A year into her premiership and with Labor holding power for a decade in Victoria, Premier Jacinta Allan is acutely aware of the danger of appearing as a stale government to an electorate craving change. So when veteran Treasurer Tim Pallas stepped down this week, Allan seized the chance for a sweeping cabinet reset that went far beyond what many pundits predicted.
A New Team to Drive New Energy and Ideas
In unveiling her refreshed frontbench, Allan hammered home one word over and over – new. “This new team will drive the new energy and new ideas that will be backing in my priorities,” the premier declared, using “new” 10 times in her first minute at the podium. Several loyal MPs seen as strong performers were elevated, while one headline-prone minister was demoted. But above all, Allan prioritized fresh faces over those who rose through the ranks under her predecessor Daniel Andrews.
Jaclyn Symes Makes History as Treasurer
The centerpiece of the reshuffle is Jaclyn Symes becoming Victoria’s first female Treasurer. Considered a plain speaker and standout performer, Symes will need all her skills to tackle what many colleagues consider a poisoned chalice – wrestling down state debt projected to hit $187 billion by 2028. “I’m under no illusions that it’s going to be easy,” Symes conceded. “I like a challenge.”
“I will be a different treasurer. I will bring a different perspective.”
– Jaclyn Symes, Victorian Treasurer
Reward and Demotion in Key Portfolios
In other major moves:
- Sonya Kilkenny replaces Symes as Attorney-General
- Gabrielle Williams becomes Minister for Transport Infrastructure amid project cost blowouts
- Danny Pearson loses Transport Infrastructure and Suburban Rail Loop in apparent demotion
Pearson’s reduced responsibilities fuel speculation he refused the Treasurer role and paid the price, though Allan denied he was demoted. As for Williams, she faces the daunting task of steering the long-delayed West Gate Tunnel and Metro Tunnel to completion next year.
Will Voters Buy a “New” Government?
By embracing the “renewal” urged by the departing Pallas, Allan is clearly striving to recast her government’s image in the public mind. The open question is whether Victorians will be convinced or instead view it as superficial repackaging of a tiring administration.
The opposition, unsurprisingly, chose the latter interpretation. “New day, new Treasurer, same tired Labor government,” scoffed Liberal MP Brad Rowswell. His colleagues, meanwhile, have their own troubles – they’ll gather again tomorrow for another reckoning on rebel MP Moira Deeming that will test Opposition Leader John Pesutto’s grip on his party.
Allan’s ambitious reshuffle rolls the dice that a revitalized team can persuade voters Labor still has the vigor and vision to keep leading Victoria forward. The result of her gambit will determine whether the state’s new premier can extend her party’s reign or ends up presiding over the end of an era.
