Anthony Albanese has been coldly rational in learning from some of the weaknesses of his first term in power, so he can hold on to that power for several terms to come.

The prime minister is setting up a new ministry to deliver his stated aim as leader: to make Labor the natural party of government. And he has no time for sentimentality.

Anthony Albanese announces his new ministry.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Yes, the factional dirty work adds a stink to the reshuffle because the Victorian Right dispatched one of their own, Mark Dreyfus, and forced their NSW colleagues to chop down another cabinet minister, Ed Husic.

Albanese chose not to intervene because he is now the manager-in-chief of this ministry and has chosen to stay above the factional machinations. For now, at least.

When Albanese was asked about his meeting with Husic on Monday, for instance, he was serenely pragmatic about the factional brutality. “The process occurred in the normal way of the caucus,” he said. The members of the Labor tribe accept the way of the tribe.

Albanese did not even dispense any pleasantries such as thanking or praising Dreyfus and Husic for their time in the ministry.

Tanya Plibersek is moving sideways from environment to social services, in one of the most keenly watched decisions – not just because she is popular in the community but also because there is natural interest in how Albanese treats her as a colleague and competitor in the Left. When she is moved, the decisions say very little about her and a lot about him.

In the........

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