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Daily Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Telegraph
17 new Labor MPs prepare to enter Canberra next month. Here's who stood out
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News. As parliament prepares to return at the end of July, 17 enthusiastic new MPs will arrive in Canberra as the face of Labor's historic 94-seat victory at the federal election. The party is energised with the batch of new, younger talent with the hope of future prime ministers sitting among them. But Labor MPs recognise the influx of new blood comes with its own challenges: barefaced ambition that will demand the old guard move over and make room. 'We have won 94 seats, all roads lead to the Labor Party at this time,' one Labor MP said. 'But that has its own difficulties, they are all ambitious and want to have a go.' That ambition has already started bubbling away and was palpable when, just days on from Labor's historic win, long-term Labor figures Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and Industry Minister Ed Husic were dumped to make room for Sam Rae, elected in 2022, and Daniel Mulino, elected in 2019. 'I think it's time for that … when you look at the front bench, many of them have been there for a long time,' the MP adds. Sam Rae. Picture: Newswire/Nicki Connolly Dr Daniel Mulino. Picture: David Clark Already party insiders are singling out members of the class of 2025 as those with cabinet minister – or even treasurer and prime ministerial – potential over those who would be excellent local MPs but have a 'ceiling'. Among the names that did stand out was former Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White, who retained the seat of Lyons after sitting Labor MP Brian Mitchell retired. White, a seasoned political operative who led the Tasmanian Labor Party from 2017 to 2024, was described by multiple sources as the likely future successor for Agriculture Minister Julie Collins. Collins also hails from Tasmania. Rebecca White, a seasoned political operative, stands out among the ALP's ministerial hopefuls. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones 'Given where we have come from in Tasmania, she would be well placed to be the lead Labor person out of Tasmania in the longer term,' another Labor MP said of White. 'I assume she will take over from Julie in the longer term.' The source points out that the party has had 'good people' from the island state but 'not people who are on the trajectory to become cabinet ministers' besides Collins. Confidence in White is high, with the MP predicting 'out of that group that got in 2025, she'd be the first to make cabinet.' A second source agreed Ms White was being primed as a future minister and that was evident in Anthony Albanese's decision to award her an assistant ministry in health and aged care, Indigenous health and women. Multiple Labor sources said Matt Smith had charisma that helped him stand out. Picture: Elodie Jakes The other name repeatedly raised was Leichhardt MP and former professional basketballer Matt Smith, who multiple sources said had charisma that helped him stand out. 'Matt Smith seems really great – he is a real potential minister,' one Labor MP said of the candidate who won the Queensland seat off retiring Liberal Warren Entsch. Queensland emerged as the state with the most promising talent, with eight new MPs, including Renee Coffey, Kara Cook and Julie-Ann Campbell. Cook had been Labor's only female Brisbane councillor and the party's deputy leader before winning the federal seat of Bonner. 'Kara is not new to politics so she'll start a little bit ahead of others,' one of her parliamentary colleagues said. Campbell would be a future Labor minister straight from central casting with her trade unionist and Queensland Labor Secretary history. 'Julie-Ann has had institutional experience, which does lead to you getting a pretty good sense of how everything works and managing large organisations,' a Labor colleague said. Potential stars, clockwise from top left, Renee Coffey, Kara Cook, Julie-Ann Campbell and Ali France. Unlike the other names, Coffey's CV is heavier on real-world experience as the chief executive of a mental health charity, but colleagues credit her with ministerial potential after she won the seat of Griffith from popular Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather. The same MP said: 'Her result was not an accident She is very, very smart.' A senior Labor source agreed the three MPs were standouts describing Campbell as a 'strong political campaigner' whose links to the Chinese community as a Chinese-Australia would help Labor's standing with multicultural voters. The source also pointed out Ali France, who has already made history by toppling Peter Dutton, as an 'obvious' standout. 'Ali France's dad was an MP so there are some strong political roots and smarts there. I would definitely rate her as a future minister,' they said. Victorian MP Gabriel Ng, who took Menzies from rising Liberal star Keith Wolahan in one of the biggest election shocks, was given an honourable mention as a strong performer. But the 2025 batch of minister hopefuls will have to wait their turn with class of 2022 MP Andrew Charlton and Mulino both being groomed for future leadership potential. Mulino is considered whip-smart, with a solid economic background and years behind him as a state MP, and has recently been elevated to assistant treasurer. One source predicted his next role will not be treasurer but he's certainly on the trajectory. Gabriel Ng. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman Andrew Charlton. Picture: Supplied Charlton, who has been elevated to the role of cabinet secretary after just one term, has been given front-row access to seeing how leadership works. 'Charlton is a Rhodes scholar. He's one of the smartest people in the building and he's also really likeable,' a Labor MP said of the Parramatta MP and Kevin Rudd staffer. The new role exposes him to how the expenditure review committee works and how ministers fight it out for cash – compulsory learning for any ministerial aspirant. Do you have a story for The Telegraph? Message 0481 056 618 or email tips@
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Crop of new office-holders largest since 2001; reshuffle provides for minority succession in Cabinet
SINGAPORE – In 2001, seven new MPs took political office in a fresh injection of talent by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. Among them were high-fliers in their 40s from the public and private sectors, such as now President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and the outgoing Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen. Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Mr Raymond Lim and Mr Cedric Foo rounded out the group – all but two of whom would go on to hold positions in Cabinet. Their youth, career success and immediate appointment to office led this group to be dubbed the 'Super Seven'. In 2025, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has done something similar – putting seven newly elected MPs in office in a Cabinet reshuffle on May 21. Two will be acting ministers: Former permanent secretary Jeffrey Siow, 46, will take the transport portfolio, while former army chief David Neo, 47, will join the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. They will concurrently be senior ministers of state. Three others will be ministers of state: Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, 50, Ms Jasmin Lau, 41, and Mr Goh Pei Ming, 43. Another two will be senior parliamentary secretaries: Ms Goh Hanyan, 39, and Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, 39. PM Wong also solidified his fourth-generation (4G) team, appointing four senior leaders instead of the traditional two deputies, and increasing the total number of political office-holders to 40 from 37. The year 2025 saw the largest number of new MPs appointed to political office following an election since 2001. In comparison, six new MPs became political office-holders in 2020 and five each in 2015, 2011 and 2006. Before 2001, the numbers were lower – two new MPs took office in 1997 and three in 1991. Former PAP MP Inderjit Singh said: 'In 2001, it was almost the same thing, the PM was preparing for the 3G team to take over, and hence a bumper crop of MPs who became office-holders immediately.' PM Wong's two priorities in the reshuffle are to complete his 4G team and to begin planning for the next generation, Mr Singh added. Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan said the changes also indicate that PM Wong has assessed this batch to be a strong one and is 'taking advantage to appoint a bumper crop of new office-holders'. They have generally come in at high ranks – there are two acting ministers and no parliamentary secretaries this round. This could be due to the runway of political office shortening, said Associate Professor Tan. He added: 'None of the Super Seven, which included Khaw Boon Wan, Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Vivian Balakrishnan, was made full minister right away.' But this does not mean the current crop compares poorly with their predecessors 25 years ago, he said. He added: 'Rather, it is more a reflection of political realities today.' It is harder to recruit individuals into politics, so the time taken for a rookie MP to become a minister has shortened, said Prof Tan. This also means there may be more 'churn', meaning more office-holders could serve shorter terms or return to the backbench after a few terms, Prof Tan said. He said: 'This is not necessarily bad. Our system of top leadership should be receptive to MPs who may wish to serve a short term in government.' This may avoid stasis, reduce the possibility of groupthink and make the highest ranks of government more accessible if there is no expectation to stay in office for decades, he said. Institute of Policy Studies senior research fellow Gillian Koh said putting younger leaders into government now will also give them time to prove themselves, as did generations before them. She said: 'This marks the changing of the guard, even if there are still some key 3G leaders to provide continuity and links to the external environment to put Singapore on the strongest footing possible in this era of radical uncertainty and change.' The addition of two backbenchers to the pool of office-holders along with the seven newly elected MPs ensured that the proportion of women, Malays and Indians all stayed about the same. Malay and Indian office-holders each make up about 15 per cent of the 40 office-holders, with six representatives each. This is about the same as the national average, or above it. This proportion is maintained with two Malay newcomers – Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, 44, and Dr Syed Harun – who fill a gap left by the outgoing Dr Maliki Osman, who is Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and of Education. Mr Zhulkarnain will be Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Social and Family Development, while Dr Syed Harun will be Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and National Development. There is one Indian newcomer – Mr Dinesh, who will be Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Manpower. Political observers said there is space for more, but do not expect these proportions to increase significantly. Mr Singh said it is a matter of who the PAP can attract, citing past examples like the 2020 Cabinet in which five ministers were of Indian heritage. 'I don't think it is a deliberate plan to keep the numbers at 15 per cent,' he said. Prof Tan said that apart from ensuring minority representation, it is equally important to bring in individuals to fill leadership gaps. The latest Cabinet reshuffle hence facilitates a changeover of leadership for Malay/Muslim leaders. Dr Maliki's retirement and the need for a refresh resulted in the promotion of Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim to Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs. He takes over from Mr Masagos Zulkifli, who held the role for seven years. Among the Indian office-holders, newcomer Mr Dinesh had previously told The Straits Times that he was keen to advocate minority issues, including integration within his community. The reshuffle looks to ensure that the pipeline for ethnic representation remains steady. Dr Koh said minority office-holders are not just being tapped for issues to do with race, but also as national leaders more generally. 'Over time, there is the option of raising them further up the ladder, but it has to start now. They need to grow into their roles, stakeholders of policy and government have to feel that they are good at working the ground as they become effective policymakers,' she said. Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, senior international affairs analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore, said the changes reflect that PM Wong sees the integration of the twin values of progressive meritocracy and inclusive diversity as essential for a high-functioning Cabinet to serve the interests and meet the aspirations of Singaporeans. There are two new female office-holders – Ms Lau and Ms Goh – while Dr Amy Khor retired as a senior minister of state. This brings the number of women to a quarter of the overall pool. It is an increase from the days of just one or two women holding political office, as was the case in the 1990s. Over the decades, the proportion of women has slowly crept up to 25 per cent. Singapore hit this figure in 2015, and it has since stayed steady. There is still room to grow, as women are about half the population in Singapore, said political observers. This is more stark in the Cabinet, where only three of the 18 ministers are women. Neither of the existing senior ministers of state – Ms Sim Ann and Ms Low Yen Ling – made full minister. Ms Sun Xueling, who will be a senior minister of state, was the only woman promoted among the existing political office-holders. The entrance of Ms Lau and Ms Goh lays a pipeline to ensure that female representation in the Government is maintained, even as the PAP continues to try to attract more women. Dr Koh said improving gender diversity in the Government is not necessarily to address issues specific to women, but a way to tap all intelligence available. But Mr Singh said it remains a challenge for the PAP to attract more women into Parliament. 'I am sure they would have liked more women as office-holders and MPs,' he said. Prof Tan said he anticipates that there will be an increase in the number of female office-holders in years to come. 'It is really a question of when rather than whether,' he said. But where 'double minorities' are concerned, it remains an uphill climb to bring them into office. In the latest line-up, there were no new Indian or Malay women appointed to political office. 'The pipeline can be improved in these aspects. The big question is how,' Prof Tan said. Goh Yan Han is political correspondent at The Straits Times. She writes Unpacked, a weekly newsletter on Singapore politics and policy. Ng Wei Kai is a journalist at The Straits Times, where he covers politics. He writes Unpacked, a weekly newsletter on Singapore politics and policy. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
