Victoria’s second-ever female premier has stepped down, with Jacinta Allan hoping her time at the top is remembered for the work she did to support women and girls.
A leadership spill was due for 10 am this morning.
Instead, Allan fronted up to reporters just after 9am to announce her decision, throw her support behind Carroll and share that she now looks forward to spending more time with her family.
She said “this gig has been tough” but that she is proud of what she’s achieved in her three years.
“I am making this [decision] because it’s the right thing by the Labor party, and by the Victorian party,” she said.
First elected as an MP at the age of 25 in 1999, when she became the state’s youngest-ever woman in parliament, Allan succeeded Dan Andrews to become premier in 2023.
Allan shared her proudest achievements during her resignation announcement this morning, much of which centred around women’s health. She noted the 15 women’s health clinics that have been opened across Victoria, and new access provisions for the contraceptive pill in pharmacies.
“I have lived with endometriosis, and I almost lost my daughter at birth,” she said. “These experiences not only defined who I am, but they also defined what I believe government should do for working women.
“If you’re a woman making your start in politics, let me say this to you today: please don’t look at what I have experienced this week and think ‘Stuff that, I don’t want to be involved.’
“Look at the support I have experienced over my career and think, ‘I can make a difference here too.’
“If I want to be remembered for one thing, it’s this … I led a government that listened to girls about their health,” Allan said.
“I am proud to be Victoria’s second female premier, and there have absolutely been moments when it’s been hard, and it’s been personal. But the chance to make a difference was worth it.”
“If you want to make a difference in politics, you have to get up and fight, and I am a fighter.”
Allan also raised concerns about the rise of One Nation and said a One Nation-Liberal coalition remains the state’s biggest risk. She warned they could cut $40 billion from hospitals and schools.
Allan received strong applause from her party colleagues, in sharp contrast to the loss of support she had faced in recent days.
While Ben Carroll was expected to be elected Labour leader for the state unopposed following Allan’s resignation, Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny has put her hand up to contest the leadership, according to the ABC, as the Caucus meeting was continuing this morning.