Former union boss Peter Malinauskas is set to be installed as opposition leader in South Australia, capping off his meteoric rise up the Labor ranks.
The Labor caucus will meet for the first time after the party's election loss on Monday with Mr Malinauskas expected to be named leader unopposed.
Former education minister Susan Close is likely to be named his deputy in what will signal a major reworking of Labor's frontbench.
The revamp could involve six new faces coming into the shadow ministry with some senior figures bowing out.
As well as outgoing premier Jay Weatherill, former attorney-general John Rau and previous ministers Leon Bignell and Ian Hunter, are tipped to head to the backbench.
At the March poll, Mr Malinauskas successfully moved from the upper house to the House of Assembly in what was then seen as preparation for him taking over as the next Labor leader.
But had the ALP been returned last month he would likely have had to cool his heels until the next election or at least until a year or so before the poll.
He'll now take over a Labor team stung by its election defeat but certainly not decimated.
Labor retained 19 seats in the new parliament despite a recent redistribution, which did the party no favours, and now has a chance of returning to the government benches in 2022.
Mr Malinauskas only entered parliament in 2015, filling a casual vacancy in the upper house.
The 37-year-old was previously the state secretary for the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA), the union that wields considerable power in Labor's dominant right faction.
He entered the cabinet in a 2016 reshuffle, taking on the police and emergency services portfolios before taking on the much more challenging role of health minister when Jack Snelling stood down in 2017.
He's had little to say about his decision to bid for the Labor leadership, only confirming he would be a candidate and thanking Mr Weatherill for his service.
"After much reflection and discussion with my family, I have decided to nominate for the position of leader of the South Australian Parliamentary Labor Party," Mr Malinauskas said.
"Out of respect for the caucus process, I will not be making public comment in the immediate future."
But his elevation seems assured, with his only serious contender, former treasurer Tom Koutsantonis, ruling himself out.
