Biggest winners and losers of Anthony Albanese’s cabinet reshuffle revealed

Anthony Albanese is set to announce the biggest shake-up of his front bench in years, parachuting Tony Burke into the home affairs portfolio and demoting underperforming ministers.

The Prime Minister is set to announce a complete clear-out of the home affairs and immigration portfolio ahead of the election.

The shake up will turf Andrew Giles out of the immigration portfolio as expected.

In a tacit admission that the portfolio areas are the Albanese government’s weakest link in the wake of the High Court decision on indefinite detention, Clare O’Neil is also moving on from the home affairs portfolio.

There is speculation that Tony Burke will take the reins of the powerful home affairs portfolio and hand industrial relations to Queensland’s Murray Watt.

Liberal leader Peter Dutton said the reshuffle was a vote of no-confidence in the government’s handling of the High Court’s decision on indefinite detention.

“I really think Andrew Giles’ position is completely and utterly untenable,” he said.

“So he should go, that should be the first test for the prime minister, and not just parachuted into another portfolio, he needs to go.

“There’s no way in the world the prime minister could credibly have Andrew Giles in a ministry, given what he’s done so far. And Clare O’Neil, of course, is the co-conspirator to all of that.

“I think there’s a lot of speculation at the moment around Murray Watt moving into the immigration portfolio. He’s basically just a clone of Andrew Giles. So, you can change the sales person, but you still have them read from the same script. They’re weak on borders and people are getting to our mainland at the moment.”

Liberal Senator James Patterson warned the stewardship of the home affairs portfolio was vital.

“Anthony Albanese’s government, the Labor Party have done enough damage to the Home Affairs portfolio and our national security already,” Liberal Senator James Paterson told Sky News on Sunday.

“I hope they don’t do any further damage.

“They dismantled the portfolio when they came to office by taking key agencies like the Federal Police and the Intelligence Commission out of the portfolio and sent it to the Attorney-General’s portfolio.”

The cabinet reshuffle follows the resignation of Linda Burney and Brendan O’Connor and Tasmania’s Carol Brown.

Tasmanian senator Carol Brown announced on Saturday she would step aside from her position as assistant minister for transport and infrastructure due to health reasons but will remain in parliament.

Clare O’Neil is expected to retain a major portfolio and speculation on Sunday morning centred around her being awarded housing or Tanya Plibersek’s environment portfolio with the option of Ms Plibersek taking on housing.

Malarndirri McArthy is tipped take over from Linda Burney as Indigenous Australians Minister.

Outgoing Labor frontbencher Brendan O’Connor predicted new faces including Victoria’s Kate Thwaites were set for promotion.

“It’s great to see it looks likely that Malarndirri McCarthy and Jenny [McAllister] will enter the ministry. They’re assistant ministers now, they both have remarkable energy and talent,” he told Insiders.

“I look forward to watching them if that’s the case in the ministry.”