Victorian Cabinet Update - December 2022

Limited changes to Cabinet for Andrews Government’s third term, but significant reshuffle in responsibilities

Following Victorian Labor’s decisive election victory in Victoria on Saturday 26 November, Premier Daniel Andrews has today announced the new ministerial cabinet for the third term of the Victorian Labor Government.

In brief:

  • Following Victorian Labor’s decisive election victory in Victoria on Saturday 26 November, Premier Daniel Andrews has today announced the new ministerial cabinet for the third term of the Victorian Labor Government
  • The ministerial reshuffle has come as Premier Andrews has moved to further consolidate his grip on power with the creation of a new ‘Daniel Andrews faction’ with key Ministers defecting in a boost to Andrews leadership
  • Counting continues in four lower house seats that remain too close to call and also in Victoria’s Upper House where outcomes are not expected to be known for another week

Andrews has elected not to make wholesale portfolio changes, opting to mostly stick with the team he put forward following a major reshuffle six months earlier. Fourteen of the twenty-two Ministers are women.

Deputy Premier, Jacinta Allan will continue as Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop and Minister for Commonwealth Games Delivery – delivering signature major transport infrastructure projects.

Also continuing, is long-serving Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas who also retains portfolio responsibility for Industrial Relations, Trade and Investment.

Lily D’Ambrosio will continue in the Energy and Resources portfolio, along with Climate Action and oversee the key election policy to re-introduce a Victorian State Electricity Commission. She will also have some influence over agricultural and resources policies through her responsibility to meet new emission reductions targets of 75 to 80% by 2035. In recognition of D’Ambrosio’s increased workload, the Environment portfolio will now be overseen by Ingrid Stitt who retains responsibility for Early Childhood & Pre-Prep.

Lizzie Blandthorn has been moved from the Planning portfolio and will now take on the portfolios of Disability, Ageing and Carers as well as Child Protection and Family Services replacing Colin Brooks who has been moved to Housing and Multicultural Affairs. Replacing Blandthorn in the Planning portfolio will be Carrum MP, Sonya Kilkenny.

Mary-Anne Thomas has retained the Health portfolio and also adds responsibility as Leader of the House along with Health Infrastructure and Medical Research. Ambulance Services has been separated from the Health portfolio and will now be the portfolio responsibility of Gabrielle Williams.

There are also two new faces in the ministry with Enver Erdogan who will be sworn in as Minister for Corrections, Youth Justice and Victim Support and Victoria will get its first female Muslim minister in Natalie Suleyman who will take on the portfolios of Minister for Veterans, Small Business and Youth.

Shaun Leane has been left out of the reshuffled Cabinet all together and will most likely be nominated by Labor for the position of President of Victoria’s Upper House, a position Leane held previously.

Full Andrews Government Ministry list

Andrews Ministry | December 2022
Daniel Andrews Premier [CM]
Jacinta Allan Deputy Premier
Minister for Transport and Infrastructure [CM]
Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop
Minister for Commonwealth Games Delivery
Jaclyn Symes Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council
Attorney-General [CM]Minister for Emergency Services
Tim Pallas Treasurer [CM]
Minister for Industrial RelationsMinister for Trade and Investment
Lizzie Blandthorn Deputy Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council
Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers [CM]
Minister for Child Protection and Family Services
Colin Brooks Minister for Housing
Minister for Multicultural Affairs
Anthony Carbines Minister for Police
Minister for Crime Prevention
Minister for Racing
Ben Carroll Minister for Industry and Innovation [CM]
Minister for Manufacturing Sovereignty
Minister for Employment
Minister for Public Transport
Lily D’Ambrosio Minister for Climate Action [CM]
Minister for Energy and Resources
Minister for the State Electricity Commission
Steve Dimopoulos Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events
Minister for Creative Industries
Enver Erdogan Minister for Corrections
Minister for Youth Justice
Minister for Victim Support
Melissa Horne Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation
Minister for Local Government
Minister for Ports and Freight
Minister for Roads and Road Safety
Natalie Hutchins Minister for Education [CM]
Minister for Women
Sonya Kilkenny Minister for Planning
Minister for Outdoor Recreation
Danny Pearson Minister for Government Services [CM]
Assistant Treasurer
Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC
Minister for Consumer Affairs
Harriet Shing Minister for Water
Minister for Regional Development
Minister for Commonwealth Games Legacy
Minister for Equality
Ros Spence Minister for Prevention of Family Violence
Minister for Community Sport
Minister for Suburban Development
Ingrid Stitt Minister for Early Childhood & Pre-Prep
Minister for Environment
Natalie Suleyman Minister for Veterans
Minister for Small Business
Minister for Youth
Mary-Anne Thomas Leader of the House
Minister for Health [CM]
Minister for Health Infrastructure
Minister for Medical Research
Gayle Tierney Minister for Training and Skills
Minister for Higher Education
Minister for Agriculture
Gabrielle Williams Minister for Mental Health
Minister for Ambulance Services
Minister for Treaty and First Peoples
Steve McGhie Cabinet Secretary

 

Parliamentary Secretaries
Nick Staikos Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier
Josh Bull Parliamentary Secretary for Level Crossing Removals
Parliamentary Secretary for Transport
Darren Cheeseman Parliamentary Secretary for the Commonwealth Games
Christine Couzens Parliamentary Secretary for First Peoples
Paul Edbrooke Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer
Bronwyn Halfpenny Parliamentary Secretary for Jobs
Katie Hall Parliamentary Secretary for Creative Industries
Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood
Nathan Lambert Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs
Tim Richardson Parliamentary Secretary for Health Infrastructure
Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Michaela Settle Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development
Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture
Nina Taylor Parliamentary Secretary for Training and Skills
Kat Theophanous Parliamentary Secretary for Women’s Health
Vicki Ward Parliamentary Secretary for Education
Sheena Watt Parliamentary Secretary for Housing
Parliamentary Secretary for Volunteers

Andrews further consolidates his power

The ministerial reshuffle has come as Premier Andrews has moved to further consolidate his grip on power with the creation of a new ‘Daniel Andrews faction’ within Victorian Labor which has seen seven key defections from the party’s Right faction joining Party MPs aligned to Andrews through his traditional affiliation with the Victorian Labor Socialist Left faction. The most high-profile defections to the new grouping are Treasurer Tim Pallas and Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events and Minister for Creative Industries, Steve Dimopoulos.

Machinery of government changes

The new ministry will be supported in its work by a number of Machinery of Government changes, effective from 1 January 2023.  

 Newly created Victorian Government departments include:  

  • Victorian Department of Transport and Planning  
  • Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action  
  • Victorian Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions  
  • Victorian Department of Education  
  • Victorian Department of Government Services 

Parliament to return on 20 December

The Premier has confirmed the intention of the Victorian Government is for the new Parliament to sit for one day on Tuesday 20 December. A calendar of sitting dates for the 2023 calendar year will then be announced in due course.

Votes still being counted

Whilst the new Ministry has now been sworn-in, counting continues in four lower house seats that remain too close to call and in Victoria’s Upper House, where outcomes are not expected for another week.

The four lower house seats still to be decided are: Bass (Labor ahead v Liberal by 179 votes), Northcote (Labor ahead v Greens by 192 votes) Pakenham (Liberals ahead v Labor by 93 votes), and Preston (Labor ahead v Greens by 1,764 votes).

At this stage, the Andrews Government is set to win between 52-56 seats, well ahead of the minimum 45 seat majority it needed to control the lower house.

Counting continues in the Victorian Upper House where both Labor and the Coalition are predicted to hold 15 seats each in the 40 member chamber, with a crossbench of Greens and other minor parties making up the remaining seats. If these numbers hold up, the Andrews Government will need to win the support of a minimum six crossbenchers to pass legislation. There are numerous close vote counts between minor parties to determine the final make-up of the crossbench, most notably in the Northern Metropolitan Region where Reason Party Leader, Fiona Patten is in the fight of her life to retain her seat against disgraced former Labor Minister, Adem Somyurek who stood as a Democratic Labour Party candidate.

Harriet Shing, who is Minister for Water, Regional Development, Commonwealth Games Legacy and Equality, will not be sworn in until counting in the Upper House finishes. According to the latest count, Shing is on track to retain her upper house seat. In the meantime, the Premier will discharge her portfolio duties until the count is finalised.

Final results for the Upper House are expected to be finalised in the next week.

Victorian Liberal leadership to be decided this week

Fresh from their decisive election defeat, the Victorian Liberal Party will meet later this week where a ballot will be held to decide who will be the next Opposition Leader of Victoria. With incumbent leader, Matthew Guy announcing he will resign the position, SEC Newgate understands the leadership contest is down to two possible candidates. Shadow Minister and Berwick MP, Brad Battin is set to face off against newly returned Hawthorn MP, John Pesutto who won his Hawthorn seat back off the Labor Party last Saturday, withstanding a strong challenge from a Teal independent. The Coalition are likely to end with between 27-29 seats in the new Parliament.. The Liberal and National Party will remain in Coalition. The National Party has also strengthened its position, winning back three seats from rural independents.

Contacts

Contact us for more information about the Victorian Ministry and what it means for you.

Feyi Akindoyeni, Partner and Melbourne Office Head, SEC Newgate Communications – [email protected]

Nick Maher, Partner, SEC Newgate Communications – [email protected]

Brenton Baldwin, Account Director, SEC Newgate Communications – [email protected]

Nicoleta Romas, Account Director, SEC Newgate Communications – [email protected]

Share this

Related Services

SEC Newgate’s integrated approach draws on our national team’s experience and networks to deliver a full service offering.