Daniel Andrews has thrown his support behind Victoria's new premier, Ben Carroll, saying he has what it takes to win November's state election. In a rare public statement on Wednesday, the former premier also paid tribute to Jacinta Allan, whom he handpicked to replace him as Labor leader when he resigned in September 2023.
Allan resigns amid leadership spill
Allan quit the top job on Tuesday morning, 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 on Monday the premier had lost the confidence of the caucus.
On his first full day as premier, Carroll announced legislation to abolish group voting tickets (GVTs), 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.
Andrews praises Allan, backs Carroll
In his statement, 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."
Andrews 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.
Bracks backs fresh approach
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.
GVT abolition targets preference deals
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 "Free Palestine" and "Save the Environment" parties to funnel preferences to One Nation and other conservative parties.
Carroll said "Victorians shouldn't wake up after an election wondering how someone with only a handful of votes ended up in Parliament".
Leadership spill background
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 allegations of corruption by the construction union working on the government's Big Build of infrastructure, 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, despite pleas from colleagues.
Royal commission into construction
Carroll's first act as premier 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, has claimed 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 Labor party 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.
Suburban Rail Loop future unclear
Carroll, meanwhile, also flagged 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.
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.
