New Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has declared he will lead his government in a “new direction”, while distancing himself from his predecessors Jacinta Allan and Daniel Andrews.
In his first comments after being elected state Labor leader, Carroll also announced a royal commission into the construction sector, which has been marred by corruption allegations, and the strengthening of Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog.
Allan had consistently rejected calls for an inquiry.
“Let me make one thing very clear: I am not Daniel Andrews. I am not Jacinta Allan,” he said on Tuesday afternoon, just hours after Allan’s resignation.
“I will do things differently, because different times require a new approach.
“In my government, integrity will not be optional.”
The former deputy premier said “circumstances changed” in the six weeks since he promised Allan he would not challenge her for the top job. He thanked Allan for her service to the Labor Party and the state.
Carroll was elected to the top job after a chaotic party room meeting triggered by Allan’s resignation, following her loss of party support amid dire polling.
Polls showed voters are frustrated with the high cost of living, rising state debt, infrastructure delays and alleged corruption on the state’s Big Build projects.
Carroll was expected to secure the leadership unopposed before Victorian Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny mounted a late challenge.
Under Labor rules, a contested leadership ballot must be put to a vote of the party’s rank-and-file members.
The process could take weeks and would plunge the government into political instability just months before the November state election.
But after a lengthy meeting, during which both yelling and cheering could be heard at various stages, Carroll emerged as premier. State Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams was elected his deputy.
‘Honour of my life’
Announcing her resignation on Tuesday morning, Allan said it had been an honour to serve as leader.
“The most important thing I want to say today is thank you,” Allan said.
“Thank you to the Victorian people. It has been the honour of my life to serve you as your premier. I stepped down after 1,036 days in this role. Not one of them wasted, not one of them easy.”
Allan said she believed she would have won a rank-and-file membership vote, but said the process would have been damaging in the lead-up to the November election.
“More importantly, it puts the state in a position of uncertainty. That hurts the Victorian people, and I just won’t do that. At the end of the day, I am, and always have been, a team player.”
Allan reflected on her nearly three years as premier, saying her biggest priority had been tackling the cost of living.
“Making life easier and more affordable became my mission,” she said.
“We not only made public transport free during a fuel crisis, we made public transport free for kids forever.
“We cut car rego for three and a half million people, and we doubled food relief so families could have the dignity of a meal. And we’re making working from home a right that your boss can’t take away.”
Allan held back tears as she spoke about women’s health, reflecting on her own experience with endometriosis and nearly losing her own daughter during birth.
“I led a government that listened to girls about their health,” she said.
“We opened 15 women’s health clinics across the state. We’ve rolled out the green whistle for pain relief free of charge, and you can get the pill at the chemist without having to pay to see a GP.”
Allan said she would have “absolutely relished the fight” ahead of the November election as she delivered a parting warning to her successor.
“I was more than ready. I saw off two Liberal leaders,” she said.
“I expect my successor will see off the third. And if they don’t, One Nation certainly will.”
Allan, who was elected the state’s youngest-ever female MP at the age of 25 in 1999, said she hoped more women entered politics.
“Please don’t look at what I have experienced this week and think, ‘Stuff that. I don’t want to be involved,'” she said.
“Look at the support I’ve experienced over my career, and think, ‘I can make a difference here too.'”
The looming election comes as polling suggests support for the state Labor government has collapsed in recent months.
The party had been campaigning for a fourth consecutive term against the rising popularity of One Nation.
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