Jacinta Allan to contest any ballot after Labor factions move against her

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has formally notified the state Labor party of her intention to stand in any leadership ballot, as factional powerbrokers push for her to step down before parliament resumes this week. The move comes just four months before the Victorian state election, with Labor's left and right faction conveners meeting on Sunday night to discuss whether Allan still commands majority support in the caucus. Multiple party sources confirmed the group concluded that she did not.

Factional meeting and push for resignation

The meeting, held on the eve of a scheduled cabinet meeting, saw factional leaders discuss sending a cross-factional delegation of ministers to inform Allan that she had lost the confidence of her colleagues. The hope was that she would voluntarily resign before Tuesday's caucus meeting, the first sitting day after the winter break. If Allan steps down, her most likely successor, Deputy Premier Ben Carroll, could run unopposed for the leadership. However, Allan's defiant response has complicated those plans.

Allan's defiant response

In a letter to Victorian Labor state secretary Steve Staikos, Allan explicitly requested that the party prepare to conduct a leadership election if one becomes necessary. She wrote that she was writing due to 'media speculation regarding the leadership' and formally notified him of her candidacy. The letter references party rules requiring the state secretary to provide administrative support for a ballot of all eligible party members. This process, introduced after the instability of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd federal era, gives 50% of the vote to the parliamentary caucus and 50% to rank-and-file members—a system untested at the state level.

Internal divisions and speculation

Allan's determination to fight has exposed divisions within the party. One minister described the Sunday meeting as an attempt to 'build momentum for a spill' and insisted Allan was 'not going anywhere.' Another said not all left faction parliamentarians were consulted and that there was 'no uniform position' within the grouping, calling the push 'just one big smoke machine.' Attorney General Sonya Kilkenny, a key Allan supporter, dismissed the leadership speculation as 'idle gossip' that hurts Victorians at a time when the government should be focused on them.

What happens next?

If Allan does not step down voluntarily, the first test of her support will come at Tuesday's caucus meeting. A formal leadership spill requires a motion, which could trigger the rank-and-file ballot process, potentially dragging on for weeks. Ben Carroll, the deputy premier and a right-faction figure, is seen as the most likely challenger, though no candidate has officially declared. The looming election adds urgency: Labor currently holds government, and any leadership change so close to polling day carries significant risk. Allan became premier after Daniel Andrews resigned earlier this year, and she has been working to establish her own profile. The coming days will determine whether she can fend off the challenge or whether Victorian Labor will head to the polls with a new leader.