Updated ,first published
As Jacinta Allan bids farewell to a job she has been doing for the past 1036 days, she used her final speech as Victorian Premier to highlight her government’s achievements: tough bail laws, a budget returned to surplus, free public transport and improvements in women’s health.
But while stressing Labour’s record of improving government infrastructure, Allan was defiant about the corruption scandal that has engulfed the same Big Build projects, even as some of his colleagues came out publicly to call for a royal commission.
“We have removed 92 level crossings, completed the West Gateway. We are building the Northeast Link and the Suburban Rail Loop, and then there is the Metro,” he told reporters.
“Not too many people get to see a project of this magnitude and complete it from start to finish. I’m very proud of it.”
Ben Carroll, who was elected by his fellow members as the new leader of Victorian Labor after a last-minute challenge, is expected to announce a royal commission into the scandal surrounding Big Build and the CFMEU as one of his first steps. Several Labor ministers pushed for the inquiry during a tense cabinet meeting on Monday, and then did so publicly on Tuesday morning before Allan resigned.
In his statement to the press, Allan did not mention the disclosure Age that the construction union suffered from the scandal you have increased the cost of the signature of government projects, construction delay, and criminals for hireincluding bicycles, working on them.
Forced out of office in large part because of his refusal to call The Royal Commission into the Construction Malpractice scandal, Allan claimed that the Victorians were profiting from completed projects without considering the corrupt behavior on the construction sites during their construction.
“Jacinta Allan has failed to deal with the CFMEU corruption issue,” said a senior Labor source speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal party issues.
Attorney General Sonya Kilkenny delayed Carroll’s elevation after she stood up herself, but after a chaotic party meeting where she got 15 votes, including Allan’s, she decided to withdraw her interest.
That cleared the way for Carroll to claim the top job, and he and new Deputy Premier Gabrielle Williams headed to Government House to be sworn in.
Carroll promised to provide a new direction on integrity, social security and the economy as Prime Minister.
In an Instagram video posted less than an hour after he was elevated as Labor leader, Carroll said he was asked by colleagues to put his hand up for the role and agreed. He said polling showed Victoria was on course for Australia’s first Liberal and One Nation government and “the stakes were high”.
“Regarding integrity, social security and the economy – as Prime Minister, I will give that new direction.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to Allan, saying politics can be a “very difficult business”.
“Jacinta Allan is someone who I think is a decent human being,” Albanese said at a press conference in Western Australia. “A person who is motivated by his passionate belief in the Victorian lifestyle and in education, health, (and) transport.”
“He’s someone who can be proud, I think, of his long-term success, and I wish him well for his future.”
