By Sumeyya Ilanbey and Paul Sakkal
On the morning of Friday, June 24, eight Victorian ministers were due to meet Premier Daniel Andrews in his office. They were to learn their new portfolios after a cabinet shake-up triggered by a disruptive bulk resignation of experienced politicians.
They met with Andrews one by one before being ushered into an adjoining room where they revealed to each other their positions. Ben Carroll was the last to be called in after all eight, seated in different rooms, were told to arrive at 9am. He waited for more than an hour in a nearby room before being told that he would be assigned a range of portfolios across business and transport.
Credit: Matt Davidson
There is no evidence Carroll’s order in the procession was intended as a sleight on the mild-mannered but ambitious minister. That didn’t stop it becoming a matter of intrigue in Labor circles. The rumour mill suggested the wait was intentional, a form of punishment for media reports that touted him as a challenger to Andrews’ pick for deputy premier, Jacinta Allan.
It was also cited by internal critics of the premier as proof of Andrews’ ruthlessness in a factional power play in which he exploited a divided Right faction and cajoled an unenthusiastic Socialist Left to install Allan, his preferred candidate and factional ally, as deputy despite significant opposition from a large chunk of her colleagues.
Two dozen Labor sources from across the factional divide, all speaking on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss party affairs, have told The Age of the turbulent week in late June when the government lost some of its best performers during a mass retirement of ministers, and a brutally swift reshuffle inflicted lasting scars on groups of MPs from both the Right and Left at a time when the government faces a growing set of challenges on healthcare, its finances and integrity issues.
It was a forceful display of political power from a premier who has become known for his almost unchallenged authority and ability to maintain discipline. Nearing an end to his second term and having celebrated his 50th birthday on Wednesday, after bouncing back from a serious back injury, Andrews notched up another internal win.
He wanted Allan, who is from the premier’s Left faction, to replace outgoing deputy James Merlino. This was a departure from the recent practice (not a hard-and-fast rule) of the leader and deputy hailing from different factions.
With the support of half of the Right faction, who did not want internal right-wing opponent Carroll to become deputy, and a Labor caucus caught by surprise at the resignation of four more of the government’s most senior ministers, Andrews acted quickly. He left his MPs with little choice when the day before a party meeting on Saturday, June 25, he said: “I’m very confident … the caucus will make the right decision [to appoint Allan].”
Premier Daniel Andrews with Ben Carroll last year. Credit: David Crosling
Until that Thursday night, senior MPs from the premier’s Left faction held discussions with senior right-wing MPs about opposing Andrews’ plan in Saturday’s caucus meeting by demanding a ballot for the deputy position. Several Left faction sources, some of whom were frustrated with the outcome of the reshuffle, said MPs fell into line because revolting months out from an election would have combusted the government.
But aggrieved MPs said the move has rallied support for an alternative to Allan when the premier eventually stands aside.
“Daniel succeeded in doing very little other than ensuring there’s a larger group focused on an alternative to Jacinta,” one left-wing MP said. “She will be bearing the blowback of his decision. The Left were waiting for a natural alternative to emerge – we now realise we have to create one. Daniel overplayed his hand.”
Some MPs said it was the final internal power-move Andrews needed to ram through before the election. It meant he could afford to burn a few bridges along the way.
A Right faction source said: “This was Daniel’s last hurrah – the last time he can get what he wants.”
Hours after meeting with his senior ministers on the Friday morning, the premier addressed journalists with his new leadership team assembled behind him. Some retiring ministers – which included Merlino, Lisa Neville, Martin Pakula, Richard Wynne and Martin Foley – initially believed they would be attending this press conference to say their goodbyes.
Premier Daniel Andrews shakes hands with outgoing deputy premier James Merlino last month as Merlino’s replacement, Jacinta Allan, looks on.Credit: Justin McManus
Instead, only Merlino was invited and some were left to organise their own media interviews. Andrews’ office did not want a visual demonstration of the eight lost decades of ministerial experience.
A number of ministers, according to sources close to them, wanted to remain in their roles until election day but were upset when blocked from doing so. The government wanted to avoid the appearance of “lame duck” ministers who would not be responsible for the election commitments they announced. The resignations of Foley, and to a lesser extent Merlino, who occupy the vulnerable electorates of Albert Park and Monbulk respectively, left party officials scrambling to prepare campaigns with new candidates.
Questioned by The Age about whether he appreciated the frustration of his MPs, Andrews said last week: “Well they haven’t picked up the phone to me or any other senior colleagues. If they’re talking to you, well, that’s fine, but if you want to name them, [we] can go and have a chat.
“Those concerns have not been raised with me. But I’m happy to concede to you that not every member of the team will be universally happy because with such depth, it’s inevitable not everybody gets to do the job they are capable of.”
Members of the new-look Victorian ministry pose for a group photo at Government House during the swearing-in ceremony last month.Credit: AAP
While cabinet reshuffles inevitably cause ructions, four vacancies in the leadership team and the availability of the coveted deputy position made last month’s stakes even greater.
The shake-up was unique because large sections of the premier’s own faction were angered by the lack of autonomy it was afforded. Not only were they unsuccessful in pushing for a ballot to decide on their two new ministers, they were cornered to back Allan for the deputy position.
Some in the Left are adamant they told Carroll they would back him for the deputy position. But it’s unclear if Carroll had enough support to defeat Allan after senior Right leaders Merlino and Treasurer Tim Pallas publicly endorsed her.
Either way, the would-be rebels were outmanoeuvred by a premier who had enough warning to stage-manage the event, leaving a surprised caucus flailing as they bickered and horse-traded. By Wednesday, rumours of the retirements were rife. By Thursday, rumours hardened and MPs buzzed around Spring Street on a series of Zoom hook-ups and in-person meetings trying to resolve their differences and pick a candidate to challenge Allan.
From left: James Merlino, Martin Foley, Lisa Neville and Martin Pakula have announced their retirements.
Their attempts were futile. On Friday morning, Andrews publicly declared Allan as his choice for deputy premier.
But it was what happened that afternoon that shocked and angered many in the party. Eltham MP Vicki Ward, from a different Socialist Left sub-group to the premier, was the sole nominee for the position of cabinet secretary (an MP who manages the affairs of cabinet and is often eventually promoted to the ministry). Almost everyone believed she was a shoo-in.
The Age has confirmed that allies of the premier called at least six MPs that evening accusing Ward of briefing journalists against Allan, whose opponents were quoted anonymously in this and other mastheads. The accusation against Ward were rubbished by MPs who believed it was false. Ward declined to comment.
Melton MP Steve McGhie was instead appointed to the cabinet secretary role.
The premier’s office did not respond on the record to specific questions about Andrews’ involvement in the reshuffle, including whether ministers were forced to leave cabinet early, the accusations against Ward, and the rumours surrounding Carroll’s hour-long wait.
Instead, a government spokeswoman said: “We have a strong team focused on delivering for all Victorians – whether it’s schools, hospitals, roads and rail or making sure people have access to the services they need.”
The reshuffle exposed and inflamed the ongoing split within the party’s Right faction. The group has previously dominated the caucus but is now left without the deputy’s position and with no obvious candidate to challenge for Andrews’ position when he retires.
Half of that group, including MPs formerly aligned with dumped MP Adem Somyurek, supported Allan instead of locking in behind the Right’s Carroll.
Four Right-faction MPs said attention was now turning to uniting the disparate right-wing forces to find an agreeable candidate to put up a fight for Andrews’ job when the premier moves on. The ascendant forces in the Right, to which Carroll belongs, will dominate the caucus after the election because many fresh Labor candidates hail from this group.
Carroll lost allies amid the intense week of politicking, but the ruthlessness with which Andrews secured Allan’s elevation has widened the cross-section of MPs intent on blocking her path to the leadership and finding a new leader from Labor’s next generation of talent to break away from the Andrews era.
In Allan’s favour is her backing from Andrews, her experience and public performance in senior roles, a dearth of talent in the Right and the removal of other potential challengers such as Merlino, Pakula and former attorney-general Jill Hennessy.
But there is now an apparent divide in cabinet: those who are co-ordinating ministers – a hangover from the COVID-19 pandemic – and those who are not.
The divide has fuelled criticism from Labor MPs – and underscored their anger – that the decision-making within the party is centralised in the hands of a select few.
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