McGowan stays as treasurer in new look cabinet

Today's cabinet makeover includes big jobs for new ministers, significant shifts for senior government figures but, notably, no changes to the premier's substantial workload.

Jackie Jarvis and Sabine Winton were yesterday elevated to the ministry to replace Alannah MacTiernan, who announced her retirement from state politics in November, and Dave Kelly, who has shifted to the backbench at the premier's request.

Mr McGowan has now handed out roles to his new ministers, with Ms Jarvis taking agriculture and food, forestry, and small business, and Ms Winton taking on early childhood education, child protection, prevention of family and domestic violence, and community services.

The latter changes leaves Simone McGurk with just a handful of portfolios, including Mr Kelly’s former roles of water and youth.

Asked whether Ms McGurk had been demoted, Mr McGowan demurred, saying training and water in particular were "major economic portfolios".

"Simone has been, I think, doing an excellent job in difficult portfolios over the course of the last six years, and she's now going into an economic role, which I think is teriffic," he said.

Elsewhere, Sue Ellery has stepped away from education, taking on finance from Tony Buti and commerce from deputy premier Roger Cook.

Dr Buti in turn has picked up education, while Mr Cook has received Ms MacTiernan's old job of hydrogen.

Don Punch meanwhile received regional development, while Reece Whitby has returned to racing and gaming after a brief 12-month hiatus in which Dr Buti held that job.

Notable as those changes are, Mr McGowan has stayed put as treasurer despite some suggestions in recent days he would seek to pass the job to Mr Cook or Planning Minister Rita Saffioti.

That appears unlikely to happen before the 2025 state election, though, with the premier today saying only he was able to stand up for the state's generous GST carve up by virtue of attending both national cabinet and national treasurers meetings.

Neither the federal Liberal nor Labor party supports changing the GST grant distribution negotiated in 2018.

That's despite most other states and several noted economists, including Saul Eslake, in recent years suggesting the deal be revisited.

"No one else gets to go to national cabinet bar me," he said.

"I can keep an eye on the other treasurers, I can keep an eye on the other premiers, I can make sure our position is fully expressed in those environments."