Jacinta Allan has resigned as Victoria’s 49th premier and leader of the Victorian Labor Party, bringing an abrupt end to a political journey that began when she entered Parliament at just 25 years old.
Ms Allan announced her decision at a 9.30 am media conference on Tuesday, shortly before Labor MPs gathered for a caucus meeting at which she was expected to face a leadership spill backed by Deputy Premier Ben Carroll.
“After speaking with my colleagues overnight, I have made the difficult decision to step aside as leader of the Victorian State Parliamentary Labor Party, and as Premier of Victoria,” she said.
Her departure came less than 24 hours after she declared she would contest any leadership ballot and maintained that she still had the support required to remain in office.
Ms Allan said she believed she could have won a contest involving Labor MPs and rank-and-file members, but concluded that a ballot lasting several weeks would consume time and resources the party could not afford with the state election scheduled for November 28.
She said Mr Carroll would receive her “congratulations and unqualified support” should he emerge as Labor’s new leader. Labor’s caucus began the process of choosing her successor immediately after her announcement.
The resignation ended a premiership of less than three years and prevented Ms Allan from leading Labor into an election in her own right.
Her final address was at times emotional and defiant. She defended her government’s record, described herself as a lifelong “team player” and said she was deeply proud of the Metro Tunnel, her cost-of-living policies and reforms to women’s health care.
“I didn’t get everything right but I know I made a difference,” she said before leaving without taking questions from reporters.
Her resignation also completed a remarkable political arc for a woman who once called herself a “goody two-shoes” and was described by colleagues as diligent, dutiful and, at times, even boring.
That reputation for caution and hard work helped Ms Allan survive and advance under three Labor premiers before she eventually inherited the state’s top job from Daniel Andrews.
Born and raised in Bendigo, Ms Allan came from a family steeped in Labor and union politics. Her grandfather, Bill Allan, served as president of the Bendigo Trades Hall Council, while her parents, Peter and Glenda, gave their daughter what she later described as a solid Labor upbringing.
Her father worked as a linesman for the State Electricity Commission and was made redundant when the organisation was privatised during the Kennett government years. Ms Allan frequently cited the uncertainty that followed his job loss as shaping her belief in public services, secure employment and government intervention.
She worked at a Coles checkout during her younger years and later said the experience showed her how quickly working families could find themselves under financial pressure.
Ms Allan attended St Joseph’s Primary School in Quarry Hill and Catholic College Bendigo before completing a Bachelor of Arts with honours at La Trobe University’s Bendigo campus.
She joined the Labor Party at 19 and worked for Labor MPs before seeking public office herself. Her local profile rose in 1997 when she led a campaign opposing the establishment of a lap-dancing venue in Bendigo.
Her preselection for Bendigo East was not initially seen as providing a straightforward path into Parliament. The seat was held by the Liberal Party, and Ms Allan had reportedly planned to travel overseas after the 1999 election.
Instead, she unseated the Liberal incumbent as Jeff Kennett’s government suffered a surprise defeat. Elected on September 18, 1999—the day before her 26th birthday—she became the youngest woman elected to the Victorian Parliament.
In her inaugural speech, Ms Allan wore two brooches representing the causes that would define much of her political identity.
One was a poppet head representing Bendigo’s mining heritage and her commitment to the city. The other was an Emily’s List brooch, symbolising the Labor organisation established by former premier Joan Kirner to support progressive women seeking public office.
Ms Allan told Parliament that politicians should be true representatives of their communities by caring about people, listening to them and speaking on their behalf.
Her rise through Labor’s ranks was rapid.
In December 2002, at 29, then-premier Steve Bracks appointed her minister for education services and minister for employment and youth affairs. She became the youngest minister in Victoria’s history.
Her responsibilities expanded during the Bracks and Brumby governments to include women’s affairs, skills and workforce participation, regional and rural development, and industry and trade.
The portfolios allowed Ms Allan to establish herself as a regional Labor figure with experience across education, employment, training, economic development and women’s policy.
Labor’s defeat in 2010 sent her to the opposition benches, where she served as manager of opposition business and held shadow responsibilities including regional and rural development.
When Labor returned to government under Daniel Andrews in 2014, Ms Allan became Leader of the House and minister for public transport. The appointments placed her at the centre of both parliamentary management and the government’s infrastructure program.
She remained Leader of the House until 2022, earning a reputation as a disciplined parliamentary tactician able to manage legislation and confront the opposition across the chamber.
Infrastructure ultimately became both the foundation of Ms Allan’s reputation and the source of the controversies that followed her into the premiership.
As public transport and later transport infrastructure minister, she became one of the most recognisable faces of the Andrews government’s Big Build.
Her responsibilities covered the Level Crossing Removal Project, the Metro Tunnel, the West Gate Tunnel, Melbourne Airport Rail and the Suburban Rail Loop.
For years, images of Ms Allan wearing a hard hat and high-visibility vest became synonymous with Labor’s argument that it was rebuilding Victoria after years of inadequate infrastructure investment.
Supporters credit her with helping deliver projects that changed how Victorians travel, including the removal of scores of dangerous level crossings, the construction of new stations and the opening of the Metro Tunnel and West Gate Tunnel.
Her local record in Bendigo included the new Bendigo Hospital, rail stations at Goornong, Huntly and Raywood, school upgrades, new ambulance stations and improvements to roads and community infrastructure.
But major projects also carried large cost increases, delays and disputes with contractors.
The West Gate Tunnel encountered contamination and contractual problems, the Airport Rail project was repeatedly delayed and the Suburban Rail Loop became one of the most contested infrastructure proposals in the state’s history.
The Victorian Ombudsman criticised secrecy surrounding the development of the Suburban Rail Loop business case, while opponents argued its growing cost was placing pressure on hospitals, roads and projects in Melbourne’s west.
By the end of Ms Allan’s premiership, Victoria’s debt and infrastructure spending had become central political vulnerabilities for Labor.
In June 2022, Ms Allan was elevated to deputy premier after James Merlino’s retirement.
The decision was unusual because she and Mr Andrews were both members of Labor’s Socialist Left faction. Victorian Labor had traditionally balanced its leadership between the Left and Right, but the strength of the Left after the 2022 election made Ms Allan the clear heir apparent.
She also became minister for Commonwealth Games delivery, taking responsibility for Victoria’s planned regional hosting of the 2026 event.
The government cancelled the Games in July 2023 after projected costs increased sharply. The decision drew international attention and became one of the most damaging episodes of Ms Allan’s ministerial career.
The opposition called for her resignation and argued she had failed to properly oversee preparations. Ms Allan defended the decision as necessary to prevent billions of dollars being spent on a 12-day sporting event instead of housing, health and regional infrastructure.
When Daniel Andrews resigned in September 2023, Ms Allan initially faced a possible leadership contest from Mr Carroll.
The dispute was resolved before a ballot, and Ms Allan was unanimously endorsed by caucus. She was sworn in on September 27 as Victoria’s 49th premier and only the second woman to hold the office after Joan Kirner.
She became emotional while acknowledging Kirner as a mentor and said her elevation showed women from different backgrounds and regions had a place at every leadership table.
Mr Carroll became deputy premier despite the tensions surrounding the succession. The relationship between the two would remain outwardly cooperative until the final months of Ms Allan’s leadership.
Ms Allan entered the premiership promising to focus on housing, the cost of living and negotiations towards a statewide treaty with Victoria’s First Peoples.
Her housing program sought to increase density around train stations and tram corridors, reform planning rules and deliver more homes in established suburbs. She said she wanted to be remembered as the premier who helped millennials enter the housing market.
In January 2025, Victoria became the first Australian jurisdiction to enter formal statewide treaty negotiations with First Peoples, building on years of work involving the First Peoples’ Assembly and the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
Her government also abandoned an earlier commitment to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 and subsequently moved towards tougher bail and youth justice policies as community anxiety about crime grew.
The reversal reflected the political pressure Ms Allan faced to move away from some of Labor’s earlier progressive commitments and demonstrate a stronger focus on public safety.
Among the policies most closely linked to her personal experience was the Inquiry into Women’s Pain.
Ms Allan has spoken openly about living with endometriosis and experiencing serious complications during childbirth. She said those experiences shaped her view that women’s pain had been dismissed for too long by parts of the medical system.
The inquiry received evidence from about 13,000 women and girls and documented chronic pain, delayed diagnoses, medical bias and the financial barriers preventing patients from accessing care.
Its recommendations included a statewide Women’s Pain Standard, dedicated support for girls and adolescents experiencing pelvic pain, expanded women’s health clinics and better pain relief during procedures including IUD insertions.
In her resignation speech, Ms Allan said she had almost lost her daughter during childbirth and described the women’s health reforms as evidence of what governments could achieve when women were heard.
She urged women not to look at the events surrounding her removal and conclude that politics was not for them.
“Look at the support I’ve experienced over my career, and think, ‘I can make a difference here too,’” she said.
Her government also introduced free public transport for children under 18 from January 2026, a measure expected to benefit more than one million young Victorians and save families as much as $755 per child each year.
During the fuel crisis associated with conflict in the Middle East, the government temporarily made public transport free for all passengers before moving to half-price fares for the remainder of 2026.
Ms Allan presented the policies as direct assistance for households facing rising transport, energy and grocery costs.
However, her premiership became increasingly dominated by questions about corruption and criminal influence within the construction industry.
A series of investigations beginning in 2024 alleged bikie figures, organised crime associates and corrupt operators had gained influence on taxpayer-funded building projects through parts of the CFMEU.
The union’s construction division was placed into administration, and the government stopped accepting CFMEU donations.
Ms Allan ordered reviews and supported police and regulatory investigations but resisted calls for a royal commission into the Big Build.
That refusal became a major point of conflict inside Labor. Some MPs believed the government’s response was too narrow and that public confidence could not be restored without an inquiry capable of examining both criminal conduct and government decision-making.
Ms Allan apologised for criminality uncovered on building sites but disputed an estimate that the conduct had cost taxpayers as much as $15 billion. She did not provide an alternative figure when repeatedly questioned about the financial damage.
The controversy was particularly damaging because Ms Allan had overseen the infrastructure portfolio for almost nine years.
Critics accused her of failing to detect or confront misconduct earlier. Her supporters argued criminal conduct had been deliberately concealed and that police, workplace regulators and the union administrator were better placed to investigate than another lengthy commission.
The political distinction became increasingly difficult to sustain as polling deteriorated, Victoria’s debt approached record levels and Labor MPs grew fearful about losing seats to the Coalition, One Nation and the Greens.
Ms Allan also faced pressure over crime, taxes, business regulation, the teachers’ pay dispute and proposed laws giving eligible employees a right to work from home two days a week.
By early 2026, leadership speculation had become persistent.
Mr Carroll publicly backed Ms Allan in June and said he would not challenge her. But after further poor polling and growing unrest across both Labor factions, senior MPs informed her that she had lost the support of caucus.
On Monday, Mr Carroll announced he would nominate for leader. Ms Allan initially refused to resign and instructed the party to prepare for a membership ballot.
By Tuesday morning, she had changed course.
She said a leadership campaign taking several weeks would damage Labor’s chances of winning a fourth term and that stepping aside was the right decision for the party and Victorian voters.
Away from Parliament, Ms Allan lives on a rural property outside Bendigo with her husband, Yorick Piper, and their two children, Peggy and Cormac.
She has maintained her connection with regional Victoria throughout her career, commuting between Bendigo and Melbourne for more than a quarter of a century.
Her regional identity remained central to her political brand, as did her argument that government investment should not be confined to metropolitan Melbourne.
Her legacy will be contested.
Supporters will remember a parliamentarian who broke age and gender barriers, delivered major transport projects, represented Bendigo for nearly three decades and used her personal experiences to drive changes in women’s health.
Critics will point to cost overruns, growing debt, the Commonwealth Games cancellation, secrecy surrounding major projects and her refusal to establish a royal commission into alleged corruption on the Big Build.
She entered Parliament as a 25-year-old regional Labor activist carrying symbols of Bendigo and the women who had helped open politics to her generation.
She leaves the premiership without having faced voters as Labor leader, removed not by an election but by a loss of confidence inside her own party.
Yet in her final appearance as premier, Ms Allan insisted that the ending did not erase what came before it.
“It has been the honour of my life to serve you,” she told Victorians.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
