Labor senator Don Farrell is quitting the Senate deputy leadership race to make way for Kristina Keneally to take the job.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese endorsed the move but denied it was a captain's call, despite telling the right faction he wanted Senator Keneally on his frontbench.

Labor senator Kristina Keneally will be promoted to the frontbench today. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"I don't regard this as a captain's call at all," Mr Albanese told reporters at Parliament House on Thursday.

"He [Senator Farrell] was prepared to step aside as Labor's deputy leader in the Senate on the basis that I had made it clear that my view was that there be gender balance in Labor's leadership team."