Jacinta Allan, the premier of Victoria, has announced she will step down amid a leadership spill, urging women not to be discouraged from entering politics.
double quotation markAfter speaking with my colleagues overnight, I’ve made the difficult decision to step aside.
Should Ben Carroll emerge as our next Labor leader and Labor premier, he will have my congratulations and unqualified support.
I am making this because it’s the right thing by the Labor party, and by the Victorian people.
Sources close to Labor’s caucus meeting indicate that Attorney General Sonya Kilkenny nominated herself for leadership against Deputy Ben Carroll, causing the gathering to run longer than expected. However, political observers have interpreted her candidacy as a strategic maneuver for the deputy role, a position that several MPs have noted Gabrielle Williams is also pursuing.
Although both Kilkenny and Williams belong to the party’s left faction, Kilkenny is a staunch supporter of Allan, whereas Williams was among a group of left-faction MPs who broke ranks to back Carroll. This strategic move mirrors the very same tactic Carroll used against former premier Daniel Andrews back in 2023 to secure the deputy position.
In a separate development, Nationals leader Matt Canavan welcomed the announcement of a new oil refinery scoping study but reiterated his calls for the government to dismantle the safeguard mechanism, a carbon pricing scheme that requires large greenhouse gas emitters to reduce their emissions and offset any excess emissions over a set limit. Canavan argued that the two remaining oil refineries in Australia will face over $100 million in carbon-related fees by the end of the decade, and claimed the facilities’ survival is indebted only to the efforts of former energy minister Angus Taylor under the previous Morrison government.
double quotation markI’d love to see a new oil refinery built, but to do that, we’ve got to get rid of Labor’s carbon taxes. This is not going to happen. We’re not going to get a new oil refinery in this country while this government imposes a massive carbon tax on existing refineries, and new ones would be subject to the same.
Canavan’s remarks come despite the fact that five of Australia’s oil refineries have closed since 2012, four of which shut down under Coalition governance.
Allan arrived at her final caucus meeting on Tuesday morning amidst rousing applause, flanked by loyal supporters including Attorney General Sonya Kilkenny, Health Minister Harriet Shing, Finance Minister Steve Dimopoulos, and Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio. Her deputy, Ben Carroll—who is expected to be elected Labor leader unopposed—arrived alongside Gabrielle Williams, who is being heavily touted for the deputy role, as well as members of both his right faction and Allan’s left.
Benita Kolovos
Foreign Affairs Minister rules out extension of fuel excise cut
Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong has ruled out any plan to extend the fuel excise cut beyond this weekend, as petrol and diesel prices surge amid the conflict between the US and Israel against Iran.
Speaking to ABC Breakfast earlier Wednesday, Wong stated that the government continues to explore ways to alleviate financial stress on households but has no intentions of extending the halving of the fuel excise beyond the weekend.
double quotation markWhat we are focused on is ensuring continued fuel and fertiliser coming into Australia, and we are calling, as so many in the international community are, for there to be ceasefire negotiations and an end to this conflict, which has caused so much global turmoil …
Currently, the plan is for the fuel excise to step down. As you know, it’s come down, it’s halved, and the intention is for that to discontinue as of this weekend.
The federal government’s three-month measure, which initially halved the fuel excise from 52.6 cents per litre to 26.4 cents per litre in April, is set to expire on 2 August. The announcement comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits Karratha in Western Australia’s Pilbara region to unveil a $4 million early-stage feasibility study into what would become Australia’s first new oil refinery in six decades.
Allan highlighted that her personal health struggles and childbirth experience shaped her political convictions, saying her government’s work for women was the defining mission of her tenure.
double quotation markThese experiences not only defined who I am, they defined what I believe government should do for working women.
She subsequently detailed a string of achievements:
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Opening 15 women’s health clinics across the state.
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Rolling out the green whistle for free pain relief.
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Access to the contraceptive pill at pharmacies without requiring a general practitioner visit.
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Launching the country’s first virtual emergency department.
double quotation markIf 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.’
Allan requested to be remembered for her dedication to supporting women and girls, stating: “If I want to be remembered for one thing, it’s this: I led a government … I led a government that listened to girls about their health. … 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. I have always fought for my family’s Labor values.”
Allan expressed immense pride in both Melbourne and regional Victoria, stating, “Melbourne’s a great city. It’s the best in the world, multicultural and proudly so … But if you ask me what sets Victoria apart, it’s our regional cities. And I am so proud to call one of them home. Labor governments have built up the regions. And today, it means that my kids have the opportunity in their community that I didn’t have when I grew up in Bendigo. That’s what I’m proud of.”
Allan admitted the role has been challenging, asserting she is “immensely proud” of her 1,036 days in office. “Let’s be honest – this gig has been tough … I leave immensely proud of what we have achieved these past three years. I inherited a rising crime rate. My team and I toughened bail laws … Crime is now falling for the first time since Covid. I inherited a budget deficit … Making life easier and more affordable became my mission.”
While Allan stated she was “more than ready” to fight again in November, she issued a stark warning regarding One Nation’s surge in the state.
double quotation markThat remains the biggest risk at this election, a One Nation-Liberal coalition government that will cut $40bn from our hospitals and from our schools.