Extraordinary meeting of Labor conveners resolves to move against Victorian premier
Updated ,first published
Labor’s internal campaign to oust Jacinta Allan as Victorian premier reached a critical stage on Sunday night after an extraordinary meeting of factional caucus decided to take action against her leadership.
The meeting of conveners from the party’s Left and Right factions has been called to determine whether Allan has the caucus support he needs to lead the government into state elections on 28 November.
Four sources with knowledge of the meeting said the chamber generally agreed that after nearly three years as Prime Minister, Allan’s days in the senior role were numbered. It is less clear how a leadership struggle would unfold.
A source said Age He said the Prime Minister was informed on Sunday night that he had lost the support of the Labor group.
The dogged Allan, who spent Sunday night with senior advisers at his home in Bendigo, told supporters he would not resign whatever his faction chiefs decided.
Leadership maneuvers occur in the absence of a declared rival.
Deputy Prime Minister Ben Carroll, Allan’s most likely replacement, has told colleagues he would run if the leadership vacancy occurred but would not use his numbers to unseat the prime minister.
With state elections just four months away, a contested leadership vote paralyzes the government.
Under previously untested party rules, a new leader will be chosen by a caucus vote and a vote of party members, with equal weight given to both. The process can take up to six weeks.
In case of dissolution of leadership, the deputy leader steps in to run the government. If Allan and Carroll are leadership candidates, both will be suspended from their day jobs and an interim leader will be appointed.
There is consternation among some MPs, particularly in the dominant Left faction, that the organizers of the faction meetings did not adequately consider the views of MPs in their group ahead of Sunday night’s meeting.
Age He spoke to seven Victorian Labor sources who said they believed Allan’s leadership would lose if the party received the votes of 69 MPs.
But one member of parliament said: Age Not every group was represented at the Sunday night meeting, and its importance was downplayed.
“The Prime Minister certainly has the numbers,” they said.
“Some people don’t want to do the hard work. They want everything on a plate, and I can tell you, the party is there behind the gala.”
As with the last leadership rumblings in June, the lead-up to the coup is full of assumptions that have yet to come true.
Multiple sources from both groups agreed that it would be difficult for Carroll, sitting on the right, to challenge Allan; After Allan publicly refused to challenge at a press conference last month, despite some within his own Left wing wanting to do so.
After looking the Prime Minister in the eye and declaring he would not challenge her for the leadership, Carroll told reporters: “I have a little girl at home and I couldn’t be more proud to make sure Jacinta Allan grows up knowing that I support her becoming a world-class prime minister and getting re-elected in her own right.”
Another option being considered is for a delegation of group leaders to speak to Allan and ask him to step aside.
Two sources said it was hard to believe Allan would go down without a fight, but conceded it was not impossible to convince him at the party meeting if it was clear he no longer had the numbers.
A supporter of Allan, who spoke on condition of anonymity and speaking freely, said the prime minister could face a vote of no confidence at Tuesday’s caucus if a majority of MPs at Sunday night’s meeting show they want a leadership change.
“It would have been a very brave premiere to go ahead in light of a negative outcome,” they said.
Speaking earlier on Sunday, Attorney General Sonya Kilkenny said leadership speculation was “idle gossip”.
“He has my full support and this idle gossip does no good to Victorians,” he said. “This only hurts Victorians at a time when Victorians need all of us to focus on them, and that is exactly what Jacinta Allan and our Labor government and team are doing.”
Last week, a raft of new policies were leaked from the Prime Minister’s Private Office suggesting Allan’s team were trying to find announcements that would appease their colleagues.
On Monday, cabinet will consider a proposal to create a new force within Victoria Police to target organized crime and draw information from Australia’s best crime intelligence.
The policy was seen internally as a way to deflect pressure from the royal commission into Big Build corruption; He linked the issue to other political issues, such as the increase in firebombings in Melbourne and community concerns about youth crime rates.
Another leaked policy appeared to change cap rate rules to allow councils to better cover the costs of paying staff; this was a policy supported by the Australian Services Union but quickly adopted by the opposition as a cost of living attack.
One MP said Allan had denied his support and was likely to apply party rules for a leak rather than stand aside, which required a vote of the Labor membership if the party result was challenged.
But they also said those conspiring should “take the piss or get out of it.”
A senior Labor figure said Allan’s leadership was doomed and although he had been given time to connect with voters he was now incredibly unpopular.
“There is now an opportunity to hit the reset button, reassure voters and remind voters of the benefits of a strong Labor government.”
In the latest Resolve Political Monitor, Allan’s approval rating is minus 36, the lowest rating on record.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson maintains lead on preferred prime minister; 43 percent of voters say they want him to lead the state, compared to 24 percent for Allan.
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Chip Le Grand leads our state politics reporting team. He had previously served as the newspaper’s chief correspondent and was a journalist with 30 years of experience.Connect via email.
