Former Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has announced she will not contest the November 28 state election, ending a 27-year political career that began when she was just 25.

Ms Allan made the announcement in her home town of Bendigo on Friday, just over a week after losing the Labor leadership to Ben Carroll.

“I am proud to say I didn’t waste a day,” Ms Allan said, reflecting on her career.

She said she had lived by the values outlined in her first parliamentary speech in 1999, including investment in public health and education, strong unions, decent jobs and community decision-making.

But Ms Allan also used her farewell to warn about the state of Australian democracy.

“I do not remember a time when our foundations have felt so unsteady.”

She warned of growing pressure on social cohesion, declining trust and the blurring of the line between truth and falsehood.

“The line between truth and lie is becoming increasingly blurred,” she said, urging Australians not to reward fear and division or allow declining trust to weaken democracy.

Ms Allan, who became Victoria’s 49th premier in September 2023 after Daniel Andrews’ resignation, said she was proud of what had been achieved in Bendigo during her time as its representative.

She pointed to the redevelopment of Bendigo Hospital, school upgrades, new train stations, government services, sporting facilities and thousands of local jobs.

“There are no words big enough to describe what this community means to me,” she said.

“It’s where I learnt who I was fighting for.”

Premier Ben Carroll, who replaced Ms Allan after challenging her leadership, praised her contribution to Bendigo and Victoria.

“Jacinta didn’t just represent Bendigo – she helped build it into the proud, thriving regional centre it is today,” Mr Carroll said.

Ms Allan became Victoria’s second female premier and the state’s longest-serving female minister, holding portfolios including education, transport, infrastructure and regional development.

Looking back on her career, she said, “I became a wife. A mum. A minister. A deputy premier. And premier of the greatest state in the country,” she said.

“And when I leave parliament, I’ll leave the same way I arrived. A daughter of Bendigo. A daughter of workers. A proud Labor woman.”

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