In unveiling her first cabinet, the message of Victoria’s new premier, Jacinta Allan, was clear: I am not my predecessor.
Much has been made of Allan’s close bond to Daniel Andrews, with the duo having shared the same socialist left faction and moved up the ranks of the Bracks and Brumby governments together, as well as having worked alongside one another as leader and deputy.
But while she has committed to following through with the promises Andrews took to the November state election, Allan has pledged a “very different style” of leadership since she became premier last week.
This has been borne out in Monday’s cabinet reshuffle. Instead of tinkering around the edges of Andrews’ cabinet, which was unveiled less than a year ago, Allan has made some significant changes she says reflect her government’s priorities.
“The things that Victorians supported last November will continue to be the priority for the government,” she told reporters outside Government House.
“But we are also signalling today those important areas of housing, children [and] strong economic growth will be features of the government going forward.”
Under the changes, responsibility for housing – which Allan dubbed the “number one issue for Victorians across the state” – has essentially been carved up between four ministers.
Harriet Shing will become the minister for housing, overseeing the redevelopment Melbourne’s 44 high-rise public housing towers, as announced a fortnight ago. She replaces Colin Brooks, who becomes minister for precincts and Development Victoria, which will involve working with the private sector to help deliver the government’s target of 800,000 new homes in the next decade.
Allan said Brooks was not being demoted but that the splitting of responsibilities reflected “the size of the task at hand”. One of his priorities will be managing the development of Fishermans Bend, which was was controversially rezoned by the Coalition a decade ago and is now being looked at by the state’s auditor general.
The planning minister, Sonya Kilkenny, was handed a new suburbs portfolio, while Gabrielle Williams, will become minister for consumer affairs, handling the government’s latest round of rental reforms. She also takes on public and “active” transport, which Allan said will include a focus on making it easier to get around new developments.
Lizzie Blandthorn’s child protection portfolio was also expanded to “minister for children”, and will take in early childhood education reforms.
The treasurer, Tim Pallas, has retained treasury ahead of his 10th budget next year. He also takes on the new position of minister for economic growth, though with rumours already circling about his own departure, it remains to be seen if this will be enough to keep him in parliament. Allan handed her transport infrastructure portfolio to Danny Pearson, who has the financial background likely needed to tackle cost overruns and delays.
The deputy premier, Ben Carroll, has become minister for education and medical research. Carroll, from the party’s right faction, last week threatened to challenge Allan for Labor leader. As is tradition, he has chosen his portfolios, likely in an effort to show off more of his personality and social policy chops. Cue plenty of happy snaps with school children.
Two controversial decisions – on whether Victoria will ban duck hunting and open a second safe injecting room in the CBD – have also been handed to new ministers, though it is worth noting they remain with the left of the party.
The consensus is that the reshuffle, while more significant than many had expected, is not controversial. Labor figures on both sides welcomed that many key portfolios – including health, justice and emergency services – were unchanged. It remains to be seen whether it will be enough to keep the factional tension at bay.
“It has to be coupled with a more collaborative approach to cabinet from the new premier,” one right-aligned MP told Guardian Australia.
In response to the government’s cabinet shakeup, the opposition leader, John Pesutto, unveiled his own “refreshed” shadow ministry, which includes the return of former leader Matthew Guy to the Coalition frontbench as shadow public transport minister..
At Monday’s press conference, Pesutto repeatedly referred to Andrews and described the new leadership as the “same, tired, old, incompetent Labor government”.
Time will tell if this is true. But there’s no denying when parliament resumes on Tuesday, with a woman in the leader’s chair for the first time in decades, it will at least look very different.
