UPDATE: FEDERAL Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has unveiled his new front bench with Barnaby Joyce, Tony Smith and Scott Morrison all promoted to key portfolios.

Senator Joyce will be the new Opposition finance spokesman, replacing Helen Coonan who announced earlier in the week that she was returning to the back bench.

Mr Smith will replace Liberal Senate leader Nick Minchin as Opposition communications spokesman while Mr Morrison has been installed as immigration spokesman in favour of Sharman Stone.

Senator Minchin, the Liberal powerbroker who was key to last week's leadership spill, was given the resources and energy porfolio, while Joe Hockey, who was defeated in last week's leadership ballot, retains the shadow treasurer's role.

The three new frontbench faces will be key to the Opposition's strategy with Mr Abbott pointing to the Government's economic management, the national broadband network plan and its border protection regime as policy failings.

Ian Macfarlane, the Opposition's chief negotiator in a deal with the Government on the emissions trading scheme legislation, has been given responsibility for infrastructure and water.

Mr Abbott said he had put together a "campaign team" that was well balanced and would focus on criticising the Government.

Greg Hunt, previously responsible for the environment and water, is now the Opposition's climate action spokesman.

"I think he is very well placed to be our lead man in this area,'' Mr Abbott said.

But Mr Abbott said he was sceptical that any concrete measure would be achieved at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen because the record of such international conferences was "not great''.

"We certainly know that there will be an enormous amount of talking, there will be an enormous amount of good intentions, there'll be an enormous amount of rhetoric."