Ben Carroll has been sworn in as the premier of Victoria after Jacinta Allan resigned, with his first act as leader to announce a royal commission into alleged corruption in the construction sector.
Carroll’s elevation comes just four months before the state election and follows a tumultuous 48 hours for Labor, during which Allan resigned and a surprise challenger emerged in the leadership contest.
Flanked by the new deputy leader, the transport infrastructure minister, Gabrielle Williams, Carroll on Tuesday afternoon announced a royal commission into the construction sector, as well as plans to create the role of a special prosecutor who would work alongside the commission.
He said he would also give the state’s anti-corruption watchdog follow-the-dollar powers to investigate the spending of public money by private contractors and subcontractors “now, this term”. Allan had previously committed to introducing such laws only after the November election.
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia emailCarroll, who at a press conference in June looked Allan in the eye and declared he would not challenge her, said “circumstances had changed”.
“Yesterday morning, I was approached by a delegation who asked me to stand for leader. This delegation had already visited the premier and informed her that they wanted change. I’m going to be that change,” he said.
While Carroll thanked Allan for her service to the Labor party and Victoria, he sought to differentiate himself from her and her predecessor and ally, Daniel Andrews.
“Let me make one thing very clear: I am not Daniel Andrews. I am not Jacinta Allan,” he said.
“I will do things differently because different times require a new approach.”
Carroll said his government would “focus on the basics”, including providing families with good services, giving police the “support they need to fight crime” and spending every taxpayer dollar with “respect”.
Williams, who was among a key group of ministers and MPs who on Monday told Allan she no longer had the support of caucus and urged her to stand down, told reporters it became “abundantly clear” over the winter break that the party needed a reset to better align with community expectations.
Allan had vowed to contest a leadership ballot on Monday, which would have triggered a weeks’ long process involving a vote of rank-and-file party members.
But prior to Tuesday morning’s caucus meeting, she told reporters she had decided to step aside – despite believing she would have won a leadership ballot – because it was “the right thing” to do for Labor and Victorians.
“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.
“I was prepared to put my record and my plan to a ballot of members as our rules allow. I believe I would have won, but doing this so this close to an election takes up valuable resources, including the most precious one – time.”
“At the end of the day, I am and always have been a team player.”
Allan said Carroll had her “unqualified support”.
After her announcement, it was expected that Carroll would run unopposed for the leadership during Tuesday’s caucus meeting, but the meeting descended into chaos when the attorney general, Sonya Kilkenny – a key supporter of Allan’s – put her hand up for the leadership.
MPs could be heard shouting at one another, with Allan, who was chairing the meeting, urging order.
Ultimately, Kilkenny withdrew her bid, but only after Williams was appointed deputy and interim leader.
Speculation about a leadership spill had been swirling for months, and momentum had been building before parliament rose for the winter break in June. Poor polling and Allan’s weak personal approval ratings contributed to the push, along with rising support for One Nation.
Allan’s leadership has also been dogged by allegations of wrongdoing on the Big Build, as she was the minister responsible for transport infrastructure at the time. While she has apologised for criminal conduct that has been uncovered, she has also rejected calls for a royal commission. This is understood to have put her at odds with a number of MPs who believe the issue cannot be contained without one.
