Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says she will fight an impending leadership challenge after factional conveners met and agreed she had lost majority support in caucus. Her deputy Ben Carroll has declared he will challenge for the top job, setting off a contest that could take weeks to resolve, with an election just four months away.
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TRANSCRIPT
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has confirmed she will fight to retain the state Labor leadership as colleagues move to depose her just months out from November's election.
Factional conveners met on Sunday and agreed Ms Allan no longer has majority support within caucus.
On Monday, a group of colleagues asked for her resignation, which she refused
Instead, she requested that the ministers within that group resign. They refused.
The Labor caucus is due to meet on Tuesday morning and a leadership spill is expected.
Ms Allan has written to the State Labor Secretary Steve Staikos asking him to prepare for the possibility of a ballot among party members.
Her Deputy, Ben Carroll, has announced on social media that he will challenge for the top job, despite giving this assurance in June.
REPORTER: "Are you going to try to beat the premier's job tomorrow?"
CARROLL: "No."
REPORTER: "Are you going to ask her to step aside?"
CARROLL: "No."
REPORTER: "Can you look her in the eye and say that?"
CARROLL: "I can look you in the eye and say that, Premier. I want to serve Jacinta Allen, and I want to make sure. Look, I've got 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 says a group of colleagues visited him this morning and asked him to nominate for a leadership ballot, adding it's clear Ms Allan has lost support.
Mr Carroll says it's been a difficult decision but the stakes are too high not to run, claiming a Liberal government would cut schools, health and frontline services.
Opposition leader Jess Wilson has told Sky News a new Labor leader won't solve the fundamental problems Victorians face.
“We've got a tired, corrupt Labor government here in Victoria, and I know that Victorians don't want another unelected Labor premier. Ben Carroll is Jacinta Allan's 2IC — 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, to see the financial mismanagement of this state.”
The Allan government has been dogged by concerns around debt, crime, and teachers strikes, but most significantly, alleged corruption in infrastructure projects.
Calls for a royal commission into the state's Big Build program have been growing louder in recent weeks, amid fresh allegations linked to the CFMEU.
The Big Build is a central plank of the Labor legacy after 12 years, which began under the leadership of Daniel Andrews.
As Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Ms Allan played a key role, before replacing Mr Andrews when he resigned in 2023.
Under questioning about the issue last week, the premier said she was confident she would lead Labor to an election in her own right.
“Absolutely, and I am determined because this election is a fight, and Carbs went to this just before. This election is a fight. This election is a challenge, and we are going to put forward not just what we've been doing. And Victorians can see our Labor government has a record of delivery. When we say we do something, we go and get it done, even when it might be hard and complex. We go and get it done.”
That press conference followed reports police minister Anthony Carbines had criticised Labor's strategy on Big Build scandals at the annual retreat of the Victorian Labor caucus.
The infrastructure program includes more than 180 major road, rail and housing investment projects, like the Suburban Rail Loop, Metro Tunnel, and North East Link.
The lawyer tasked with investigating the CFMEU, Geoffrey Watson, has suggested corruption and criminal activity added $15 billion to cost of the Big Build.
Labor disputes the figure, but an increasing number of MPs are said to believe a royal commission is needed to put the years-long issue to bed.
Last week, Anthony Carbines was asked whether he thought more needed to be done.
“The premier has made it clear the government's position on those matters, and I continue to work closely with the chief commissioner of Victoria Police to disrupt and dismantle organised crime, wherever it may be, across the state, and we're working very closely and delivering results, and we continue to do that work together.”
The premier had been expected to announce a new crime body to tackle Big Build corruption and other issues including the state's tobacco wars.
That intervention appears to have proven to be too little, too late, with the state now bracing for a weeks-long leadership battle.
In the likely case of a contested ballot the leadership will be determined in a fifty-fifty split between MPs and party members.
A political scientist at Monash University, Dr Zareh Ghazarian it's unusually late in the political cycle to change party leader.
“Even now, you'd think it's cutting it too fine, especially if the current premier does not vacate the spot and leave it open to a new challenger. That will mean a whole new protracted and lengthy level of a public spectacle, and that will just reflect very poorly on Labor. You'd have to think.”
He says the leadership contenders would have to step back from their leadership roles to campaign, while another figure from within Labor acted as interim leader.
It's not clear how the parliamentary numbers would fall, but on Sunday, Allan-aligned attorney-general Sonya Kilkenny continued to back the premier.
“She has my full support, and this idle gossip doesn't help.”
Victoria's state election was already being closely watched as the next major test for One Nation.
Despite not having announced a leader or candidates, the party's primary support was sitting at 22 per cent in the latest Resolve Political Monitor poll.
The survey of 1,000 Victorians had the two major parties neck-and-neck at 27 per cent.
Jess Wilson had secured a significant lead as preferred premier, at 43 per cent compared to just 24 per cent for Ms Allan.
The Liberal leader says she her party will move a motion of no confidence in the Labor government when parliament sits on Tuesday, returning from the mid-winter break.
“And we invite now Labor MPs who are doing the numbers against the premier today to join with us to vote for that no confidence motion and bring on an early election here in Victoria.”
The election is scheduled to be held on November 28.
