Victorian Labor leadership LIVE: Premier Ben Carroll mulls cabinet appointments following Jacinta Allan’s resignation

8.03amBracks says Allan should have called royal commissionBy James CostaFormer Labor premier Steve Bracks says Jacinta Allan should have called a royal commission into the construction sector but praised new Premier Ben Carroll for quickly announcing one.“I know that she [Allan] felt that a royal commission wouldn’t achieve the aims that people thought it would,” Bracks just told ABC Radio National, “but you know that’s water under the bridge now, and essentially, what has happened is that the new premier Ben Carroll has moved very quickly, very effectively.” Jacinta Allan is announced as a minister in 2002 by then-premier Steve Bracks.Jason SouthAsked whether the Labor government feared a royal commission, Bracks said he thought it was a “good thing” and that it would be “an effective mechanism of assuring that there is accountability in the building and construction sector in the future”.Bracks said that Carroll would bring a “fresh approach to government” but warned the November state election would be “hand-to-hand combat” in all 88 seats as One Nation posed a threat alongside the Coalition.He said former premier Jacinta Allan had “no option but to resign” but added she “has been a great contributor in public life in Victoria over a long period of time”.7.53amLabor MPs arriving at parliament back Allan’s legacyBy Angus DelaneyLabor MPs arriving at parliament this morning say their party is united behind new leader Ben Carroll, after Jacinta Allan was pushed to resigning on Tuesday.Werribee MP John Lister said nobody felt relieved that Allan had stood down and the party wants “to make sure that we stand united and focused on helping the Victorian people”.Broadmeadows MP Kathleen Matthews-Ward said Allan “did a really good job” but that Carroll’s decision to call a royal commission into alleged corruption on the Big Build would help Labor get re-elected.7.44amWilson says Labor’s royal commission will be a ‘sham’By Angus DelaneyOpposition Leader Jess Wilson is confident that Labor’s new commitment to calling a royal commission into corruption on Big Build construction sites will not undermine the Liberals’ prospects at the upcoming election.Until Ben Carroll became premier on Monday and pledged to call a royal commission, it was a key differentiator between the major parties.Opposition Leader Jess Wilson.Luis Enrique AscuiBut Wilson said Labor’s inquiry would be a “sham” and Carroll was only doing it because of poor polling.“He sat next to Jacinta Allan around that cabinet table time and time again when they have decided not to call a royal commission,” Wilson said outside parliament Wednesday morning.“When this corruption has been laid bare, only at the 11th hour when that polling has got dire for the Labor Party … they found they’re more interested in themselves than the people of Victoria.”7.40amShorten says Labor faced ‘extinction-level results’ if Allan remained leaderBy Lachlan AbbottFormer federal Labor leader Bill Shorten has backed the installation of Right faction colleague Ben Carroll as Victorian premier instead of Jacinta Allan.“As much as people don’t want to hear this in Labor, I think they were facing extinction-level results worse than 1992 when Jeff Kennett wiped out Labor then,” Shorten told the ABC’s 7.30 last night.Former Labor leader Bill Shorten in May this year.Alex EllinghausenHe said Carroll could move Labor’s primary vote from the low-20s to the mid-30s and warned the rise of One Nation showed some Victorians were tired of the major parties.“In particular, the ghost of Dan Andrews politically looms pretty large,” Shorten said.7.05amJacinta Allan wakes up with the peak of her political career overBy Lachlan AbbottJacinta Allan is no longer premier and may not be in parliament much longer either.A source close to Allan told The Age last night she would not recontest her seat of Bendigo East at November’s state election.However, she is yet to formally announce her next career move.The former premier indicated in her resignation speech that she looked forward to spending more time with her family and wanted to speak with those in her electorate who helped start her political career.“There are so many more people I want to thank from my earlier days, but I’m sure you will allow me to say that that’s a speech I want to give in my hometown of Bendigo,” she said.Parliament will resume today with a seat on the backbench for Allan, though it’s not clear if she will be in the Legislative Assembly immediately this morning.6.51amLabor MP backs ‘new direction’ and Big Build probeBy Lachlan AbbottWerribee MP John Lister happens to be one of the first Labor politicians to speak today about Ben Carroll’s new reign as Victorian premier.Lister, who was narrowly elected to the traditionally safe Labor seat in a byelection last year, was on the way to parliament when he called into ABC Radio Melbourne moments ago after a constituent raised a local issue.Labor MP for Werribee John Lister and Premier Jacinta Allan on byelection night last year.Luis Enrique AscuiHe addressed that, but couldn’t escape a question about Labor’s messy leadership change yesterday.Lister was asked whether the switch from Allan to Carroll yesterday was necessary, to which he responded:I think it’s important that we have a new direction. I know a lot of people out here in Werribee have told me that they want to see that integrity and an investigation into what’s happened on the Big Build. I want to see it because I know how beneficial the Big Build’s been for the western suburbs, particularly with the tunnel, and out here in Werribee with our brand new roads that we’re building. So we want to make sure that people have confidence in what we’ve built and how it will help our communities into the future.6.25amThe changes Ben Carroll is mulling as Victoria’s new leaderBy Kieran Rooney, Patrick Hatch and Angus DelaneyA royal commission into the construction sector will be Ben Carroll’s first act as premier and he will consider alterations to the Suburban Rail Loop, using his elevation to pursue a major reset of the Labor government and attempt to reverse its ailing electoral fortunes.In his first press conference yesterday, Carroll promised a “new direction for government” particularly on the issues of integrity, community safety and the economy.“Let me make one thing very clear: I am not Daniel Andrews. I am not Jacinta Allan,” he said.Carroll said the terms of reference for a royal commission into the construction sector would be exhaustive and a special prosecutor would be appointed to work in parallel with the commission.5.58amWatch: The most dramatic day on Spring Street in yearsBy The internal Labor Party push to oust Jacinta Allan culminated yesterday in her resignation and the installation of Ben Carroll as premier after a fiery caucus meeting.Watch how our colleagues at Nine News summed up the action below:5.55amAnalysis: Carroll faces defining test in his very first decisionBy Nick McKenzieBen Carroll has been Victoria’s premier for less than 24 hours, and he already faces a decision that will define his leadership.Does Carroll have the courage to establish a royal commission into criminality and corruption on the Big Build that not only goes after low-hanging fruit, like the infantile and abusive former CFMEU boss John Setka, but also seeks to hold politicians like Jacinta Allan accountable for the wrongdoing that occurred on their watch?A royal commissioner should have the authority to ask why Allan resisted a searching, independent inquiry into wrongdoing by the CFMEU and its gangster mates on major Victorian projects.The commission must be allowed to ask, on behalf of Victorians, whether her actions – or inaction – contributed to an environment that allowed wanton misbehaviour to take root.Read Nick McKenzie’s full comment piece here.5.50amWelcome to the first day of Ben Carroll’s premiershipBy Lachlan AbbottGood morning and welcome to our live coverage of Ben Carroll’s first full day as Victorian premier.In a dramatic day at state parliament yesterday, Jacinta Allan announced her resignation and chaired a tense caucus room meeting in which Carroll ultimately emerged as the new leader with Gabrielle Williams as his deputy.Ben Carroll at his first press conference as Labor leader on Tuesday.Jason SouthCarroll still has to name his cabinet and outline the terms of reference for a royal commission into the construction industry – his first pledge as leader after this masthead’s Building Bad series revealed systemic graft within Victoria’s Big Build.The Labor caucus decides which MPs become ministers, but Carroll has the power to nominate portfolios and could choose to reward key backers and demote Allan loyalists – many of whom occupy the state’s most important positions.Stay tuned for live updates.1 of 1