Mark Dreyfus, Ed Husic scrapped from new Albanese ministry

Two senior cabinet ministers have been dumped from Anthony Albanese’s new-look ministry as factional heavyweights meet in Canberra to carve up the 30 frontbench positions.

Science and Industry Minister Ed Husic has been pushed out because of an over-representation of New South Wales right, while Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has been dumped by the Victorian right to make way for second-term Labor MP Sam Rae.

Fellow Victorian Daniel Mulino will also be promoted to the frontbench in the reshuffle.

When asked at Canberra Airport on Thursday morning if there was a fight on for frontbench positions, Mr Dreyfus replied: “I’ll have more to say next week.”

Meanwhile, Labor senators Tim Ayres and Jess Walsh — both from the left faction — will be promoted to the frontbench, taking the two positions vacated by Stephen Jones and Bill Shorten, who retired at the election.

Since Labor’s emphatic victory on Saturday, factional bosses have been locked in negotiations over the composition of the frontbench, with states including Queensland and Victoria demanding greater ministerial representation, having boosted their ranks in Caucus.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is understood to be resisting calls to intervene to save Mr Husic and Mr Dreyfus, reminding colleagues of the collectivism at the heart of the party.

“We need to approach this term with humility to make sure we deliver on the commitments we made to the Australian people but also that we operate in a way that shows solidarity.

“I can’t have hoped for more support from my ministers, from my caucus, over the six years that I’ve been Labor leader.

“And that has enabled me to really focus outwardly. And that’s when you’re successful, when you’re focused inwards, the electorate will mark you down.”

Former prime minister Paul Keating has been scathing of Mr Husic and Mr Dreyfus’s demotions, saying it showed “poor judgement, unfairness and diminished respect for the contribution of others”.

“The factional displacement of … Mr Husic from the Albanese cabinet represents an appalling denial of Husic’s diligence and application in bringing the core and emerging technologies of the digital age to the centre of Australian public policy,” he said in a statement.

Mr Keating said the prime minister had recently made “captain’s calls” in other pre-selection ballots, and said his “non-intervention” in the case of Mr Husic was an endorsement of the Victorian Right faction led by Richard Marles.

“And to round out the day, the factional lightweights also dumped the cabinet’s most effective and significant Jewish member, the attorney-general, Mark Dreyfus,” he said.

Caucus is expected to sign off on the list of 30 frontbenchers on Friday and from there, Mr Albanese will pick his cabinet and assign portfolios.

Mr Husic — who was forced to stand aside from the ministry in 2019 for then-senator Kristina Keneally — is understood to have delivered the news to his staff late on Thursday afternoon.

Earlier, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Labor had been blessed with a “good problem” of having too much talent and too many MPs to reward.

“We’ve got probably 50 or 60 people who’ve got a legitimate claim to be part of the 30 ministers and so that’s a good problem to have,” Mr Chalmers said.

Mr Chalmers, who will keep his Treasury portfolio, also gave a resounding endorsement of Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, who’s expected to remain in the ministry but possibly with a new portfolio.

“Tanya Plibersek is an absolutely outstanding senior minister and I have no doubt she’ll remain a senior minister,” he said.