Rising star Jane Garrett tipped for role in Andrews cabinet

RISING star Jane Garrett is the frontrunner to be elevated to premier-elect Daniel Andrews’s first cabinet.

Daniel Andrews and his deputy James Merlino at Swinburne TAFE in Lilydale yesterday. Picture: Janine Eastgate

RISING star Jane Garrett is the frontrunner to be elevated to ­Victorian premier-elect Daniel Andrews’ first cabinet to replace a prominent member of the Socialist Left faction.

Ms Garrett has been considered one of the driving forces in the ALP during its attempts to keep the Greens at bay in inner Melbourne and, as national Labor vice-president, was involved in the 2013 federal campaign review.

Ms Garrett has been described as the “logical choice’’ to replace planning spokesman Brian Tee, who is expected to lose his position in the upper house after Saturday’s poll.

The party is debating whether to dump frontbencher Danielle Green, the opposition’s spokeswoman on domestic violence, as Mr Andrews prepares his first cabinet.

Mr Andrews has said he will choose the members of the cabinet and their portfolios.

Another rising Labor star, upper house MP Jaala Pulford, is considered a strong contender for a cabinet role, but this will ­depend on the number of places Mr Andrews chooses to create or people he replaces.

The loss of Mr Tee creates one vacancy, but Mr Andrews told The Australian during the campaign that he intended to keep his frontbench team in place once in government. The only changes, he said, would be those forced upon him by the election result.

Ms Green, who won her marginal seat of Yan Yean, was a strong local MP and a “valued campaigner’’, senior party sources said, but there were several MPs who could replace her.

They included Colin Brooks, the shadow parliamentary secre­tary for education, and Telmo Languiller, who has been parliamentary secretary to Mr Andrews.

Deputy Labor leader James Merlino will be made education minister and Tim Pallas becomes treasurer.

Mr Tee also held the major projects and infrastructure portfolios, which will be crucial in government, although Mr Andrews has a limited major projects agenda. Mr Tee is being seen as a casualty of the preference “whispering’’ in the Victorian upper house, which has again aided micro parties.

Mr Andrews declared on Monday that he would “choose the team and allocate the portfolios’’ — seen as a message to the factions that he will be in charge. It is common in the ­Victorian ALP for the factions to choose the personnel on any Labor frontbench.

Mr Andrews said he believed the cabinet would be announced tomorrow, with caucus to be held today.

“I think Thursday is looking the likely outcome,” he said. “There’ll be a caucus meeting around noon (today) and then we will seek to be sworn in on Thursday. That’s the plan.”

Having won office after just one term in opposition, Mr Andrews has a considerable amount of authority to wield, but the factions are expected to attempt to exert some influence.

There was some reluctance yesterday to assume that Ms Green, a member of the Right, would automatically lose her ­position.