Overview
- The new cabinet, sworn in Wednesday at Government House, features Paul Edbrooke as Victoria’s first minister for cost of living.
- Harriet Shing moves into the health portfolio as Sonya Kilkenny adds finance and a violence reduction brief, signalling a pivot to core services and household pressures.
- Four first‑time ministers join the front bench with defined roles: Luba Grigorovitch (youth; carers and volunteers), Paul Hamer (local government; youth justice; corrections), Michaela Settle (agriculture; regional development) and Edbrooke (cost of living; renters; consumer affairs; men and boys).
- The reset follows Monday’s retirements from cabinet by Mary‑Anne Thomas, Danny Pearson and Gayle Tierney, with caucus elevating replacements Tuesday to shape Labor’s team for the November 28 election.
- Opposition figures attack the overhaul and spotlight Grigorovitch’s past ties to ex‑CFMEU boss John Setka, while the government frames the changes as renewal ahead of the May budget and a campaign likely to hinge on health and hip‑pocket relief.