Albanese to 'slow the pace' as factions jostle over cabinet reshuffle
Anthony Albanese is likely to summon the new and expanded Labor Caucus to Canberra later this week or early next week and is in no rush to finalise a cabinet reshuffle that could see the elevation of new ministers.
The PM has returned to Parliament House with a handful of senior ministers, but a meeting of the wider group, which could exceed 120, will wait until 15 Labor candidates locked in tight House or Senate races learn their fates.
"We're going to try and slow the pace a little bit over coming days, [but] I will consult with colleagues about forming a frontbench down the track," he told reporters.
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Ministerial aspirants are jostling to fill the cabinet positions vacated by the departures of Bill Shorten and Stephen Jones.
Mr Jones's assistant treasurer role, a valuable prize given it is a cabinet-level economic portfolio, is up for grabs, and it is expected that the NDIS portfolio, which has been held by Amanda Rishworth since Mr Shorten's departure, will again become a standalone role.
Mr Albanese declined to speculate on the scope of the reshuffle or any other specifics, dismissing speculation that Tanya Plibersek could take the NDIS portfolio.
"The only person who knows is me … If you hear something, unless you hear it come out of my mouth, it's nonsense," he said, while adding he would "respect the Caucus" and canvas their views.
Continuity with change
The allocation of portfolios is a task for the PM, but the pool of ministers to choose from is not, with those names chosen by Labor's factions.
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The left faction selects its frontbenchers as a single nationwide pool and has a claim to at least one spot, given Mr Jones is from the left, though it is staking a claim for both.
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The right faction makes decisions at state level, putting the bitterly divided Victorian branch in the frame to replace Mr Shorten, with Sam Rae, Raff Ciccone and Peter Khalil among those believed to be interested, though Mr Khalil remains in a tight contest to retain his seat.
There has also been speculation about boosting the representation of Western Australians in the cabinet.
Elsewhere, rising star Andrew Charlton — seen by some as a potential future treasurer or leader — has been floated as a candidate for promotion, as have assistant ministers Ged Kearney and Patrick Gorman.
Flood of new faces
The Labor Caucus could have as many as 30 new members, depending on the result of a series of close counts.
Two-thirds of those will be women, taking the gender balance close to 60-40 overall.
It will also substantially boost its representation of young people, including Ashvini Ambihaipahar in Barton, Alice Jordan-Baird in Gorton, Matt Gregg in Deakin, Jess Teesdale in Bass, and possibly Rhiannyn Douglas in Longman.
Ms Douglas is one of several whose election remains too close to call, a list that also includes current MPs Josh Wilson in Fremantle, David Smith in Bean and Peter Khalil in Wills.
Peter Khalil faces a tight contest to retain his seat of Wills.
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ABC News: Darryl Torpy
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Mr Wilson is an assistant minister, while Mr Khalil is a special envoy, a lower level of responsibility that comes with one parliamentary staff member attached.
Julie Collins is the only cabinet minister whose seat is not yet fully clear, although her chances of seeing off an independent challenge from Peter George appear strong.
While new MPs would not ordinarily be promoted to the ministry, Ms Collins may face competition from experienced fellow Tasmanians Rebecca White, who led Labor at state level, and Anne Urquhart, who has moved into the lower house from the Senate.
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Several other seats remain close for Labor, including Gabriel Ng against Liberal MP Keith Wolahan in Menzies and Sarah Witty against Greens leader Adam Bandt in Melbourne, which neither side can confidently predict.
Labor is also ahead but not assured of the final Senate spot in three states, including Victoria, where Michelle Ananda-Rajah is eyeing off an unlikely extension to her parliamentary career after her seat of Higgins was abolished.
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