‘They are ambitious’: 17 new Labor MPs prepare to arrive in Canberra after election triumph

A former opposition leader and ex-basketballer have been named as the standouts of Labor’s massive class of 2025 as the 17 new MPs prepare to enter parliament at the end of July.

As parliament prepares to return at the end of July, 17 enthusiastic new MPs will arrive in Canberra as the face of Labor’s historic 94-seat victory at the federal election.

The party is energised with the batch of new, younger talent with the hope of future prime ministers sitting among them. But Labor MPs recognise the influx of new blood comes with its own challenges: barefaced ambition that will demand the old guard move over and make room.

“We have won 94 seats, all roads lead to the Labor Party at this time,” one Labor MP said.

“But that has its own difficulties, they are all ambitious and want to have a go.”

That ambition has already started bubbling away and was palpable when, just days on from Labor’s historic win, long-term Labor figures Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and Industry Minister Ed Husic were dumped to make room for Sam Rae, elected in 2022, and Daniel Mulino, elected in 2019.

“I think it’s time for that … when you look at the front bench, many of them have been there for a long time,” the MP adds.

Sam Rae. Picture: Newswire/Nicki Connolly

Dr Daniel Mulino. Picture: David Clark

Already party insiders are singling out members of the class of 2025 as those with cabinet minister – or even treasurer and prime ministerial – potential over those who would be excellent local MPs but have a ”ceiling”.

Among the names that did stand out was former Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White, who retained the seat of Lyons after sitting Labor MP Brian Mitchell retired. White, a seasoned political operative who led the Tasmanian Labor Party from 2017 to 2024, was described by multiple sources as the likely future successor for Agriculture Minister Julie Collins. Collins also hails from Tasmania.

Rebecca White, a seasoned political operative, stands out among the ALP’s ministerial hopefuls. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“Given where we have come from in Tasmania, she would be well placed to be the lead Labor person out of Tasmania in the longer term,” another Labor MP said of White.

“I assume she will take over from Julie in the longer term.”

The source points out that the party has had “good people” from the island state but “not people who are on the trajectory to become cabinet ministers” besides Collins.

Confidence in White is high, with the MP predicting “out of that group that got in 2025, she’d be the first to make cabinet.”

A second source agreed Ms White was being primed as a future minister and that was evident in Anthony Albanese’s decision to award her an assistant ministry in health and aged care, Indigenous health and women.

Multiple Labor sources said Matt Smith had charisma that helped him stand out. Picture: Elodie Jakes

The other name repeatedly raised was Leichhardt MP and former professional basketballer Matt Smith, who multiple sources said had charisma that helped him stand out.

“Matt Smith seems really great – he is a real potential minister,” one Labor MP said of the candidate who won the Queensland seat off retiring Liberal Warren Entsch.

Queensland emerged as the state with the most promising talent, with eight new MPs, including Renee Coffey, Kara Cook and Julie-Ann Campbell. Cook had been Labor’s only female Brisbane councillor and the party’s deputy leader before winning the federal seat of Bonner.

“Kara is not new to politics so she’ll start a little bit ahead of others,” one of her parliamentary colleagues said.

Campbell would be a future Labor minister straight from central casting with her trade unionist and Queensland Labor Secretary history.

“Julie-Ann has had institutional experience, which does lead to you getting a pretty good sense of how everything works and managing large organisations,” a Labor colleague said.

Potential stars, clockwise from top left, Renee Coffey, Kara Cook, Julie-Ann Campbell and Ali France.

Unlike the other names, Coffey’s CV is heavier on real-world experience as the chief executive of a mental health charity, but colleagues credit her with ministerial potential after she won the seat of Griffith from popular Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather. The same MP said: “Her result was not an accident She is very, very smart.”

A senior Labor source agreed the three MPs were standouts describing Campbell as a “strong political campaigner” whose links to the Chinese community as a Chinese-Australia would help Labor’s standing with multicultural voters.

The source also pointed out Ali France, who has already made history by toppling Peter Dutton, as an “obvious” standout.

“Ali France’s dad was an MP so there are some strong political roots and smarts there. I would definitely rate her as a future minister,” they said.

Victorian MP Gabriel Ng, who took Menzies from rising Liberal star Keith Wolahan in one of the biggest election shocks, was given an honourable mention as a strong performer.

But the 2025 batch of minister hopefuls will have to wait their turn with class of 2022 MP Andrew Charlton and Mulino both being groomed for future leadership potential.

Mulino is considered whip-smart, with a solid economic background and years behind him as a state MP, and has recently been elevated to assistant treasurer. One source predicted his next role will not be treasurer but he’s certainly on the trajectory.

Gabriel Ng. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Andrew Charlton. Picture: Supplied

Charlton, who has been elevated to the role of cabinet secretary after just one term, has been given front-row access to seeing how leadership works.

“Charlton is a Rhodes scholar. He’s one of the smartest people in the building and he’s also really likeable,” a Labor MP said of the Parramatta MP and Kevin Rudd staffer.

The new role exposes him to how the expenditure review committee works and how ministers fight it out for cash – compulsory learning for any ministerial aspirant.

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Originally published as ‘They are ambitious’: 17 new Labor MPs prepare to arrive in Canberra after election triumph