Ben Carroll has been elected leader of the Victorian Labor Party, clearing the way to become Victoria’s 50th premier after Jacinta Allan stepped down, ending days of mounting internal pressure and setting up a new era for the state government just months before the November election.
Carroll, 51, secured the support of the Labour caucus on Tuesday, completing a leadership transition following Allan’s resignation after losing the confidence of a majority of her parliamentary colleagues. He is expected to be sworn in as premier by the Governor later today.
His elevation marks the culmination of a political career that has taken him from working part-time at Kmart while studying law to becoming one of Victoria’s most experienced cabinet ministers.
A suburban upbringing that shaped his politics
Born and raised in Melbourne’s north-west, Carroll often credits his parents and their small electrical contracting business for shaping his outlook.
His parents established GBK Electrics in Airport West during the 1970s while raising their family, an experience he has frequently cited as teaching him the value of hard work, small business and community.
Before entering politics, Carroll studied law at La Trobe University while working for eight years at Kmart Airport West.
During that period he joined the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA), an experience he says introduced him to the labour movement and public service.
Apprenticeship under Bracks and Brumby
Carroll’s political career began behind the scenes as an adviser to former Victorian premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby, before later working for senior federal Labor figures including Bill Shorten and Stephen Conroy.
Political observers say those experiences have shaped a leadership style that is likely to be more consultative than that of former premier Daniel Andrews.
Author and political commentator Joel Deane has described Carroll as a pragmatic progressive whose approach more closely resembles the Bracks-Brumby era than the Andrews-Allan governments.
Rising through Labor’s ranks
Carroll entered Parliament in 2012 after winning the by-election for the safe Labor seat of Niddrie, succeeding former deputy premier Rob Hulls.
Since Labor returned to government in 2014, he has held more than a dozen ministerial portfolios, including Industry, Public Transport, Roads, WorkSafe, the TAC, Medical Research and, most recently, Education.
Following Daniel Andrews’ resignation in 2023, Carroll unsuccessfully sought the party leadership before ultimately securing the deputy leadership under Jacinta Allan, positioning himself as Labor’s heir apparent.
Challenges as Education Minister
Carroll’s tenure as Education Minister has been marked by both achievements and setbacks.
His period in the portfolio included reforms such as mandatory phonics instruction and improved NAPLAN outcomes, but also significant challenges including the accidental early release of Year 12 examination results and prolonged industrial disputes that resulted in statewide teacher strikes.
Immediate priorities
Carroll now inherits a government entering its twelfth year in office and facing a difficult election campaign.
Labor has been battling declining polling, concerns over community safety, housing affordability, cost-of-living pressures and scrutiny over major infrastructure projects.
Even before becoming leader, Carroll had signalled the themes he intended to focus on.
“We know, as a 12-year-old government, we have to be the insurgent,” he said earlier this year.
“Focus on the fundamentals: community safety, growing the economy, being a state that’s open for business.”
A new chapter for Victorian Labor
Carroll becomes Victoria’s 50th premier at one of the most challenging moments for Labor since it returned to office in 2014.
His first major test will come almost immediately, as he reshapes the ministry, reunites a caucus bruised by the leadership change and prepares to face Opposition Leader Jess Wilson at the November state election.
Political analysts say Carroll’s extensive ministerial experience and broad support within Labor give him a strong platform, but after more than a decade in government he will need to persuade voters that his leadership represents renewal rather than continuity.
Whether his suburban roots, consultative leadership style and focus on economic management can deliver Labor a fourth consecutive term will become one of the defining questions of Victoria’s election campaign.
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