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Australian cabinet faces reshuffle amid poor rating

Xinhua, September 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

Australian government ministers on Friday played down rumors of a front bench reshuffle, which had been hinted as a solution to the prime minister's poor approval rating.

As a federal election looms in 2016, talk of a cabinet refresh has been floated as a solution to the lack of public support for the government, with local media reporting Prime Minister Tony Abbott is planning to ax up to six prominent ministers.

However, Education Minister Christopher Pyne has told colleagues to stay focused, telling the Nine Network that he and his fellow ministers must "get on with our jobs".

"At the end of the day the prime minister chooses who is in his cabinet and his ministry. All the people you have mentioned are good men doing a good job and the government is getting on with the job," Pyne said on Friday.

High-profile ministers reported to be in the firing line include Treasurer Joe Hockey and Defence Minister Kevin Andrews, who on Wednesday jointly-announced that Australia would begin conducting air strikes against Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

Other ministers with question marks hanging over their jobs include Howard-era stalwarts Eric Abetz and Ian Macfarlane. Trade Minister Andrew Robb, who helped negotiate the China-Australia free trade agreement (ChAFTA) has also been named.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the make-up of the government's front bench was entirely up to Abbott.

"In the end we inherited a very difficult task economically from Labor, Liberal governments always have to clean up Labor's messes, we have had tough decisions to make as a government over the course of the last two years," Dutton told ABC radio on Friday.

"In terms of the composition of the front bench for the foreseeable future, that is always an issue in the domain of the prime minister."

The reshuffle could also occur to quell internal talks of a leadership challenge against the prime minister, rumors had surfaced that a potential spill could occur before the end of the year. Endi