Bill Shorten faces pressure to retain veteran senator Kim Carr on the frontbench and protect female shadow ministers from being dumped.
The Labor leader will meet with his caucus on Friday afternoon to finalise the shadow ministry for the coming term.
While Mr Shorten is not expected to make major changes, most of the conveners of the Left faction have agreed to Senator Carr making way for NSW MP Linda Burney and an additional position going to Tasmanian senator Carol Brown.
Members of the Victorian Socialist Left met in Melbourne on Wednesday where a resolution was passed in support of all of the sub-faction's frontbench positions, including that of Senator Carr.
It is unclear what the sub-faction will do if Senator Carr is not reappointed.
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Senator Carr is considered by many elements of the Left to have undermined Anthony Albanese's tilt for the leadership in 2013 and worked against the faction's interest at last year's ALP national conference.
Ms Burney is considered a star of NSW Labor and is the first Aboriginal woman elected to the House of Representatives.
Labor's Lisa Singh, who is awaiting the result of a tight contest for her Tasmanian senate seat, said it was important to ensure women held as many senior positions as possible.
"On issues of gender, on issues of heritage, we do need to do better," she told ABC radio.
Retired Labor MP Kelvin Thomson backed Senator Carr.
"Kim Carr is a great supporter of manufacturing - better than many non-Victorian frontbenchers - and should not be dumped," Mr Thomson wrote on Twitter.
Calwell MP Maria Vamvakinou, who is from the Socialist Left faction, wrote on her Facebook page in support of Senator Carr on Thursday.
"As Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, he fought tirelessly to support local manufacturing industry, which is such an important source of jobs in our region," she wrote.
"Kim's strong support of higher education is vital to this electorate, where access to quality, affordable education is central to a healthy and fulfilling life, for individuals, for families for the community as a whole."
