Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has backed Ben Carroll to win the state election in November and used a rare public statement on Wednesday to praise both the new premier and his predecessor, Jacinta Allan. The intervention came as Victoria’s Labor leadership changed hands after Allan resigned and Carroll moved quickly to set out his agenda, including legislation to abolish group voting tickets (GVTs).
Andrews said Carroll had what it takes to win the election, while also paying tribute to Allan, whom he handpicked to replace him as Labor leader when he resigned in September 2023. The former premier’s statement was unusual for its public praise of a successor and his successor’s successor, and it followed a dramatic 24 hours in Victorian politics.
Allan resigned on Tuesday, minutes before she was set to face a planned leadership spill brought on by Carroll. According to Carroll, he agreed to stand after a cross-factional delegation of MPs told him the premier had lost the confidence of the caucus. On his first full day as premier, Carroll announced legislation to abolish group voting tickets, which are only used in Victoria, had been introduced to parliament.
The system has allowed backroom deals between parties to flourish, enabling some candidates to get elected with only a minuscule number of primary votes.
What did Daniel Andrews say about Jacinta Allan?
Andrews said he first met Allan when he was the “most junior official at the ALP Head Office and she was the youngest candidate in a seemingly unwinnable Liberal stronghold in Bendigo”.
“Together, we worked to win that seat and for the next 25 years, to elect Labor governments and deliver a Labor agenda for working people,” Andrews said.
“There is no greater compliment in politics than to say someone lives their values – that has always been true of JA. For nearly three decades, she has been a champion for Bendigo, for workers, for women, for the future of .”
Andrews also congratulated Carroll on his elevation, describing him as a “great campaigner who will take it up to the Liberal Party and One Nation”.
“Elections like this are won by a handful of votes in a handful of seats. I believe Premier Carroll and his team can win in November,” he said. “As he has rightly pointed out the stakes are high.”
He also expressed concern that Victoria could face cuts to service if the Liberals form government with the help of One Nation.
Why did Ben Carroll move against Jacinta Allan?
Prior to Tuesday, speculation about a leadership spill had been building for months, fuelled by polling that suggested Labor would lose the November election, alongside Allan’s unpopularity and rising support for One Nation.
Allan’s leadership had also been dogged by issues linked to the construction sector, as she was the minister responsible at the time. While she apologised for criminal conduct that has been uncovered, she had also rejected calls for a royal commission, .
Carroll’s response was to announce he would hold a royal commission into the entire construction section.
He told reporters on Wednesday he had already asked the Department of Premier and Cabinet to start working on “exhaustive” terms of reference and confirmed the commission will look into the Labor government’s oversight of the Big Build.
“No stone [will be left] unturned,” Carroll said. “Whether it is top-tier contractors, subcontractors, labour hire, government, unions – these will be exhaustive terms of reference.”
But the opposition leader, Jess Wilson, said terms of reference written by the government would be akin to a “cover up”.
“We’re concerned that it will not cover the links to the and who knew what, when in the union movement, what ministers knew [and] when,” she said, adding the opposition could go ahead with their own separate inquiry if they win the November election.
Will the Suburban Rail Loop be reviewed?
Carroll flagged that the Suburban Rail Loop, a key project of Allan’s and Andrews’, would also be discussed by cabinet.
He did not indicate whether the project would be reviewed. But when asked in question time about possibly breaking $14bn worth of contracts already signed for the SRL East section alone, which is forecast to cost up to $34.5bn, he said he was not in the business of cancelling contracts.
“That era is over,” Carroll said.
How will Carroll present himself as premier?
The new premier chose a Kmart store as the location for Wednesday’s press conference, in a nod to his eight years working at its Airport West store through high school and university.
Another former Labor premier, Steve Bracks, said Allan had “no option” but to resign on Tuesday, and that Carroll would bring a “fresh approach”.
“He’ll market himself as not a fourth-term Labor leader, but as a new Labor leader … in a new term with a new set of policies and programs,” Bracks told ABC radio.
What changes are being made to group voting tickets?
On Wednesday, Carroll said the GVT bill would require voters to number at least five groups in order of preference when voting for upper house candidates. Those preferences will then flow to candidates in the order they appear below the line for each party or group.
The changes mean rightwing provocateur Avi Yemini and anti-lockdown activist Monica Smit would no longer be able to use their and the “Save the Environment” parties to funnel preferences to One Nation and other conservative parties.
Under GVTs, voters can only choose one party above the line on the ballot paper, with their preferences then allocated by the party if it is knocked out during counting.
“Victorians shouldn’t wake up after an election wondering how someone with only a handful of votes ended up in Parliament”.
Carroll said the changes would stop the backroom deals that have long shaped upper house elections and reduce the chances of candidates winning seats with very few primary votes.
What happens next in Victorian politics?
Carroll’s elevation has reset the contest ahead of the November election, with Labor now seeking to present a new leader and a new policy direction after Allan’s resignation. The premier has also put the Big Build, the Suburban Rail Loop and construction sector oversight back under the spotlight, while the opposition has signalled it will challenge the government’s handling of those issues.
At the same time, Andrews’ public backing gives Carroll a notable endorsement from a former Labor leader who governed Victoria for years and remains influential in the party. His support, and his warning about the stakes in November, underlined the significance of the coming campaign.
Key Facts
- Daniel Andrews publicly backed Ben Carroll on Wednesday and said he believed Carroll and his team could win in November.
- Jacinta Allan resigned on Tuesday minutes before a planned leadership spill brought on by Carroll.
- Carroll said legislation to abolish group voting tickets had been introduced on his first full day as premier.
- The GVT bill would require voters to number at least five groups when voting for upper house candidates.
- The SRL East section has $14bn worth of contracts already signed and is forecast to cost up to $34.5bn.
