Jacinta Allan resigns as Victorian premier ahead of leadership challenge by Ben Carroll | Victorian politics
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan has announced she is resigning from her senior post. It follows a turbulent 48 hours for Labor, with the state election just four months away.
On Monday, Allan had vowed to challenge for the leadership after a group of MPs told him he no longer had the support of the caucus and urged him to stand down. Deputy Prime Minister Ben Carroll also confirmed on Monday that he would run for the Labor leadership.
Allan said on Tuesday morning that he would receive Carroll’s “shoddy support”.
The step back leaves Carroll’s path open to becoming unopposed leader and avoids a drawn-out ballot process involving the broader Labor Party membership on the cusp of a state election. Given that it is so close to the election, his resignation will not lead to any by-elections.
Speculation about a leadership breakup had been circulating for months and momentum was building before parliament went into winter recess in June. Poor polling and Allan’s poor personal approval ratings contributed to this pressure, along with growing support for One Nation.
Allan’s leadership also faced allegations of wrongdoing at Major Construction, as he was the minister responsible for transport infrastructure at the time. Although he apologized for the criminal behavior that emerged, he also rejected calls for a royal commission. This is understood to have put him at odds with some MPs who believe the issue cannot be resolved without an issue.
Carroll is understood to be in favor of a royal commission. He also said he believed he could better resolve the pay dispute between the government and public school teachers, improve the party’s economic reputation and do more to support businesses.
Carroll has long been touted as a potential challenger for the leadership, but has consistently refused to do so. As recently as June, he looked Allan in the eye and announced that he would not challenge him.
Under Labor Party rules, a contested leadership triggers an election process in which both the parliamentary group and Labour’s rank-and-file members vote and can take a full six weeks to complete.
Carroll, who arrived in parliament on Tuesday morning, made only a brief statement to reporters, saying his focus was on talking to colleagues.
Minister Steve Dimopoulos, a key supporter of Allan, refused to comment on the leak ahead of Tuesday’s board meeting but said: “I think the party is good at solving problems, that’s what it’s going to be like today.” He continued: “The Prime Minister has always had my support, but today there is a process to resolve this.”
Former health minister Mary-Anne Thomas, who announced earlier this year that she would resign at the November election, said she would not support the leak, saying Allan had “served this state with true leadership”. He always had the people of Victoria at the heart of everything he did.
Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio, another key supporter of Jacinta Allan, said she had the prime minister’s full support.
There is a “case of change”, Environment Minister Enver Erdogan told reporters on Tuesday morning. “I think we know some of these issues have been made public, but I think we need stronger action on crime and corruption in the state.”
Asked if there was a need for a royal commission into allegations of corruption at Big Build sites, he said: “Yes.”
More details to follow
