A decision to place Finance Minister Penny Wong only second on Labor's South Australian Senate ticket for the next election shows the party has lost faith in her, Opposition Senate leader Eric Abetz says.
Labor's SA convention on Saturday selected the high-profile minister behind the relatively unknown Don Farrell, a former union official.
Senator Abetz said if Labor endorses its candidates on the basis of merit, it was clear Senator Wong's capacity as finance minister was under question from within the party.
"It does beg the question why you would put such a high-profile minister number two on the ticket," he told AAP on Saturday.
"I think the Labor party rank and file has cast a judgement on Penny Wong that they don't believe that she's up for the task and they have greater confidence in Don Farrell."
Senator Farrell is a key player in Labor's right faction in South Australia and also serves as a parliamentary secretary for the government.
After Saturday's vote a diplomatic Senator Wong said she felt honoured to have been endorsed in a "winnable position" to represent the ALP at the next election.
The vote had been expected although it's drawn criticism from Transport Minister Anthony Albanese, even though Senator Wong was also No.2 on the ticket the last time she went to an election.
Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen said being from NSW, he wouldn't lecture other states about how to run their pre-selections.
"Occasionally we have the odd pre-selection issue here in NSW," he told reporters in Sydney.
"Penny is a very valued member of the team who deserves full recognition for that."
But Senator Abetz said such an answer could be expected from Mr Bowen, a supporter of Mr Farrell's from the right faction of the Labor Party.
