New Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has used his first video message since becoming Labor leader to pledge a new direction for the government and warn against the threat of a Liberal-One Nation administration.

In a video posted to Facebook on Tuesday, Carroll said he was ‘honoured and humbled’ to have been elected unanimously by his Labor colleagues to succeed Jacinta Allan as Premier.

‘Yesterday, they asked me to put my hand up to lead our party, and I agreed,’ Carroll said.

‘This was not an easy decision.’

Carroll described the leadership change as necessary ahead of November’s state election, arguing Labor is facing a serious challenge from the Opposition.

‘The stakes at this election are too high,’ he said.

‘Polling says Victoria is on track for Australia’s first Liberal-One Nation government.’

The new Premier accused the Coalition of threatening public services, claiming a Liberal-One Nation government would ‘cut schools, health and frontline services’ and ‘hurt working people.’

At the same time, Carroll acknowledged Victorians are demanding change from Labor.

‘It is clear that on key issues that matter to Victorians, our government needs to go in a new direction,’ he said.

‘On integrity, on community safety, and on the economy.’

Carroll pledged to deliver that change as Premier.

‘As Premier, I will deliver that new direction,’ he said.

The video was posted to Carroll’s Facebook page shortly after his elevation to Victoria’s top job.

Comments were disabled on the post.

Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming has quit the Parliamentary Liberal Party and will sit on the crossbench as an independent after the party voted to dump her as a candidate ahead of November’s state election.

The move follows months of internal conflict between Deeming and the Liberal Party, culminating in a state executive meeting at which party officials voted to withdraw her endorsement.

Deeming had attempted to stop the process through the Supreme Court, launching an eleventh-hour challenge against the party’s actions. However, she withdrew the legal bid before the meeting proceeded.

The dispute stemmed from an altercation in May, after Deeming accused fellow Liberal MP Matthew Guy of placing her in a ‘violent’ headlock during a confrontation.

She later said she had misunderstood the meaning of the term ‘headlock’.

Deeming confirmed her departure from the parliamentary party in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

‘Today, I have resigned from the parliamentary Liberal Party and will sit with the crossbench as an Independent.

‘My focus has always been, and will continue to be, on representing the needs and concerns of everyday Australians.

‘I was elected to fight for freedom, fair laws, and families.

‘To save our state from the endemic corruption, crushing debt, and the rising crime crisis, Labor has got to go. I remain fully committed to seeing that through.

‘Thank you to those who have supported me.’

Gabrielle Williams has been elected Deputy Leader of the Victorian Labor Party after a leadership contest was avoided, with Sonya Kilkenny abandoning her bid for the top job.

Williams had been set to serve as interim Premier while Labor members voted between Ben Carroll and Sonya Kilkenny to replace Jacinta Allan.

However, Kilkenny’s exit from the contest cleared the way for a swift transition, allowing Carroll to take the leadership without a prolonged ballot.

Ben Carroll has been elected as Premier of Victoria by a ‘unanimous vote’, following chaos inside the Labor Party caucus meeting.

Gabrielle Williams has been named Labor’s interim parliamentary leader as the party begins the search for Jacinta Allan’s successor.

The Transport Infrastructure Minister was also elected deputy leader after defeating Steve Dimopoulos in a caucus ballot, according to party sources.

Williams’ appointment followed chaos in Labor’s leadership transition on Tuesday morning.

Ben Carroll had been expected to take over unopposed before Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny unexpectedly nominated for the top job, triggering a contest.

Allan is understood to have been one of the nominators of Kilkenny.

Caucus has agreed to open nominations for three days, meaning the leadership battle could drag on for days – or even weeks – as Labor looks for a new leader just months from the state election.

A former lawyer and ministerial adviser, Williams entered Parliament in 2014 and has since become one of Labor’s most senior ministers.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has weighed in on Victoria’s political turmoil, speaking at a press conference in Perth.

Asked about the unfolding leadership drama in Victoria, Albanese turned his attention to the Opposition and warned against a potential alliance involving the Liberals, Nationals and One Nation.

‘[Voters] can choose a chaotic coalition of the Liberal Party, One Nation and the National Party,’ he said.

In a remark that quickly took on an ironic edge given the turmoil engulfing Victorian Labor, Albanese argued One Nation was itself beset by uncertainty.

‘[One Nation] doesn’t even know who it’s leader is and who it’s candidates are,’ he said.

The Prime Minister said such instability would create further uncertainty for Victorians.

‘That would be a recipe for chaos and I want to see the Victorian Labor government reelected,’ he said.

The Victorian Liberals have moved quickly to target Ben Carroll, releasing a new attack ad against him.

The video, released in the midst of Labor’s leadership turmoil, features footage of Carroll defending Allan just weeks ago.

‘I’ve got a young daughter at home and I couldn’t be more proud to make sure she grows up knowing that I supported Jacinta Allan,’ Carroll says in one clip.

The advertisement also highlights an exchange at the same presser where Carroll ruled out moving against the Premier.

‘Are you going to ask her to step aside?’ a reporter asks.

‘No,’ Carroll replies.

When pressed further, ‘Can you look her in the eye and say that?’, Carroll responds: ‘I can look you in the eye and say that, Premier.’

Victorian Labor’s internal tensions have erupted, with reports of shouting in the party’s caucus room after Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny was nominated to challenge Deputy Premier Ben Carroll.

The dramatic development follows Premier Jacinta Allan’s indication that she would step aside to prevent a damaging leadership battle and keep the party united ahead of November’s state election.

However, Allan’s decision to throw her support behind Kilkenny has set the stage for what insiders fear could become a long and deeply divisive contest.

The move would trigger six-week leadership contest would consume the government’s attention, deepen factional divides and distract from the party’s election campaign.

The winner would be left with just 10 weeks to run their campaign.

There is also understood to be an argument about who would serve as interim premier during this contest.

Ben Carroll has arrived at the Labor caucus meeting, where MPs are now voting to choose Victoria’s next Premier.

Carroll remains the only declared candidate for the leadership and is widely expected to secure the party’s top job when the caucus vote concludes.

Victorian Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny has entered the leadership contest against Ben Carroll, setting up an unexpected ballot to determine Labor’s next leader.

Kilkenny, a key ally of outgoing Premier Jacinta Allan and a member of the party’s Left faction, stunned Labor figures by nominating for the leadership, after Carroll emerged as the overwhelming favourite to succeed Allan, widely expected to be uncontested.

Her late entry threatens to complicate what many in Labor had expected would be a straightforward transition to a Carroll premiership.

Jacinta Allan became emotional as she announced her resignation, pausing to reflect on the personal challenges she has faced as a woman and mother.

‘I am a woman, I am a mum. I live with endometriosis and I almost lost my daughter at birth,’ Allan said.

The outgoing Premier paused to compose herself before addressing the room.

‘You all know I’m a bit of a crier,’ she said.

Allan used the moment to highlight her government’s focus on women’s health, saying her own experiences had shaped her priorities in office.

‘For too long women’s pain was dismissed, I am one of those women,’ she said.

Reflecting on her legacy, Allan said she hoped to be remembered for giving women and girls a voice in the healthcare system.

‘If I want to be remembered for one thing it’s this. I led a government that listened to girls about their health.’

Ben Carroll has served as Victoria’s Deputy Premier since October 2023, alongside his role as Deputy Leader of the Victorian Labor Party. The Labor MP has represented the north-west Melbourne seat of Niddrie since entering Parliament in 2012.

As a senior member of Jacinta Allan’s government, Carroll oversees the portfolios of Education and Medical Research.

In June, Carroll moved to shut down speculation about a potential leadership challenge against Allan, publicly declaring he would not seek to replace her.

Standing alongside Allan, Carroll rejected suggestions he was positioning himself for a spill.

When asked whether he intended to challenge the Premier at a caucus meeting, he replied: ‘No.’

Pressed by a journalist to look Allan in the eye and rule out a challenge directly, Carroll turned to the Premier and said: ‘I can look you in the eye and say that, Premier.’

Carroll then invoked his young daughter as he pledged his loyalty to Allan, saying he wanted her to grow up knowing he had backed the Premier.

‘I’ve got a young daughter at home and I couldn’t be more proud to make sure she grows up knowing that I supported Jacinta Allan to be a world-class premier and get re-elected in her own right,’ he said.

Carroll’s time as Education Minister has also been marked by a series of high-profile controversies.

He faced scrutiny after errors were discovered in VCE mathematics and chemistry exams in 2023, raising concerns about quality control in Victoria’s assessment system.

The controversy escalated in 2024 when the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) accidentally published exam materials for 65 VCE subjects weeks before students sat their final tests.

More recently, Carroll has found himself at the centre of a bitter dispute with Victoria’s teachers, overseeing lengthy negotiations with the Australian Education Union as educators push for improved pay and working conditions.

The standoff led Victorian teachers to take industrial action in March for the first time in 13 years. A second strike took place last Thursday.

Since joining Victoria’s cabinet in 2017, Carroll has held a string of prominent portfolios spanning industry, employment, road safety and public transport.

Before entering politics, Carroll built a career in law and government.

He graduated with honours in law from La Trobe University in 2000, joined the Labor Party while at university, and was admitted as a solicitor in 2010.

Carroll’s working life began in retail, spending his teens and early twenties as a sales assistant at Kmart in Airport West. During that time, he became active in the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA).

He later worked in AAMI’s motor vehicle insurance division before joining the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office as a legal officer between 2009 and 2010.