Tanya Plibersek has been elected deputy leader of the ALP at a Caucus meeting in Canberra today.
Plibersek, the member for Sydney since 1998 and Minister for Health in the former Labor government, will be Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Senator Penny Wong has been re-elected as Senate leader, the position she secured on June 26 when Kevin Rudd replaced Julia Gillard.
Senator Stephen Conroy has been elected deputy leader in the Senate. Conroy was deputy leader from 2001 until February this year when he became leader following the retirement of Senator Chris Evans. Conroy quit as Senate leader and Minister for Communications when Rudd replaced Gillard. In returning to the deputy leader’s position, he replaces Senator Jacinta Collins who has held the position since the Rudd takeover in June.
The ALP Caucus also elected the shadow ministry today. It will consist of:
- Leader: Bill Shorten
- Deputy Leader: Tanya Plibersek
- Senate Leader: Senator Penny Wong
- Senate Deputy Leader: Senator Stephen Conroy
- Anthony Albanese
- Sharon Bird
- Chris Bowen
- Tony Burke
- Mark Butler
- Senator Kim Carr
- Jason Clare
- Julie Collins
- Mark Dreyfus
- Kate Ellis
- Senator Don Farrell
- David Feeney
- Joel Fitzgibbon
- Gary Gray
- Senator Doug Cameron
- Catherine King
- Andrew Leigh
- Jenny Macklin
- Richard Marles
- Senator Jan McLucas
- Senator Claire Moore
- Shayne Neumann
- Brendan O’Connor
- Melissa Parke
- Bernie Ripoll
- Michelle Rowland
Newcomers to the shadow ministry are: Senator Claire Moore and Michelle Rowland.
Previous parliamentary secretaries who have entered the shadow ministry proper are: Senator Doug Cameron, David Feeney, Andrew Leigh, Shayne Neumann and Bernie Ripoll.
Previous ministers who are not in the shadow ministry are: Senator Bob Carr, Senator Jacinta Collins, Kate Lundy and Warren Snowdon. Carr is expected to resign from the Senate in the near future. Collins, the biggest loser in the Caucus election, was a parliamentary secretary during the Gillard government and became a minister and deputy Senate leader after Rudd’s return. Lundy and Snowdon are believed to have been dropped by the Left faction because they supported Shorten in the leadership ballot.
Former Parliamentary Secretary Ed Husic also missed out on promotion.
There are 11 women in the shadow ministry, the same number as in the previous Rudd government. There are 8 women from the Left and 3 from the Right.
Shorten will announce the allocation of portfolios on Friday. The shadow ministry will hold its first meeting on October 21.
