Labor rising star Ed Husic will join the shadow ministry after shadow minister for vocational education Sharon Bird chose not to contest a ballot of the NSW Right faction in Canberra.
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As Opposition Leader Bill Shorten prepares for a potentially heated meeting of the full caucus on Friday, individual state factions were meeting to hammer out who will be on his frontbench.
Mr Husic, who was a parliamentary secretary under Kevin Rudd and has been shadow parliamentary secretary to shadow treasurer Chris Bowen, will be the first Australian Muslim elevated to ministerial level.
Mr Husic, 46, who grew up in Blacktown in western Sydney, is a former Young Labor operative, political staffer and union official.
He replaces Ms Bird in the group of six put up by the NSW Right, including senior MPs Tony Burke, Jason Clare and Mr Bowen.
Backers of Ms Bird, which included Mr Burke, had warned that the demotion of a woman – with just Michelle Rowland left on the frontbench representing the NSW Right – would be a negative at the same time as Mr Shorten and his deputy Tanya Plibersek have been taking aim at the lack of female representation in the Coalition party room and cabinet.
But the move against Ms Bird had been justified on the likely ascension of Claire O'Neil in Victoria, which would mean no net loss at the national level.
Kaila Murnain, NSW Labor's first female general secretary, has been leading an ambitious affirmative action program to ensure more women are placed in key roles in the grassroots of the party.
Another state affecting calculations in the NSW Right is South Australia, where returning powerbroker Don Farrell could replace Amanda Rishworth.
Mr Husic had been supported by a core group of western Sydney MPs and senators including Mr Bowen, Mr Clare, new Lindsay MP Emma Husar and senator Sam Dastyari.
After the meeting of the full caucus, Mr Shorten will appoint portfolios, with an official announcement expected on Friday.
Significant moves could include Queensland rising star Jim Chalmers into the finance portfolio; a move by Tanya Plibersek, the deputy leader and foreign affairs spokeswoman, to the education portfolio and current finance spokesman Tony Burke taking over environment – but not climate change – from current shadow Mark Butler.
Is it expected veteran Kim Carr will remain on the frontbench after a fiery split in the Victorian Left after he was dropped by his factional colleagues.
smh.com.au
