Ben Carroll to fill one of three vacancies in Victorian cabinet, ABC understands

Victorian Premier Ben Carroll is set to appoint just one new minister to his cabinet, despite three vacancies arising from recent resignations. The move comes as the Victorian Labor caucus prepares to meet on Monday morning to discuss the reshuffle following the departure of former Premier Jacinta Allan.

Allan announced her resignation last week, just a day after confirming she would contest any leadership ballot. Her decision to step down ahead of an expected spill motion, which she was reportedly set to lose, led to a chaotic caucus meeting. While Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny initially put her hand up for the leadership, Ben Carroll was ultimately and unanimously elected as premier, with Transport Infrastructure Minister Gabrielle Williams becoming his deputy.

Adding to the vacancies, ministers Harriet Shing and Lily D'Ambrosio also announced their resignations from cabinet just days after Allan's departure. Shing, a close ally of Allan, served as Health Minister, while D'Ambrosio was Australia's longest-serving energy and climate minister. Their exits left three significant positions open for the new premier to fill.

Despite the three vacancies, sources indicate Carroll intends to fill only one. Mordialloc MP Tim Richardson is expected to be elevated to cabinet, potentially filling the position previously held by Allan. Richardson, who served as a government advisor before entering parliament over a decade ago, was recently promoted to cabinet secretary. All three vacancies were within the Socialist Left faction, which has seen considerable upheaval following recent events.