Jacinta Allan has announced her resignation as Victoria’s premier after a tumultuous 48 hours for Labor just four months out from the state election, reports infohub.kz.
Allan on Monday had vowed to contest a leadership ballot after a group of MPs told her she no longer had the support of caucus and urged her to stand down. The deputy premier, Ben Carroll, also confirmed he would nominate for the Labor leadership. On Tuesday morning, Allan said Carroll would have her "unqualified support".
It was expected that Carroll would run unopposed, but in a surprise move, Labor sources said frontbencher Sonya Kilkenny announced she would contest the leadership. In another unexpected turn, transport infrastructure minister Gabrielle Williams secured the party's deputy leadership and will be interim leader until nominations close.
A contested leadership would mean weeks of instability before the election, as the party's balloting process can take up to six weeks. Speaking before the party room meeting, Allan said she decided to step aside despite believing she would have won because it was "the right thing" to do for Labor and Victorians. "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 this so close to an election takes up valuable resources, including the most precious one – time," she said.
Speculation about a leadership spill had been swirling for months, fueled by poor polling, weak personal approval ratings, and rising support for One Nation. Allan's leadership has also been dogged by allegations of wrongdoing on the Big Build program. She has apologized for criminal conduct but rejected calls for a royal commission, putting her at odds with some MPs.
Carroll is understood to be in favor of a royal commission. He has also indicated he believes he can resolve the pay dispute with teachers, improve the party's economic credentials, and support businesses. He had long been touted as a potential challenger but consistently ruled out doing so. In June he looked Allan in the eye and declared he would not challenge her.
Under Labor's rules, a contested leadership triggers an election process involving both the parliamentary caucus and rank-and-file members, which can take up to six weeks. Arriving at parliament on Tuesday, Carroll made only a brief statement, saying his focus was on talking to his colleagues.
Before her resignation, key supporter Steve Dimopoulos said: "I think the party has been good at sorting things out, this is what today will be." Former health minister Mary-Anne Thomas said Allan had "served this state with real leadership" and "always had the people of Victoria at the heart." Environment minister Enver Erdogan said there was a "case for change" and "stronger action on crime and corruption" was needed. Asked about a royal commission into Big Build corruption, he replied: "Yes."