A new minister will be tasked with tackling the manosphere, and Harriet Shing has been elevated to the Allan government’s crucial health portfolio in a major pre-election reshuffle.
Premier Jacinta Allan on Wednesday attended the swearing-in of four new ministers at Government House and made more than a dozen changes to portfolios, including new roles for senior ministers.
Shing, previously in charge of the Suburban Rail Loop and housing, was placed in charge of health and returns to her previous portfolio of water as the government considers a second desalination plant.
Nick Staikos will take over her responsibilities, with his previous portfolio carved up among new ministers.
Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt has been given the extra responsibility of Special Minister of State.
One of her first jobs will be to respond to the High Court’s decision on Wednesday that ruled a large section of Victoria’s donation laws were invalid.
Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke, elevated to cabinet on Tuesday, takes over consumer affairs, cost of living and becomes the minister for men and boys – a new focus given to him by Allan.
Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams will handle a corresponding portfolio for women and girls.
Edbrooke said the new role included looking at the impact of right-wing influencers who have been accused of promoting dangerous and hateful views about women online, a world dubbed the “manosphere” and recently explored in a documentary by Louis Theroux.
“I found that [documentary] quite shocking, and that is part of the issue we’re looking at now,” Edbrooke said.
“They are having, for want of a better word, an influence on young Victorian men, and it’s definitely unhealthy.
“As a former educator, I’m sure everyone here has seen there’s been a definite change in how young boys become men, and I think this portfolio is firmly focused on how we make young boys into healthier men.
“That has so many repercussions across our whole community, whether it be family violence, whether it be suicide rates, there’s a lot of work to be done there.”
Allan said she believed the government needed to take a focused approach on men and boys because of these trends.
“We cannot deny that there has been societal change with the way we support young boys to become good, strong men, and there are some real challenges and pressures that men and boys are facing today that weren’t there five or 10 years ago,” she said.
Shing said she was the daughter of a local GP and the granddaughter of a nurse and knew first-hand the efforts of the state’s health workforce.
Attorney-General and Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny will take on two new portfolios, violence reduction and finance, which is expected to lead to her sitting on the Budget and Finance Committee that oversees key funding decisions.
Deputy Premier Ben Carroll returns to the portfolio of medical research alongside his existing responsibilities with education, WorkSafe and the TAC.
Enver Erdogan has moved away from youth justice, taking on responsibilities for the environment and outdoor recreation but keeping liquor and gaming.
Steve Dimopoulos has shed some of his titles, keeping major events and sport, and has been given the economic growth and jobs role, which makes him a coordinating minister – a more senior title that puts him at the head of the jobs department.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines will become the government’s leader in the lower house and Manufacturing Minister Colin Brooks steps into the key areas of skills and TAFE.
Natalie Suleyman will take over Dimopoulos’ tourism responsibilities.
Among the other new ministers, Paul Hamer will handle local government, youth justice and corrections, Luba Grigorovitch takes over youth and carers, and Michaela Settle will head agriculture and regional development.
