New leader Anthony Albanese has backed more senior roles for women, but right faction is blocking NSW senator’s promotion

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This article is more than 1 year old

A factional brawl is set to erupt within the Labor party over concerns the party’s right faction may block Kristina Keneally’s elevation to the frontbench.

The party’s new leader, Anthony Albanese, who has indicated he wants to see more women in senior roles, is understood to have prevailed upon the party’s right faction to include Keneally in the group of MPs it wants in the shadow ministry.

But the New South Wales right, of which Keneally is a member, is blocking her elevation, leading to pressure on South Australian factional powerbroker Don Farrell to make way for the former NSW premier by sacrificing his own position as deputy Senate leader.

The brawl is set to come to a head on Thursday, when the party’s factions put forward the names of MPs that will make up Albanese’s new frontbench.

In a potential escalation of the issue, Keneally is understood to have gauged support among MPs for her nominating for the position of deputy Senate leader in a meeting of the full caucus on Thursday – in contravention of the party’s longstanding conventions.

This would mean she could be elected deputy Senate leader by winning support from the party’s left faction, along with a handful of right-aligned MPs, against the will of her own faction. Only about five right MPs would have to break ranks to support the plan.

The move would cause deep ructions within the party, with senior sources from the right warning that the move could trigger retaliation against Albanese’s left faction.

Instead, some party figures are directing pressure back on the NSW branch, saying the faction should make way for Keneally, suggesting Joel Fitzgibbon is the most likely MP to be dumped. Fitzgibbon is one of five NSW right-aligned men currently on the frontbench, along with Tony Burke, Chris Bowen, Ed Husic and Jason Clare.

There are concerns within the party that Labor could have fewer women on its frontbench than the Coalition given the right’s failure to elevate female MPs to the ministry.

Anthony Albanese to travel to Queensland on first day as Labor leader Read more

On Monday, Albanese was asked if the party’s new Senate team would comprise two women after it was confirmed that his deputy leader would be Victorian Richard Marles.

“We’re working through those issues. And one of the things that I’ve said, very clearly, is that I respect caucus processes,” Albanese said. “I’ll be putting my views within the caucus and I would hope that they are views which are respected.”

“[But] as a statement of principle I support women being in very senior positions in the Labor party.”

The Labor caucus will meet on Thursday to endorse the 30 new members of its executive, with Albanese to allocate new portfolio positions in the days following.

Jim Chalmers is being touted as a likely candidate for the high-profile shadow treasury portfolio, taking over from Chris Bowen who was the key architect of many of the party’s controversial economic policies.

Chalmers and the shadow immigration spokesman, Shayne Neumann – both from Queensland – are expected to remain on the frontbench, with Albanese saying he needs to reconnect with Queenslanders who abandoned the party at the election.

Labor’s reshuffle comes as Scott Morrison’s new ministry is sworn in at Government House on Wednesday, with the prime minister promising to focus on economic reforms in the next term of government.

With parliament expected to return in July, Morrison has said he will prioritise the legislation of tax cuts, while committing to delivering the promises made in the April budget, including returning the budget to surplus.

Promising to “burn” for the Australian people, Morrison told the Coalition party room on Tuesday that the Coalition would govern “humbly” while making hardworking Australians the focus of the government’s third term.