Victorian Premier Announces 4 New Ministers, Portfolios Pending

Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan speaks during a Cricket Australia Media Opportunity at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, on Aug. 18, 2024. Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images for Cricket AustraliaVictorian Labor Premier Jacinta Allan has unveiled a new ministry just a day after three ministers resigned from her cabinet ahead of the November state election. The new ministers were chosen at a Labor Caucus meeting on April 14 with the elevation of Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke, Eureka MP Michaela Settle, Kororoit MP Luba Grigorovitch, and Box Hill MP Paul Hamer.Juliana Addison MP told reporters the four ministers were elected unopposed and would make a “huge contribution to this state and to the cabinet.”Premier Jacinta Allan will unveil their portfolios at a swearing-in ceremony a day later.“We are united because we share a value set serving working people,” she said.What Are Their Backgrounds?Edbrooke, 47, is a former firefighter and teacher who was elected to Frankston in 2014. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and one in Education from Monash University. In 2023, he survived a light plane crash.Settle, 61, is a single mother of two sons from regional Victoria. She has a background in media and public relations and was first elected to parliament in 2018.Grigorovitch, 40, from Melbourne’s west, holds a double degree in business and arts from Victoria University. A former Rail, Tram and Bus Union state secretary, she was elected to parliament in 2022.However, Grigorovitch has attracted controversy due to her links to former CFMEU leader John Sekta. However, at a press conference on April 15,  Grigorovitch assured the public she had not spoken to Sekta for a “very long time.”“The reality is I was a union secretary for 10 years. I have a long and proud record of standing up for working people day in and day out,” she told reporters.Hamer is a former civil engineer who was elected to parliament in 2018. He is from a Jewish family, and his father is a Holocaust survivor.The move comes after three senior Labor ministers retired from the Labor cabinet including Mary-Anne Thomas, Danny Pearson, and Gayle Tierney.In response, Shadow Attorney-General James Newbury claimed the “ship is sinking”“Time’s up. It’s time for change,” he said on X.