Former deputy premier Ben Carroll has been elected Victoria’s new premier after Jacinta Allan abandoned a last-ditch bid to cling to power, despite insisting she could defeat him in a Labor leadership ballot just four months before the state election.
Allan broke down as she announced her resignation on Tuesday after abandoning her leadership challenge, ending weeks of speculation over her political future.
The dramatic backflip came just hours after Allan rejected calls to quit from a cross-factional delegation of six ministers and other senior MPs, who told her she had lost the support of a majority of the Labor caucus.
Carroll’s path to the premiership proved anything but straightforward.
The former deputy premier had been expected to cruise into the top job unopposed until Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny dramatically entered the race, throwing Labor’s caucus meeting into disarray.
MPs were heard shouting behind closed doors as the surprise challenge sparked a frantic scramble for support.
In a brief procedural move during the meeting, Transport Infrastructure Minister Gabrielle Williams was elected interim leader of the Victorian Labor Party for just a few minutes while the leadership transition was formalised. She was also elected deputy leader.
But after the chaotic contest, Carroll emerged victorious and was elected Labor leader and Victoria’s new premier.
He now faces the daunting task of leading Labor into a state election just weeks away, with the party languishing in the polls.
Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan announces her resignation after stepping aside as Labor leader following a dramatic party revolt
Deputy Premier Ben Carroll is now the new Labor leader and Victoria’s premiere
Breaking:Ben Carroll has been elected Premier
Ben Carroll has been elected as Premier of Victoria by a ‘unanimous vote’, following chaos inside the Labor Party caucus meeting.
Interim Premier appointed as Labor chaos continues
Gabrielle Williams has been named Labor’s interim parliamentary leader as the party begins the search for Jacinta Allan’s successor.
The Transport Infrastructure Minister was also elected deputy leader after defeating Steve Dimopoulos in a caucus ballot, according to party sources.
Williams’ appointment followed chaos in Labor’s leadership transition on Tuesday morning.
Ben Carroll had been expected to take over unopposed before Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny unexpectedly nominated for the top job, triggering a contest.
Allan is understood to have been one of the nominators of Kilkenny.
Caucus has agreed to open nominations for three days, meaning the leadership battle could drag on for days – or even weeks – as Labor looks for a new leader just months from the state election.
A former lawyer and ministerial adviser, Williams entered Parliament in 2014 and has since become one of Labor’s most senior ministers.
Albanese comments on leadership battle
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has weighed in on Victoria’s political turmoil, speaking at a press conference in Perth.
Asked about the unfolding leadership drama in Victoria, Albanese turned his attention to the Opposition and warned against a potential alliance involving the Liberals, Nationals and One Nation.
‘[Voters] can choose a chaotic coalition of the Liberal Party, One Nation and the National Party,’ he said.
In a remark that quickly took on an ironic edge given the turmoil engulfing Victorian Labor, Albanese argued One Nation was itself beset by uncertainty.
‘[One Nation] doesn’t even know who it’s leader is and who it’s candidates are,’ he said.
The Prime Minister said such instability would create further uncertainty for Victorians.
‘That would be a recipe for chaos and I want to see the Victorian Labor government reelected,’ he said.
Liberals target Ben Carroll in new ad
The Victorian Liberals have moved quickly to target Ben Carroll, releasing a new attack ad against him.
The video, released in the midst of Labor’s leadership turmoil, features footage of Carroll defending Allan just weeks ago.
‘I’ve got a young daughter at home and I couldn’t be more proud to make sure she grows up knowing that I supported Jacinta Allan,’ Carroll says in one clip.
The advertisement also highlights an exchange at the same presser where Carroll ruled out moving against the Premier.
‘Are you going to ask her to step aside?’ a reporter asks.
‘No,’ Carroll replies.
When pressed further, ‘Can you look her in the eye and say that?’, Carroll responds: ‘I can look you in the eye and say that, Premier.’
Chaos inside Labor Caucus
Victorian Labor’s internal tensions have erupted, with reports of shouting in the party’s caucus room after Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny was nominated to challenge Deputy Premier Ben Carroll.
The dramatic development follows Premier Jacinta Allan’s indication that she would step aside to prevent a damaging leadership battle and keep the party united ahead of November’s state election.
However, Allan’s decision to throw her support behind Kilkenny has set the stage for what insiders fear could become a long and deeply divisive contest.
The move would trigger six-week leadership contest would consume the government’s attention, deepen factional divides and distract from the party’s election campaign.
The winner would be left with just 10 weeks to run their campaign.
There is also understood to be an argument about who would serve as interim premier during this contest.
Labor MPs meeting now
Ben Carroll has arrived at the Labor caucus meeting, where MPs are now voting to choose Victoria’s next Premier.
Carroll remains the only declared candidate for the leadership and is widely expected to secure the party’s top job when the caucus vote concludes.
Sonya Kilkenny has nominated against Carroll
Victorian Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny has entered the leadership contest against Ben Carroll, setting up an unexpected ballot to determine Labor’s next leader.
Kilkenny, a key ally of outgoing Premier Jacinta Allan and a member of the party’s Left faction, stunned Labor figures by nominating for the leadership, after Carroll emerged as the overwhelming favourite to succeed Allan, widely expected to be uncontested.
Her late entry threatens to complicate what many in Labor had expected would be a straightforward transition to a Carroll premiership.
Allan breaks down during speech
Jacinta Allan became emotional as she announced her resignation, pausing to reflect on the personal challenges she has faced as a woman and mother.
‘I am a woman, I am a mum. I live with endometriosis and I almost lost my daughter at birth,’ Allan said.
The outgoing Premier paused to compose herself before addressing the room.
‘You all know I’m a bit of a crier,’ she said.
Allan used the moment to highlight her government’s focus on women’s health, saying her own experiences had shaped her priorities in office.
‘For too long women’s pain was dismissed, I am one of those women,’ she said.
Reflecting on her legacy, Allan said she hoped to be remembered for giving women and girls a voice in the healthcare system.
‘If I want to be remembered for one thing it’s this. I led a government that listened to girls about their health.’
Who is Ben Carroll?
Ben Carroll has served as Victoria’s Deputy Premier since October 2023, alongside his role as Deputy Leader of the Victorian Labor Party. The Labor MP has represented the north-west Melbourne seat of Niddrie since entering Parliament in 2012.
As a senior member of Jacinta Allan’s government, Carroll oversees the portfolios of Education and Medical Research.
In June, Carroll moved to shut down speculation about a potential leadership challenge against Allan, publicly declaring he would not seek to replace her.
Standing alongside Allan, Carroll rejected suggestions he was positioning himself for a spill.
When asked whether he intended to challenge the Premier at a caucus meeting, he replied: ‘No.’
Pressed by a journalist to look Allan in the eye and rule out a challenge directly, Carroll turned to the Premier and said: ‘I can look you in the eye and say that, Premier.’
Carroll then invoked his young daughter as he pledged his loyalty to Allan, saying he wanted her to grow up knowing he had backed the Premier.
‘I’ve got a young daughter at home and I couldn’t be more proud to make sure she grows up knowing that I supported Jacinta Allan to be a world-class premier and get re-elected in her own right,’ he said.
Carroll’s time as Education Minister has also been marked by a series of high-profile controversies.
He faced scrutiny after errors were discovered in VCE mathematics and chemistry exams in 2023, raising concerns about quality control in Victoria’s assessment system.
The controversy escalated in 2024 when the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) accidentally published exam materials for 65 VCE subjects weeks before students sat their final tests.
More recently, Carroll has found himself at the centre of a bitter dispute with Victoria’s teachers, overseeing lengthy negotiations with the Australian Education Union as educators push for improved pay and working conditions.
The standoff led Victorian teachers to take industrial action in March for the first time in 13 years. A second strike took place last Thursday.
Since joining Victoria’s cabinet in 2017, Carroll has held a string of prominent portfolios spanning industry, employment, road safety and public transport.
Before entering politics, Carroll built a career in law and government.
He graduated with honours in law from La Trobe University in 2000, joined the Labor Party while at university, and was admitted as a solicitor in 2010.
Carroll’s working life began in retail, spending his teens and early twenties as a sales assistant at Kmart in Airport West. During that time, he became active in the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA).
He later worked in AAMI’s motor vehicle insurance division before joining the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office as a legal officer between 2009 and 2010.
Calls for an early election
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has called for Victoria’s November election to be brought forward, arguing Labor’s internal turmoil has left the state without stable leadership.
‘We’ve got a tired, corrupt Labor government here in Victoria, and I know that Victorians don’t want another unelected Labor Premier,’ she told News24 on Monday.
Wilson said replacing Jacinta Allan with Deputy Premier Ben Carroll would not alter the Coalition’s electoral strategy, attacking Carroll’s record as education minister and his role in Cabinet.
‘Ben Carroll is Jacinta Allan’s second-in-command. He’s been sitting next to her every single day when she’s been making decisions, and decisions as a whole as a Cabinet, not to hold a royal commission, and to oversee the financial mismanagement of this state,’ she said.
Wilson also targeted Carroll’s handling of industrial relations with teachers, saying his leadership had failed to resolve ongoing pay disputes.
‘And we know Ben Carroll and his weak style of leadership has seen tens of thousands of teachers go to the streets over recent months on a strike deal, because this Deputy Premier cannot sit down and negotiate a fair pay deal.’
Jacinta Allan speaks
Jacinta Allan says she has ‘reflected deeply’ and will step aside as leader of the Victorian Labor Party, clearing the way for a leadership transition.
Labor MPs will meet at 10am to elect a new leader, with Allan throwing her support behind Deputy Premier Ben Carroll.
‘Should Ben Carroll emerge as Labor leader… he will have my full support,’ Allan said.
The outgoing Premier revealed she was prepared to take on Carroll in a leadership contest, a move that would have triggered a ballot of Labor Party members and taken up to two months to complete.
Allan said she believed she would have won a leadership contest.
But with just four months until the state election, Allan said a prolonged leadership battle would have come at too great a cost.
‘Doing so, so close to an election takes up the most valuable of resources… time,’ she said.
Explaining her decision to step aside, Allan said the party’s interests had to come first.
‘At the end of the day I am and always have been a team player.’
Allan slams Coalition and One Nation
Jacinta Allan has warned that the biggest risk facing Victorians at the upcoming election is ‘a One Nation-Liberal coalition government’, using her resignation speech to launch a final attack on the Opposition.
Reflecting on her time as Premier, Allan noted she had outlasted multiple Liberal leaders during her tenure.
‘I saw off two Liberal leaders, and I expect my successor will see off the third,’ she said.
‘If they don’t, One Nation certainly will.’
Allan also accused the Liberal Party of failing to support Victoria’s public services, drawing a contrast with Labor’s record in government.
‘They don’t believe every Victorian is equally entitled to [public services],’ she said.
What Jacinta Allan said in her resignation speech
‘My whole life, mum taught me to never give up. Dad, he always taught me to do the right thing,’ Allan said, announcing her resignation on Tuesday.
‘Recently, I have reflected on how deeply these two lessons have shaped me. And on the fact they don’t always point in the same direction.
‘After speaking with my colleagues overnight, I have made the difficult decision to step aside as leader of the Victorian State Parliamentary Labor Party, and as Premier of Victoria.
‘I will shortly chair a caucus meeting to elect a new leader. Should Ben Carroll emerge as our next Labor leader and Labor Premier, he will have my congratulations and unqualified support.
‘I am making this decision because it’s the right thing for the Labor Party and for the Victorian people.
The outgoing premier told supporters she was choosing ‘the right thing’ for Labor and Victorians after speaking with colleagues overnight
‘I was prepared to put my record and my plan to a ballot of members – I believe I would have won. But doing so this close to an election takes up valuable resources, including the most precious one – time.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and husband Yorick Piper
‘I step down after 1,036 days in this role. Not one of them wasted, not one of them easy. Let’s be honest – this gig has been tough.
‘But let’s be clear – the average working family has it tougher. They’re the ones managing interest rate rises. They’re the ones living in a housing crisis and facing economic change that no-one can predict.
‘They’re the people I always put first. I got into politics to fight for them. And whatever I do next, I will still be fighting for them.’
Allan reflects on challenges being leader
Allan also reflected on the personal challenges she has faced as a woman and a mother as she broke down during the speech.
‘I am a woman, I am a mum. I live with endometriosis and I almost lost my daughter at birth,’ Allan said.
The outgoing premier paused to compose herself before addressing the room.
‘You all know I’m a bit of a crier,’ she said.
Allan said she hoped her legacy would be improving healthcare for women and girls after sharing her own health struggles
Jacinta Allan leaves her final speech as the premier of Victoria
Allan used the moment to highlight her government’s focus on women’s health, saying her own experiences had shaped her priorities in office.
‘For too long women’s pain was dismissed, I am one of those women,’ she said.
‘If I want to be remembered for one thing, it’s this. I led a government that listened to girls about their health.’
She warned that the biggest risk facing Victorians at the upcoming election is ‘a One Nation-Liberal Coalition government’, using her resignation speech to launch a final attack on the Opposition.
‘I saw off two Liberal leaders, and I expect my successor will see off the third,’ Allan said.
‘If they don’t, One Nation certainly will.’
Allan gave a shout-out to her predecessor Dan Andrews during her resignation speech.
‘Thank you to Daniel Andrews, who taught us to put people first.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has called for Victoria’s November election to be brought forward, arguing Labor’s internal turmoil has left the state without stable leadership
‘Now, a bit of a message to my kids – mum will be home more to tell you to get off your computers, go and clean your room. I will now also be there for all your drama performances and all of our family holidays without having to leave early. My greatest joy is spending time with you.’
Labor has been in power in Victoria since former premier Daniel Andrews led the ALP to victory in 2014.
But Allan has faced mounting pressure in recent months following revelations of corruption on Big Build projects.
She has refused to call a royal commission into the sector after corruption-busting lawyer Geoffrey Watson estimated it had cost the state $15 billion.
Persistent crime and the government’s failure to reach a pay deal with public school teachers have also dogged the administration.
Polls show plunging support for Labor in Victoria
A News Corp poll at the weekend found Victorian Labor had slumped well behind the Coalition on a two-party-preferred basis, with the Opposition leading 56 per cent to Labor’s 44.
Labor’s primary vote was also behind One Nation. Support for Labor in Victoria stood at 23 per cent, while the Coalition was on 29 per cent and One Nation on 24 per cent.
Polls have consistently shown the Coalition and One Nation surging in Victoria
Allan has faced mounting pressure in recent months following revelations of corruption on Big Build projects
The Resolve Political Monitor – another poll published earlier in July – found 43 per cent of Victorians wanted Opposition Leader Jess Wilson to lead the state, ahead of Allan on 24 per cent.
There’s no guarantee Carroll can lead Labor to a record fourth straight election victory if he becomes premier, RedBridge pollster and former Liberal strategist Tony Barry said.
A significant cabinet reshuffle and policy overhaul would be needed to differentiate Carroll’s politics from Allan’s and reverse the decline in voter support Labor suffered under her leadership, Barry said.
‘There’s going to have be changes around the Suburban Rail Loop and other things where he differentiates himself from Jacinta Allan,’ he said.
‘Otherwise he’s going to be completely open to the attack of same horse, different jockey.
‘In that situation, he might make a bad situation even worse.’
Calls for Victoria’s state election to be held early
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has called for Victoria’s November election to be brought forward, arguing Labor’s internal turmoil has left the state without stable leadership.
‘We’ve got a tired, corrupt Labor government here in Victoria, and I know that Victorians don’t want another unelected Labor Premier,’ she told News24 on Monday.
Allan made a shout out to former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews during her resignation speech
Allan said she would be looking forward to spending time with her kids
‘Ben Carroll is Jacinta Allan’s second-in-command. He’s been sitting next to her every single day while she’s been making decisions, and making decisions as part of the Cabinet not to hold a royal commission, and to oversee the financial mismanagement of this state,’ she said.
Wilson also targeted Carroll’s handling of industrial relations with teachers, saying his leadership had failed to resolve ongoing pay disputes.
‘And we know Ben Carroll and his weak style of leadership has seen tens of thousands of teachers take to the streets over recent months over a pay dispute, because this Deputy Premier cannot sit down and negotiate a fair pay deal.’
