Outgoing speaker Anna Burke has publicly attacked new Labor leader Bill Shorten, saying his frontbench feels like it was carved up by a “couple of blokes”.
The attack is especially bruising for Mr Shorten given he has styled himself as a progressive visionary and condemned Prime Minister Tony Abbott for having only one woman in his cabinet.
Ms Burke, who missed out on being chief opposition whip, took to the media on Monday to condemn the factional selection process. When the Victorian MP left Labor’s caucus meeting, she was filmed gesticulating, and was visibly upset. She says she was told not to challenge for the position she wanted but she defied her party’s orders.
Mr Shorten’s frontbench selection involved “a couple of blokes sitting around a room carving up the spoils and then telling everybody else what the outcome’s going to be”, Ms Burke said on Monday night.
“It was quite frustrating when it was again just all within the leader’s pick,” Ms Burke told ABC’s Lateline program, hours after writing a swingeing opinion piece for the Guardian Australia.
“Yes I’m bitter and twisted at this point in time, I’ll be brutally honest.”
Mr Shorten on Monday unveiled a 30-member frontbench, with Tanya Plibersek as his deputy and featuring 10 other women.
Ms Plibersek went on radio on Tuesday morning to defend Mr Shorten, saying she could understand Ms Burke’s disappointment about the selection process, but that it was not her experience.
“[Ms Burke] has missed out on a frontbench position so I suppose you have to understand that she’s speaking from a place of disappointment,” Ms Plibersek told ABC radio.
“Anna’s criticism that this is about blokes looking after themselves I don’t think is borne out in the fact that we’ve got 11 women on our frontbench.”
Mr Shorten’s new team is the result of heavy factional manoeuvring, with Labor’s right and left groupings allocating positions. Of the 11 women, the Right faction provided just three – and none from Victoria. Portfolio responsibilities will be announced on Friday.
Mr Shorten will be joined in the leadership group by Ms Plibersek and Penny Wong as Senate leader. Right faction warrior Stephen Conroy is Senate deputy leader.
Talented women missed out on senior roles, with rising star and proven performer Kate Lundy punished for breaking ranks with the Left faction to support Mr Shorten rather than Anthony Albanese in last week’s caucus ballot.
NSW MP Laurie Ferguson took to Twitter on Monday to condemn the punishment of Ms Lundy for breaking ranks.
“Magnificent effort by Kate Lundy in Multiculturalism,” he wrote. “Respected and loved in the nations [sic] Settlement communities. Sad collateral payback.”
Among the surprises was the retention of right-wing South Australian senator Don Farrell on the frontbench. He lost his Senate spot at the election and will exit Parliament in July next year.
Ms Burke complained that most of the deals were done before she “even had a chance to know what was going on”.
“We said to the Australian Labor Party membership, ‘we will have a democratic process to elect the leader’ and the same time I was told inside caucus ‘don’t rock the boat, don’t have a vote’.”
