Do we like Jacinta Allan?
Our score: 6 out of 10. A clean record on the harm side and real wins, balanced by unproven but serious Big Build allegations she denies and a long run of broken trust.
Allan is a Bendigo kid who won the seat of Bendigo East in 1999 at 25, making her the youngest woman elected to Victoria's parliament. She came up through the Socialist Left faction, the same one as Daniel Andrews, and she became premier in September 2023 when he stepped down. She described herself on her way out as a daughter of Bendigo and of workers.
The story that finished her was the Big Build. As transport infrastructure minister she oversaw the huge rail and road program while corruption allegations swirled around the construction sector, and her refusal to call a royal commission became the sore point. Nine media reported she was briefed in 2023 that criminal infiltration affected project costs, and further allegations say she pushed for a particular labour hire firm in 2022. She denies any wrongdoing and says she never saw the briefing.
On 7 July the opposition's James Newbury lodged a complaint with the corruption watchdog IBAC alleging she personally intervened to get a CFMEU-backed consortium a Big Build job. That's his allegation, not a finding, and the article doesn't report her reply to it. She has called royal commission calls “delayed action” in the past, and promised watchdog powers that wouldn't kick in until after a review in 2027.
The end was brutal and fast. Polls had Labor sliding behind the Coalition and One Nation, she brushed off earlier rumblings as scallywags needing a cuddle, and on 26 July factional powerbrokers decided she'd lost the numbers. She refused to resign the next day, then went on the 28th; Ben Carroll took over and promised a royal commission into construction corruption.
The Commonwealth Games collapse and the state's debt also dogged her premiership, and critics say she was slow to deal with the CFMEU. Defenders point to major projects built, level crossings removed and planning reforms aimed at more housing. Where you land depends on whether you see the Big Build as a government that looked away or one that moved once it knew; the allegations remain unproven.
So: would we support her? On people and the planet, she gets a pass, especially on trans-inclusive and anti-hate policy as reported. On being a good egg, it's a close call, because the corruption allegations she denies are the thing that took her down. The record is thin on anything beyond the political fight, which is honestly most of what's out there.