Last week's political upheaval has seen new PM Scott Morrison conduct a reshuffle of Defence ministerial portfolios.
Senator Marise Payne, formerly Minister for Defence, takes on a new role as Minister for Foreign Affairs at the recommendation of her predecessor Julie Bishop, who has moved to the backbench and is reportedly considering retiring from politics.
Minister Christopher Pyne, formerly Minister for Defence Industry, replaces Senator Payne as Minister for Defence, and is himself replaced by former Minister for Trade Steve Ciobo.
"I am very pleased to be asked by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to serve as Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs," Minister Payne said.
"I look forward to continuing to advance Australia’s interests around the world, following the outstanding work of my friend and colleague Julie Bishop. As Minister for Defence, I worked closely with Minister Bishop as we increased our international defence engagement and could not have asked for a more supportive Foreign Minister and loyal friend.
"It has been an honour and privilege to serve as our nation’s Minister for Defence for the past three years. Without doubt, the most significant and rewarding part of my time as Defence Minister has been meeting the men and women of the ADF."
In a statement, Minister Pyne paid tribute to former PM Malcolm Turnbull.
"It’s been a privilege to assist [Turnbull] in transforming our strategic industrial base and our national security through our commitment to the largest build up of our military capability since World War 2," Minister Pyne said.
"Malcolm is a mentor, an inspiration and a friend. Australia is stronger and richer for his service and dedication.
"I thank Malcolm for the opportunity to serve alongside him in his government. This has been the most rewarding part of my 25 year political career so far."
Minister Ciobo highlighted previous work with Minister Pyne and looked forward to advancing the same agenda.
"Last year I worked closely with Chrisopher Pyne to develop the Defence Export Strategy," Minister Ciobo said. "I look forward to continuing Minister Pyne's work to build an Australian defence industry that advances the Australian economy."
The ministerial reshuffle results from a week of political turmoil in Canberra after Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton took a stab at becoming PM last Tuesday, which fatally destabilised the Turnbull government. Dutton tried again later in the week but lost to Scott Morrison.
Reports indicated that the spill aimed to improve the Coalition's electoral performance following a series of by-election losses last month.
The first Newspoll since the spill puts Labor 12 points ahead on the two-party-preferred measure, compared with two points prior to the spill. Morrison has seen an 11-point drop from Malcolm Turnbull’s last result as preferred PM, with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten now the preferred PM for the first time since February 2015.