ACT Labor facing monumental reckoning in wake of Berry's retirement

analysis With Yvette Berry retiring from cabinet, ACT Labor faces a monumental reckoning Fri 24 Jul 2026 at 6:38am For a government that’s been in power for almost 25 years, it would be difficult to have an unblemished record. And while there have been some marks along the way for Labor in the ACT, ministers have weathered the storm of controversy on many occasions. Usually, questions are raised about their conduct or handling of a major project. Pressure mounts. But on almost every occasion, it’s not enough to warrant a resignation. Yvette Berry was different. We’ve been waiting for years for the findings of an ACT Integrity Commission investigation into the awarding of a contract to revamp a Canberra primary school, seemingly influenced by the interests of the CFMEU. When it finally was released — revealing "serious corrupt conduct" findings against two senior public servants in Ms Berry’s portfolio — it’s little surprise it took only five hours for the education minister to announce her resignation from cabinet. While no findings were made against Ms Berry, as the ministerial code of conduct makes clear, ministers aren’t just accountable for their own behaviour but also for "the decisions and actions of their staff". Sticking around would have been untenable, not least because the opposition and crossbench were certain to hold a vote of no confidence if she did. Now that she has gone, ACT Labor is facing a monumental reckoning about its future. ACT's longest-serving deputy chief minister Ms Berry wasn’t just resigning as education minister — she has departed from the housing and sport portfolios as well. And, for almost a decade, she's been deputy chief minister — the ACT's second in charge. As the longest-serving deputy chief minister in the territory's history, many would have seen Ms Berry as a potential successor to Chief Minister Andrew Barr. Now, she’ll sit on the backbench, and with that, any ambition to take the top job has vanished. It’s a resignation that will have a cascading impact, and marks significant upheaval for a party which holds just 10 seats in the 25-seat Legislative Assembly. Cabinet makeup headed for major shake-up The Labor caucus is set to meet early next week before an announcement on the redistribution of Ms Berry’s portfolios. Do one of the two first-term backbenchers — Caitlin Tough and Taimus Werner-Gibbings — get a look in? Or do the time-consuming portfolios of education and housing get lumped on the workload of an already busy minister? And the big question — who becomes Mr Barr's deputy? If factions have anything to do with it, Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith might be the logical choice, coming from the left — the same as Ms Berry. While there are plenty of questions yet to be answered, what is certain is Ms Berry's departure has caused a major shake-up in the makeup of cabinet. One less MLA in race to be next chief minister There is another key change Ms Berry’s departure sets up — a much clearer path to the top job in ACT politics when Andrew Barr eventually goes. In what has been regarded as a three-horse race, Ms Stephen-Smith and Treasurer Chris Steel are now firmly the two frontrunners. When exactly Mr Barr intends to pass on the torch is unknown. If the recent DemosAU poll is anything to go by, suggesting Labor has maintained strong support, he might be inclined to stay on and lead his party to the 2028 election. When asked about his future in the wake of Ms Berry's resignation, Mr Barr said he was not yet ready to hand over the reins. "I'm 53 years of age, so not quite ready for retirement yet," he said. Either way, Ms Berry’s resignation signals a major reset for the party. And, all in, Labor will be hoping there will be no more storms to weather in this new era.