What Ben Carroll’s cabinet cuts say about his ‘new direction’ for Victoria

A week after his elevation to premier and four months out from an election, the priorities of the Carroll government are becoming clearer Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast It’s been exactly one week since Ben Carroll became Victorian premier, promising to differentiate himself from his predecessors Jacinta Allan and Daniel Andrews. With his new cabinet sworn in at Government House on Tuesday morning, Victorians are beginning to see what that actually looks like. This was far more than tinkering at the edges. Four months out from an election, Carroll has made cuts and completely overhauled portfolios, and in turn, the priorities of his government. “This is a strong, focused, united team that is taking our government in a new direction. A government that will fight every day for working people. A government that will fix things,” he told reporters. The most striking feature of the new cabinet is which portfolios Carroll chose to abolish. Gone are the standalone transport infrastructure and Suburban Rail Loop portfolios that symbolised the Allan and Andrews governments’ focus. Carroll also scrappe