Prime Minister Julia Gillard has given a bigger workload to some of her loyal supporters - including two regional MPs - in her latest ministerial reshuffle and promoted prominent Rudd-backer Anthony Albanese.

Ms Gillard also elevated a group of lesser known MPs to important cabinet and ministerial positions.

Despite being outed as a member of Kevin Rudd's inner circle, Leader of the House Mr Albanese has been promoted and takes on Simon Crean's old portfolios of regional development and local government. Mr Albanese will add these responsibilities to his existing role as Transport and Infrastructure Minister.

Ballarat MP Catherine King has been promoted to Minister for Regional Services and will take on the portfolio of Regional Services, Local Communities and Territories, as well as becoming Minister for Road Safety.

Speaking to The Ballarat Courier after the announcement, Ms King said her experience in regional development policy would stand her in good stead for the expanded role.

She nominated the different economic conditions across regional Australia as a big issue. 

"Some are booming, others are in transition and have different needs," she said.

Infrastructure is key for regional development, said Ms Key, as well as community leadership. 

Cunningham MP Sharon Bird, based in the NSW city of Wollongong, will become a junior minister, taking on the role of Minister for Higher Education and Skills. She will join South Australian Senator Don Farrell in supporting new Minister for Tertiary Education Chris Bowen.

"They [Key and Bird] are both proven parliamentary secretaries and are ready to take on these new responsibilities,'' Ms Gillard said.

VIDEO: Julia Gillard announces her new front bench.

The appointments come in the wake of the purge of eight supporters of Kevin Rudd after the failed leadership coup last week.

Ms Gillard, who announced the new positions in Canberra on Monday, was scathing about last week's failed coup.

''While purpose was driven us on, unity has eluded us,'' she said. ''That unity spectacularly eluded us last week. Like Australians around the nation . . . I was appalled by the events of last week.''

''It was an unseemly display. But out of that has come clarity.''

On her support for Mr Albanese after other Rudd backers had resigned, she said he had provided a public explanation of his position in regard to his support for Kevin Rudd.

''I have always been able to work with Minister Albanese well,'' Ms Gillard said.

''He has been very central to the life of this government and I believe he will serve very well and with a very strong sense of loyalty into the future.''

Joining Ms Gillard's cabinet will be Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare and West Australian MP Gary Gray.

Mr Clare will keep his current portfolio while Mr Gray will replace Martin Ferguson as Resources Minister and Minister for Tourism.

He will also take over part of Chris Bowen's old job as Minister for Small Business. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus will take over Mr Gray's former job as Special Minister for State and Minister for the Public Service and Integrity.

Ms Gillard promoted several of her most loyal supporters, including South Australian factional powerbroker Don Farrell as Minister for Science and Research and Sharon Bird as Minister for Higher Education and Skills.

Victorian MP Catherine King is the new Minister for Regional Services, Local Communities and Territories and Minister for Road Safety.

Queensland Senator Jan McLucas replaces Kim Carr as the Minister for Human Services.

ACT MP and economist Andrew Leigh will be Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and NSW Senator Matt Thistlethwaite replaces Richard Marles as Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs.

South Australian MP Amanda Rishworth, becomes Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water. She will also be Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers.

Queensland MP Shayne Neumann MP, who ran a law firm before his parliamentary career, will be Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney-General and Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing.

Other ministers will have bigger workloads.

Environment Minister Tony Burke adds Simon Crean's arts responsbilities to his existing environment portfolio. Victorian MP Michael Danby has been promoted to be Mr Burke's parliamentary secretary.

Trade Minister Craig Emerson will add Chris Bowen's porfolio of Tertiary Education to his current responsibilties.

As part of the changes, the Department of Climate Change will be merged with the Industry Department and will become the Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.

As such, Greg Combet is now the Minister for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation and his Parliamentary Secretary, Yvette D'Ath will also have a revised title.

Mr Gillard said it was clear that she had the ''confidence of my colleagues to lead the Labor Party and to remain as Prime Minister''.

''It is also clear that Kevin Rudd has appropriately acknowledged he will never lead the Labor Party again,'' she said.

''In these circumstances, the leadership contest that has been within the Labor party is over.''

The opposition pre-empted Ms Gillard's announcement, criticising her new ministry half an hour before it was revealed.

Speaking to reporters in Sydney before Ms Gillard's press conference, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said Ms Gillard would be working with an ''L-plate cabinet'' in the lead-up to the federal budget.

Meanwhile, on Sunday Greens leader Christine Milne criticised Mr Gray's expected promotion because of his former role as a senior executive at the oil and gas company Woodside Energy from 2001-2007.

Senator Milne said that ''we need a renewable energy enthusiast in the portfolio, not someone with close ties to the fossil fuel sector''.

And on Monday morning, Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop told Sky News that Mr Gray's looming appointment as Resources Minister would be ''untenable'' if he continued to support Labor's carbon and mining taxes.