Ben Carroll Becomes Victoria Premier After Jacinta Allan Resigns

Political upheaval hit the Victorian government when Jacinta Allan stepped down as premier just hours before an expected leadership challenge at a caucus meeting. The dramatic exit paved the way for her deputy, Ben Carroll, who was elected by his Labor colleagues unopposed as Victoria’s new leader.

Jacinta Allan Resigns Ahead of a Caucus Spill

The leadership crisis unfolded over a whirlwind 24 hours. Allan fell on her sword on Tuesday morning ahead of a caucus meeting where she was expected to lose a spill motion. On Monday, a cross-factional delegation, including six ministers, had informed the embattled leader she had lost majority support of the caucus. Allan had initially refused to step down and had flagged her intention to nominate for the leadership if it went to an internal vote, as did Carroll after being approached by colleagues. Ms Allan then wrote to Labor’s state secretary to confirm she would contest any leadership ballot, and Mr Carroll said he had been approached to challenge.

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, Allan said

Speaking to the public, Allan used her final speech of 1,036 days as Victoria’s premier to highlight her government’s achievements: tougher bail laws, a budget back in surplus, free public transport, and improvements in women’s health. She also emphasized Labor’s record upgrading the state’s infrastructure, remaining defiant about the corruption scandal that had plagued those same Big Build projects, even as some of her colleagues and her successor publicly moved to call for a royal commission.

We’ve removed 92 level crossings, finished the West Gate Tunnel. We’re building the North East Link and the Suburban Rail Loop, and then there’s the Metro Tunnel, she told reporters. Not too many people get to see a project of this size and scale through from the start to the end. I am so goddamn proud of it.

It is the right thing by the Labor Party and by the Victorian people. I was prepared to put my record and my plan to a ballot of members, as our rules allow. I believe I would have won. But doing so this close to an election takes up valuable resources, including the most precious one: time. More importantly, it puts the state in a position of uncertainty. Ms Allan

However, a caucus meeting to elect a new leader descended into chaos after Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny put her hand up for the leadership, potentially triggering a wider vote involving rank-and-file party members. Yelling could be heard outside the meeting before Labor MP Juliana Addison emerged to announce that Mr Carroll, who has represented Melbourne’s west since 2012, had been unanimously elected.

Ben Carroll Pledges a Royal Commission Into the Construction Sector

Ben Carroll was sworn in as Victoria’s 50th Premier after being elected by his Labor colleagues unopposed. In his first move as premier, Mr Carroll called a royal commission into the construction sector and said he would establish a special prosecutor to work alongside it.

This will be my first act as premier, to set up the royal commission, Carroll said.

He also vowed to bring forward greater powers for the state’s anti-corruption watchdog, stating that his government would appoint a special prosecutor to work in parallel with the commission and strengthen IBAC, giving them follow-the-money powers now, this term.

In my government, integrity will not be optional, he said in a press conference after his swearing in. Whether in business, politics or the union movement, there will be zero tolerance for those that misuse their positions.

In his first media outing, Mr Carroll told Victorians: I am not Daniel Andrews, I am not Jacinta Allan.

Today’s leadership spill is a relatively rare event for the Victorian government. In March 2013, premier Ted Baillieu resigned and was replaced by Denis Napthine, the latter of whom remains the most recent Liberal premier of Victoria after Daniel Andrews defeated him at the November 2014 election. Victorian premier John Cain resigned on August 7, 1990, after losing the backing of caucus, and was replaced by Joan Kirner. Andrews resigned in 2023 and was replaced by Jacinta Allan. Spills have been a far more common occurrence on the other side of the chamber: Jess Wilson became Victoria’s fourth opposition leader in four years when she took over from Brad Battin in November 2025. Battin himself successfully challenged John Pesutto, who had been leader since Matthew Guy led the opposition to its 2022 election defeat. Guy had also led at the 2018 election defeat, but he successfully challenged his replacement Michael O’Brien to briefly take back his old job in September 2021.