaths and Affirmations of Office and Executive Councillor Oaths and Affirmations to the newly appointed Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries: the Honourable Julia Gillard MP, Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, and Minister for Social Inclusion; the Honourable Wayne Swan MP, Treasurer; Senator the Honourable Christopher Evans, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship; Senator the Honourable John Faulkner, Special Minister of State and Cabinet Secretary; the Honourable Simon Crean MP, Minister for Trade; the Honourable Stephen Smith MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs; the Honourable Joel Fitzgibbon MP, Minister for Defence; the Honourable Nicola Roxon MP, Minister for Health and Ageing; the Honourable Jennifer Macklin MP, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs; the Honourable Lindsay Tanner MP, Minister for Finance and Deregulation; the Honourable Anthony Albanese MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government; Senator the Honourable Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy; Senator the Honourable Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research; Senator the Honourable Penelope Wong, Minister for Climate Change and Water; the Honourable Peter Garrett AM MP, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts; the Honourable Robert McClelland MP, Attorney-General; Senator the Honourable Joseph Ludwig, Minister for Human Services; the Honourable Anthony Burke MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; the Honourable Martin Ferguson AM MP, Minister for Resources and Energy, and Minister for Tourism; the Honourable Robert Debus MP, Minister for Home Affairs; the Honourable Christopher Bowen MP, Assistant Treasurer, and Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs; the Honourable Alan Griffin MP, Minister for Veterans' Affairs; the Honourable Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for Housing, and Minister for the Status of Women; the Honourable Brendan O'Connor MP, Minister for Employment Participation; the Honourable Warren Snowdon MP, Minister for Defence Science and Personnel; the Honourable Dr Craig Emerson MP, Minister for Small Business, Independent Contractors and the Service Economy; Senator the Honourable Nicholas Sherry, Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law; the Honourable Maria Elliot MP, Minister for Ageing; the Honourable Katherine Ellis MP, Minister for Youth, and Minister for Sport; the Honourable Maxine McKew MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Childcare; the Honourable Gregory Combet AM MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement; the Honourable Dr Michael Kelly AM MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence; the Honourable Gary Gray AO MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Northern Australia; the Honourable William Shorten MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services; the Honourable Robert McMullan MP, Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance; the Honourable Duncan Kerr SC MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs; the Honourable Anthony Byrne MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister; Senator the Honourable Ursula Stephens, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector; the Honourable John Murphy MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Trade; Senator the Honourable Jan McLucas, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing; the Honourable Laurie Ferguson MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services. In the afternoon, the Governor-General received the Australian Ambassador-designate to The United Mexican States, Ms Katrina Cooper. In the evening, Their Excellencies hosted to dinner the Selection Committee and Candidates for the 2008 Australia-at-Large Rhodes Scholarships: Chair of the Selection Committee, Professor Graham Hutchinson; Mr??Tom Arnott; Dr Carlo Bellini; Professor Ian Chubb AC; Mr Michael Costello AO; Mr??Daniel Guinness; Air Vice Marshal Colin Hingston, AM (Ret'd); Ms Karen Holt; Ms Elizabeth Millar; Mr Robert Mullins; Mr Daniel Pascoe; Mr??Andrew Podger AO; Ms Kate Robson; Ms Claire Simmonds; Ms Kate Vinot; Professor John Watson; and Ms Phoebe Williams. Earlier, at the University of Canberra, ACT, Mrs Jeffery delivered the address at the Canberra Lakes Ladies Probus Club Christmas Lunch.