Posted 7/8/07

Article sourced from The Age.  Note: Names of the seats held by sitting members have been added by MRRA.

"Team Brumby 2007"

The Age

Paul Austin, David Rood and Peter Ker
August 2, 2007

It’s more than a cabinet reshuffle, it’s virtually a new Government. With Steve Bracks and John Thwaites gone, John Brumby yesterday recast Victoria’s political leadership, with some risky moves and surprising promotions. Paul Austin, David Rood and Peter Ker assess the new team.

JOHN BRUMBY Age 54 (MLA, Broadmeadows)
New job: Premier, Veterans' Affairs, Multicultural Affairs
Old Job: Treasurer, Innovation, Regional and Rural Development.
Elected: 1993.
Faction: Right
Brumby achieves his dream of becoming Victorian Premier eight years after he lost the Labor leadership to Steve Bracks. After seven years as Treasurer, Brumby has moved quickly to put his stamp on the Government by appointing his close friend Rob Hulls to the deputyship and the experienced John Lenders to the post of Treasury. He has out lined his list of priorities, which is headed by reforms to education, planning and vowed to be more decisive than Bracks. His desire to split Water from Environment and Climate Change is also indicative that the Brumby-Hulls Government may be less green-minded than the Bracks-Thwaites combination.

ROB HULLS, 50 (MLA, Niddrie)
New Job: Deputy Premier, Attorney- General, Industrial Relations and Racing
Old Job: Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations and Racing
Elected: 1996
Faction: Right
The big jump for Hulls is to the number two job, where he will partner his friend and former boss John Brumby. After a low-profile election campaign just nine months ago, Hulls himself has conceded "never in my wildest dreams" did he expect to be Deputy Premier. A reformist Attorney-General, he retains his present port folios including his beloved racing gig. But he has a history of being close to controversy. Hulls is widely known as the Government's chief "head-kicker", and last year branded Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu the "toff from Toorak". In the late 1990s, an abusive and allegedly drunk Hulls confronted a pair of young female Jeff Kennett fans in a bar, and called one of them a "f--- loser".  The Brumby/Hulls leadership team have been trying to shed the hard image this week, and the official line now is of a new, more mellow Hulls.

[MRRA The rest alphabetically:]

JACINTA ALLAN, 33 (MLA, Bendigo East)
New Job: Skills and Workforce Participation and Regional and Rural Development
Old job: Skills, Education Services, Employment and Women’s Affairs
Elected: 1999
Faction: Left
Touted as an early dark horse for Deputy Premier, Allan comes out even in the reshuffle. The Bendigo MP — who is understood to have wanted the Education portfolio — loses the understudy role of Education Services but gains Brumby’s old beat and favourite of regional development.

DANIEL ANDREWS, 35 (MLA, Mulgrave)
New job: Health
Old job: Gaming, Consumer Affairs
Elected: 2002
Faction: Left
The biggest winner, snaring one of the most important portfolios just eight months after winning a place in the cabinet for the first time. One of the cabinet's youngest members, Andrews' time as parliamentary secretary for Health has served him well, as he takes the lead in Brumby's war on diabetes and cancer. Handing the Gaming portfolio - which has been one of this Government's biggest recent headaches - to Tony Robinson is another positive for Andrews, as he leaves that portfolio on the same day the upper house gaming inquiry begins hearings.

PETER BATCHELOR, 56 (MLA, Thomastown)
Job: Energy and Resources, Community Development
Elected: 1990
Faction: Left
Retains his two portfolios, with his Communities responsibilities downgraded slightly by the abolition of the Department of Victorian Communities, which separates and merges in part with Planning. In the twilight of his career, these portfolios could be his final responsibilities as a minister.

BOB CAMERON, 44 (MLA, Bendigo West)
Job: Police, Emergency Services and Corrections (same role)
Elected: 1996
Faction: Left
With the thorny pay deal for Victoria's police still to be negotiated, Cameron retains the same difficult portfolio. Early in his police tenure, Cameron copped the fall-out from the secret pre-election police deal struck between the Police Union and then premier Steve Bracks. A former Agriculture and WorkCover minister. Cameron is one of four cabinet members representing seats outside of Melbourne.

JOE HELPER, 47 (MLA, Ripon)
New job: Agriculture, Small Business
Old job: Agriculture
Elected: 1999
Faction: Right After eight months in the cabinet, Helper gains a minor portfolio to go with Agriculture. Is considered close to Brumby and the member for Ripon has made steady progress in a short time.

TIM HOLDING, 34 (MLA, Lyndhurst)
New job: Minister for Water, Finance, Tourism and Major Events
Old job: Minister for Finance, Tourism and Information Technology
Elected: 1999
Faction: National Union of Workers (Right)
Having recovered from controversy over the leaked police files during his time as Police Minis ter, Holding was beaten by John Lenders for the Treasurer's job for which he was angling. He may not have got the promotion he wanted, but he is still on the rise. Holding gains the crucial Water portfolio and with it, responsibility for the recently announced $4.9 billion water plan.

GAVIN JENNINGS, 50 (MLC, South East Metro)
New job: Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Innovation
Old job: Minister for Community Services and Aboriginal Affairs
Elected: 1999
Faction: Left
Another winner in the reshuffle, Jennings gains the sensitive and high- profile environment portfolio. In yesterday's news conference, John Brumby said climate change and innovation were a good fit. With Jennings an upper house member, the environment portfolio moves parliamentary houses to where Victoria's three Greens MPs sit.

LYNNE KOSKY, 48 (MLA, Altona)
Job: Public Transport, Arts
Elected: 1996
Faction: Left
As expected, retains the two portfolios she took over in December. Will be keen to stay with Public Transport to dismiss perceptions she was reluctant to take over the role, and to take charge of the big changes promised by Brumby. Was overlooked for the deputy leadership and her career appears to be treading water at the moment, but renewed focus and funding on Public Transport could revive her stocks in coming years.

JOHN LENDERS, 49 (MLC, Southern Metro)
New job: Treasurer 
Old job: Education 
First elected 1999
Faction: Right
Within minutes of yesterday’s announcement John Lenders cast himself in the Brumby mould. Having won the battle for the coveted position over Tim Holding, the former ALP state secretary and Finance Minister promised his main objective would be keeping the budget in the black, infrastructure and sound financial management. Lenders has ruled out moving to the lower house seat vacated by John Thwaites.

JUSTIN MADDEN, 46 (MLC, Western Metro)
Job: Planning
Elected: 1999
Faction: Right
Same title but a big promotion for the former AFL champion whose star has risen in two successive reshuffles. Madden becomes the lead minister over a reshaped department, with parts of the now-defunct Department of Victorian Communities set to merge with parts of the Department of Sustain ability and Environment to become "Planning and Community Development". The changes mean that as well as planning, he will have control over liveability issues, with particular focus on the outer suburbs of Melbourne.

JAMES MERLINO, 34 (MLA, Monbulk)
New job: Sport, Recreation and Youth Affairs and assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs 
Old job: Sport, Recreation and Youth Affairs
Elected: 2002
Faction: Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Union (Associated with the Right)
The main thing recent first-time father James Merlino gained from the Brumby reshuffle was an increased workload. The socially conservative MP has added the responsibility for assisting the Premier on multicultural affairs to his work briefcase.

MAXINE MORAND, 48 (MLA, Mount Waverley)
New job: Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development
Old job: Parliamentary secretary for Health
Elected: November 2002.
Faction: Independents
After just holding on to her seat of Mount Waverley at November's election, Morand is fresh into cabinet having won unanimous endorsement from her colleagues. At first glance, her new portfolio appears to be a junior role, but it is close to new Premier John Brumby's heart and agenda. In his first days as Premier he placed a strong emphasis on education and early childhood development.

LISA NEVILLE, 43 (MLA, Bellarine)
New job: Mental Health, Community Services, Senior Victorians
Old job: Mental Health, Children and Aged Care
Elected: 2002
Faction: Right
Retains her major role in Mental Health, and Aged Care takes a slight reshaping to become Seniors. Loses Childrens' Portfolio to newcomer Maxine Morand but picking up Community Services is a win, meaning she has improved her standing after just eight months in the cabinet.

TIM PALLAS, 47 (MLA, Tarneit)
Job: Minister for Roads and Ports (same role)
Elected: 2006
Faction: Right
Having moved straight into the cabinet after being elected last year, the former chief of staff to Steve Bracks retains his present port folio, which contains controversial, big-ticket items such as the channel-deepening project and possibly building a tunnel connecting the Eastern Freeway with either the Tullamarine Freeway or to the Geelong and Ballarat roads.

BRONWYN PIKE, 51 (MLA, Melbourne)
New job: Education
Old job: Health
Elected: 1999
Faction: Pledge (Associated with Left)
Wanted a fresh start after last year's election, and now gets her chance after five gruelling years battling hospital waiting lists and after a failed tilt at the deputy-premiership this week. Her departure gives the health sector a fresh start after scandals such as the deliberate HIV spreading controversy, which culminated in the sacking of Victoria's chief health officer, Dr Robert Hall, in April.

TONY ROBINSON, 45  (MLA, Mitcham)
New job: Gaming, Consumer Affairs, Assisting Premier on Veterans' Affairs
Old job: Cabinet Secretary
Elected: 1997
Faction: Right
The good news is he's made it to the cabinet, the bad news is he's got Gaming. The controversial portfolio moves to its third minister within a year, with Robinson to be sworn in at roughly the same time the upper house gaming inquiry begins its hearings. Robinson will be hoping that the worst of the Gaming controversies have passed, and will be encouraged by the career progression of its previous minister, Daniel Andrews.

THEO THEOPHANOUS, 61 (MLC, Northern Metro)
New job: Minister for Industry, Trade, Information Technology and Major Projects
Old job: Minister for Industry and State Development, Major Projects and Small Business
Elected: 1988
Faction: Right
Swings and roundabouts for Theophanous in John Brumby's new cabinet as he gains Information Technology from Tim Holding but loses small business to Joe Helper. A great political survivor, Theophanous is the only member of the new cabinet who was also a minister under former premiers Joan Kirner and Steve Bracks.

RICHARD WYNNE, 51 (MLA, Richmond)
New job: Housing, Local Government, Aboriginal Affairs
Old job: Housing, Local Government
Elected: 1999
Faction: Left
The addition of Aboriginal Affairs - one of Gavin Jennings' old portfolios - means Wynne also takes a small step forward just eight months after joining the cabinet. The big spending on social housing in this year's budget means the member for Richmond has plenty to play with this financial year. A former Melbourne Lord Mayor.