The Labor politicians in the front running for a promotion as Anthony Albanese reshuffles his cabinet
With ministers Linda Burney and Brendan O’Connor announcing they will not stand in the next federal election, two seats have become vacant on the Labor government’s frontbench.
Indigenous Australians Minister Burney and Skills Minister O’Connor are both stepping down with immediate effect, allowing Anthony Albanese to make his first reshuffle since Labor came to power in May 2022.
The Prime Minister will make the announcement on Sunday, but Malarndirri McCarthy and Murray Watt are likely to be the first to be promoted.
They will be joined by a third person, as Tasmanian Senator Carol Brown announced on Saturday that she would step down as assistant minister for transport and infrastructure.
Mrs Brown is stepping down for health reasons and will remain in parliament, but it will create an opening in the outer ministry.
More openings could be created by firing people, but the chances of this happening are very slim. The opposition could then claim that incompetent ministers are the cause of the government’s fall.
Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton will still try to back up that claim on Sunday, but Mr Albanese will not be handing him scalpels to prove it.
Instead, Home Secretary Clare O’Neil and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles, both targets of opposition mockery, could be redeployed to other positions.
Anthony Albanese (pictured at the NSW Labor conference with Jodie Haydon) is set to undertake his first reshuffle since Labor came to power in May 2022
When the Prime Minister announces his cabinet reshuffle on Sunday, MPs Malarndirri McCarthy (pictured) and Murray Watt are expected to be promoted
The opposition has been demanding the resignation of both since the Supreme Court ruling in the NZYQ case late last year, which led to the indefinite release of convicted criminal asylum seekers from detention because no other country would accept them.
Among those released were seven people who had committed murder or attempted murder, and 37 sex offenders, including child molesters.
Another 72 people were convicted of assault and violent crimes, including kidnapping and armed robbery, 16 people were convicted of domestic violence and stalking, and 13 people committed serious drug offences.
But despite repeated calls for Ms O’Neil and Mr Giles to be removed from their positions, Mr Albanese has not budged.
However, the resignations of Ms Burney and Mr O’Connor give him a way out: he can reshuffle the cards and push aside the ministers generally regarded as the least effective, rather than sacking them.
Ms McCarthy, who is Aboriginal, is a Northern Territory senator. Her promotion will be to take over from Ms Burney, who is also Aboriginal, as Minister for Indigenous Australians.
Although Ms McCarthy worked hard in last year’s failed Voice referendum, unlike Ms Burney, she was not seen by the public as a central figure in the campaign.
This will allow the government to put the humiliating defeat behind it and reshape its policies and goals for Indigenous Australians.
Mr Watt, who is currently Agriculture Minister, could be promoted to the Home Affairs portfolio, replacing Ms O’Neil.
Agriculture Minister Murray Watt could get a big promotion to Home Affairs
Another possibility is that Industrial Relations Minister Tony Burke could take over the Home Office role, with Mr Watt replacing him in industrial relations.
As the furniture is moved around, NSW Senator Jenny McAllister is expected to be promoted to the regional ministry, while Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy or Veterans Affairs Minister Matt Keogh could be promoted to cabinet.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said the new top line in the Labor government “will for the next election focused on delivering for Australians, particularly on the cost of living.
Speaking in Canberra on Saturday, she said it would be “a strong and united team that is fully focused on delivering for Australians and I think it will be a good contrast to the divided and negative opposition led by Peter Dutton.”
Mr Dutton disagreed and told Sky News what changes Mr Albanese would have to make.
“I really think that Andrew Giles’ position is completely and utterly untenable. So he has to go, that should be the first test for the Prime Minister, and not just be parachuted into another portfolio, he has to go,” the Opposition Leader said.
NSW Senator Jenny McAllister (pictured) is tipped to be promoted to the Department of Foreign Affairs
‘There is no way the Prime Minister could have Andrew Giles credibly in a ministry, given what he has done so far. And Clare O’Neil is of course an accomplice in all of that.’
Mr Dutton also fired Mr Watt, before he got the promotion everyone was expecting.
‘I think there’s a lot of speculation at the moment about the possibility of Murray Watt taking over the immigration portfolio… He’s really just a clone of Andrew Giles.
“So you can replace the salesperson, but he or she still has to read the same script,” he said.