Not-so-new and old faces are expected to fill the new composition of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's Cabinet on Monday as reports emerged that the Australian Labor Party leadership plans to implement a reshuffling that would consolidate its position in the immediate months ahead.

Reuters has reported that the revamp would hardly affect senior portfolios as Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan and Defence Minister Stephen Smith are tipped to remain on their posts.

Rudd, sources said, will keep his position despite reports of tension between him and the Prime Minister, which analysts said dates back from last year when Ms Gillard, with the help of other senior ALP leaders, engineered Rudd's ouster from The Lodge.

Even as Rudd appears to have regained enough support, basing on recent surveys, to serve as a threat to Ms Gillard, the latter, Reuters said, is not keen on sidelining him if only to secure a restive truce within the ALP.

The most notable changes that will come out of the revamp, media reports said, would be the departure of Attorney-General Robert McClelland and Parliament members Chris Bowen and Kim Carr.

Also, The Australian has reported that Ms Gillard took the opportunity of reconsolidating her frontbenchers when Senator Nick Sherry served notice during the recent ALP national conference of his retirement, citing personal reasons.

Seen by observers as a major push is the expected ascent of Bill Shorten, touted within the ALP circle as a future Prime Minister contender, who reportedly will handle a new super portfolio tasked to handle key economic responsibilities.

According to The Herald Sun, Ms Gillard is expected to name Shorten to lead an office that will deal with jobs, prosperity and industrial relation issues, with experts noting that the promotion highlighted Shorten's increasing importance within the ALP hierarchy.

Aside from claiming major credits on Ms Gillard's rise last year, Shorten won plaudits by making his voice heard during the standoff between Qantas Airways and its employees, which saw the airline grounding its fleet in October.

McClelland, on the other hand, will make way for current Health Minister Nicola Roxon, who is expected to take the lead of defending the federal government's anti-smoking polices that were underscored by the cigarette plain packaging law set to see realisation by December next year.

The shake-up will be implemented as Ms Gillard continues to fend off the effects of her plunging popularity, with the Sydney Morning Herald reporting on Monday that Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has sustained his edge over the Prime Minister among Australians.

Abbot, the latest SMH-Nielsen poll said, enjoys 46 percent preference among voters while Ms Gillard lags behind at 43 percent.

The same survey showed that the Coalition trumped the ALP as it further upped its lead by two points to 57 percent, with the ALP languishing at 43 percent.

Previous polls have also indicated that the greatest threat to Ms Gillard's position is not Abbott but can be found with the Labor ranks - Rudd, who was deposed last year but tethers anew in the brink of reclaiming the glory he lost to the present Prime Minister.