Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan Resigns Ahead of Leadership Challenge

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announced her resignation Tuesday morning, concluding a tumultuous 48 hours for the Labor party just four months before the state election. Allan had vowed to contest the leadership after a group of Members of Parliament informed her she had lost the caucus's support and urged her to step down.

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Carroll would have my unqualified support.

Deputy Premier Ben Carroll had confirmed his intention to nominate for the Labor leadership on Monday. Following Allan's announcement, she stated that Carroll would have her "unqualified support," clearing the path for him to become leader without a contest. This move avoids a lengthy voting process that would have included the broader Labor membership and potentially delayed decisions on the cusp of the election.

Speculation about a leadership spill had been circulating for months, fueled by poor polling, Allan's weak personal approval ratings, and rising support for the One Nation party. Allan's premiership was also significantly impacted by allegations of wrongdoing related to the "Big Build" infrastructure project, for which she was the responsible minister. While she apologized for uncovered criminal conduct, she resisted calls for a royal commission, a stance reportedly at odds with several MPs.

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I think the party has been good at sorting things out, this is what today will be.

Carroll is understood to favor a royal commission and believes he can better address the pay dispute between the government and public school teachers, improve the party's economic standing, and offer more support to businesses. He had previously been considered a potential challenger but had consistently ruled out such a move until now.

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The premier’s always had my support but there’s a process today that will work that out.

Under Labor's rules, a contested leadership election involves both the parliamentary caucus and rank-and-file members, a process that can take up to six weeks. Allan's resignation, occurring so close to an election, will not trigger a by-election.

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She’s always had the people of Victoria at the heart of everything that she does.