Victorian Premier Announces 4 New Ministers, Portfolios Pending

Melbourne — Premier Jacinta Allan will swear in four new ministers on Tuesday after the Labor Caucus unanimously elevated backbenchers Paul Edbrooke, Michaela Settle, Luba Grigorovitch, and Paul Hamer during a meeting on 14 April. Their portfolios will be revealed at the ceremony.

The quartet fills the vacancies created by the recent retirements of senior ministers Mary-Anne Thomas, Danny Pearson, and Gayle Tierney.

Speaking after the caucus vote, Deputy Government Whip Juliana Addison said the four MPs were elected unopposed and “will make a huge contribution to this state and to the cabinet.”

Allan framed the reshuffle as a continuation of Labor’s core mission. “We are united because we share a value set serving working people,” she told reporters.

Paul Edbrooke, 47, has represented Frankston since 2014. A former firefighter and teacher, he holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education from Monash University. In 2023 he survived a light-plane crash.

Michaela Settle, 61, the single mother of two sons from regional Victoria, was elected in 2018. She brings a background in media and public relations to the frontbench.

Luba Grigorovitch, 40, entered parliament in 2022 after a decade as Rail, Tram and Bus Union state secretary. The Kororoit MP holds a double degree in business and arts from Victoria University. Her links to former CFMEU leader John Sekta have drawn scrutiny, but Grigorovitch told Monday’s press conference she had not spoken to Sekta “for a very long time,” adding: “I have a long and proud record of standing up for working people day in and day out.”

Paul Hamer, first elected for Box Hill in 2018, is a former civil engineer from a Jewish family; his father is a Holocaust survivor.

The opposition was quick to criticise the shake-up. Shadow Attorney-General James Newbury claimed the changes showed “the ship is sinking.”

Allan’s office confirmed the official swearing-in will take place at Government House, where the new ministers’ responsibilities will be made public.

SEO keywords: