Albo's early test
Anthony Albanese promised order and discipline — but the ruthless factional purge of senior ministers Mark Dreyfus and Ed Husic reveals the brutal calculus of power inside Labor.
A day after his election win, Anthony Albanese pledged a “disciplined, orderly government in our second term”, vowing Labor would not “take for granted” the opportunity afforded by voters.
As he delivered those assurances, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles was already working the phones to dump Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus. By Thursday, it was clear he'd been successful.
Husic, the only Muslim member of cabinet, was ousted to correct factional imbalances created by the addition of more members from the Left, and the need to give the Victorian Right, headed by Marles, another spot following the retirement of Bill Shorten.
Labor's new ministers will be Sam Rae and Daniel Mulino from the Victorian Right, while the Left has nominated NSW Senator Tim Ayres and Victorian MP Jess Walsh.
