Left faction gets the numbers in Labor caucus

May 7, 2025 Keed

Another position in the ministry was left vacant when former assistant treasurer Stephen Jones retired before the election, setting up a promotion for another MP from the left to take a full ministerial position. The leading candidate is Tim Ayres, the NSW senator and assistant minister.

Several ministers and MPs, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the factional calculations were important. However, Albanese had the ultimate say on the ministry, given his authority after winning the election.

Rebecca White was drafted in by Anthony Albanese to hold Lyons after local member Brian Mitchell retired.Credit: Joe Armao

Members of the Victorian Right are pushing to gain an additional place in the ministry because of their claim to have stronger numbers, but this sets up a clash with the NSW Right and would force Albanese to demote one of their number.

The NSW Right includes some of the most senior cabinet ministers in Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, Energy Minister Chris Bowen, Education Minister Jason Clare and Industry Minister Ed Husic. In the outer ministry, it includes Regional Development Minister Kristy McBain.

The Victorian Right will struggle to gain promotion for one of its leading figures, senator Raff Ciccone, if the NSW Right does not lose any positions.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed on Tuesday she would serve a full term, declaring, “I absolutely will” in response to media speculation about her future.

“I’m really looking forward to not only doing good things this term, but working in a government that has a capacity to be a really long-term Labor government and to change this country for the better,” she told the ABC.

Wong also admitted to some surprise at the scale of the Labor victory, given the party has 87 seats in the latest count and is likely to gain more. “It’s at the upper end of my expectations,” she said.

The Left is expected to increase its share of the caucus after the success of the faction’s candidates in the seat of Banks in NSW; Bass and Braddon in Tasmania; Bonner, Brisbane, Dickson, Griffith and Leichhardt in Queensland; Moore in Western Australia; and Menzies in Victoria.

The Melbourne seat of Menzies is yet to be decided, however, with Liberal MP Keith Wolahan in with a chance.

The seat of Melbourne, held by Greens leader Adam Bandt, hangs in the balance and might fall to Sarah Witty from the Labor Left. But another member of the faction, Lisa Chesters, is fighting to hang on in the seat of Bendigo and another, Basem Abdo, is waiting on the count in the Victorian seat of Calwell.

The Right faction added Deakin in Victoria, Hughes in NSW, Petrie in Queensland and Sturt in South Australia.

The Right is fighting to retain the ACT seat of Bean, where its MP is under threat from an independent, and is hoping that the former member for the seat of Higgins, Michelle Ananda-Rajah, will gain a place in the Senate. Four more senate seats remain in play.

A Labor caucus of 116 would comprise 58 members from the Left, 56 from the Right and non-aligned ACT MPs Andrew Leigh and Alicia Payne.