Former Victorian premier Jacinta Allan has announced she is leaving politics and will not seek re-election at the November 28 state poll.
Ms Allan made the announcement in her home town of Bendigo, weeks after being forced to resign as premier on July 28 when her deputy, Ben Carroll, said he would challenge her in caucus.
Reflecting on her first speech to the Victorian parliament after winning Bendigo East at the 1999 election, Ms Allan said she had entered politics determined to make a difference.
“Today, as I announce I will not be recontesting the 2026 election, I can proudly say I did just that,” she said.
First elected in 1999 on the day before her 26th birthday, Ms Allan became premier in September 2023 after Daniel Andrews quit politics. On Friday, she said she would depart parliament at the November election.
“I am proud to say I didn’t waste a day,” Ms Allan said.
“With each day, I lived the values outlined in my first speech to parliament – quality investments in public health and education, a strong union movement, respect for other people and the role of the community in decision making.”
During her speech, Ms Allan also said: “Fight for decent jobs with decent wages is what must sit at the centre of what Labor governments deliver.”
The 52-year-old was the youngest woman elected to parliament at 25 and the first women to represent Bendigo when she won office in 1999.
“I was young. I was nervous. But I knew exactly why I was there,” she said.
Over a 27-year political career, she became Victoria’s 49th premier, led the Labor Party for three years and served in senior portfolios including education, skills, regional development, transport and infrastructure.
Looking back on Bendigo, Ms Allan said the city now had a world-class hospital where families could receive care without needing to travel to Melbourne. She said every public school in her electorate had been upgraded and pointed to new train stations, tech schools, government services, law courts, a theatre, improved sporting facilities and more secure local jobs.
“There are no words big enough to describe what this community means to me,” she said.
“Because Bendigo isn’t just the place I have represented.
“It’s where I learnt who I was fighting for.”
Premier Ben Carroll later praised her record, saying Ms Allan had “poured her heart into Bendigo, a community she loved, for almost three decades”.
He said she had always believed regional Victorians should have the same opportunities as people in major cities, including access to strong healthcare, education and a fair chance at a good life.
“That belief is why Bendigo today has a world-class hospital. It’s why local kids are learning in upgraded schools, why families travel on safer roads, and why the city’s arts and sporting facilities are the envy of regional towns across Australia,” he said.
He added: “On behalf of Victoria, I thank Jacinta for her decades of dedicated service, leadership and friendship.”
Labor must now choose a new candidate for Bendigo East, a seat Ms Allan holds by more than 10 per cent, though polling had suggested it was in play amid her growing unpopularity.
