The Federal Coalition’s shadow financial services line-up includes some familiar faces and the not-so-familiar features of a former ladies’ college gardener from Perth.

Mathias Cormann will become the Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation. Born in Belgium, Senator Cormann migrated to Perth in 1994 and got involved as a Liberal Party volunteer two years later. He has been a chief of staff to former WA Premier Richard Court and held several senior positions in health insurance.

His previous shadow portfolios covered health administration and employment participation, apprenticeships and training.

Heading the Federal Opposition’s treasury line-up is Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey, who as Minister for Financial Services and Regulation in the Howard Government was responsible for the introduction of the Financial Services Reform Act 2001.

Andrew Robb takes the role of Shadow Minister for Finance, Deregulation and Debt Reduction and is also the chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee. A former Minister for Vocational and Technical Education in the Howard government, he was first elected for Goldstein, Victoria in 2004.

Corporate law and competition and consumer policy is now the responsibility of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer David Bradbury, the MP for the western Sydney seat of Lindsay.