Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan Faces Leadership Spill as Deputy Ben Carroll Challenges July 27

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan is set to face a leadership challenge after Labor factional powerbrokers determined on Sunday night she has lost majority support in the party room. Deputy Premier Ben Carroll confirmed on Monday he will nominate for the leadership, setting up a potential spill at Tuesday’s caucus meeting. The challenge comes four months before the November 28 state election as Allan’s polling numbers have worsened amid scrutiny over the taxpayer-funded Big Build corruption scandal.

How the challenge unfolded

Factional conveners from Labor’s left and right factions met Sunday night to assess whether Allan retained caucus backing. The room broadly agreed she did not. On Monday morning, a delegation of ministers and MPs including Ingrid Stitt, Gabrielle Williams, Luba Grigorovitch, Lizzie Blandthorn, Anthony Carbines, Colin Brooks, and MPs Mat Hilakari and Ella George met Allan to inform her she had lost majority support and urged her to resign. Allan refused and instead asked the ministers to resign given their lack of confidence in her leadership. They also refused.

Carroll breaks his silence

In June, Carroll had publicly backed Allan, telling reporters he could “look you in the eye” and say he wanted to serve her and ensure she was re-elected. On Monday, Carroll reversed course in a statement on X, saying colleagues had informed him Allan no longer had caucus support and asked him to nominate. “It is clear that the Premier has lost the majority of our Caucus,” Carroll said. He described the decision as “not easy” but said “the stakes at the upcoming election are simply too high.”

Allan digs in and vows to fight

Allan spent Sunday night at her home in Bendigo with senior advisers and decided she would not resign. In a letter to Victorian Labor state secretary Steve Staikos on Monday, she indicated she will contest any leadership ballot. Under Labor Party rules, if more than one candidate runs, an election must be held among MPs and rank-and-file party members. This process can take up to six weeks. A contested spill just four months before the election would paralyze the government, as both Allan and Carroll would be sidelined from their day jobs pending the outcome.

Why Allan’s leadership collapsed

Allan has endured months of speculation over worsening poll results and her handling of alleged corruption in the Big Build. Labor sources have expressed despair about a potential wipe-out at the November 28 election, with many believing Allan cannot recover in the polls. A growing cohort of Labor MPs believes the government needs a royal commission into the Big Build scandal, which Allan has ruled out. Some loyal MPs remain backing Allan, insisting the spill will fail, but those pushing for change say she should resign or face being ousted.

Final Thoughts

Allan’s refusal to step down has triggered a leadership ballot that will consume Labor’s focus in the final stretch before the election. With Carroll now confirmed as her challenger and the caucus vote expected Tuesday, the party faces weeks of internal turmoil at a critical moment.

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