Jacinta Allan has been chosen as the 49th Premier of Victoria and the new leader of the Victorian Labor Party. Ben Carroll will become deputy premier.
Allan, who has previously served as deputy premier, takes on the top job following the shock resignation of Daniel Andrews on Tuesday. She becomes Victoria’s second female premier, following in the footsteps of Joan Kirner, who was premier between 1990 and 1992.
The decision to give Allan the job was made at a Labor caucus meeting held on Wednesday afternoon. Allan hails from the Left faction of the Victorian Labor Party.
On Tuesday afternoon, Allan had tweeted her congratualtions to her Left faction colleague Dan Andrews on his time as premier.
“Congratulations Premier. An unparalleled legacy that has changed our state forever & for the better. Thank you for your leadership & your friendship. I will be putting myself forward to lead our party & continue the extraordinary work of our Labor government,” she said.
Allan has a long history of reaching major political milestones. She was the youngest female Victorian MP when she was elected to parliament in 1999 at age 25. In 2002, she became the youngest minister in the history of Victorian state politics.
She was also the second youngest woman to serve as deputy premier, when took on the role last year.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Allan said: “It’s not lost on me that I am only the second woman to lead this state and that comes with some emotion.”
Allan said she hopes her elevation to premier shows other women across Victoria that “leadership takes on different shapes and sizes”.