Can boring beat bonkers? The Victorian Labor Party apparently thinks so, having chosen Ben Carroll as the state’s new premier.
Victoria is a state of political contradictions. This was the place that pioneered the eight hour day, and also produced Henry Bolte and Jeff Kennett, Robert Menzies and Gough Whitlam – the first state in the country to sign a Treaty with traditional owners, and also the heartland of Australian neo-Nazism.
If some polls are to be believed, Victoria is now on the verge of going one better than Queensland, and electing a One Nation government, despite the absence of local policies or any publicly named candidates, apart from former dairy farmer and now Legislative Council representative Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell, currently the only member of Pauline Hanson’s party sitting in the Victorian parliament.
After a fairly public slanging match, Labor’s response has been to ditch Premier Jacinta Allan in favour of her deputy, Ben Carroll, in the hope of lifting the government’s sagging political fortunes, after almost 12 years in power.
Allan was the anointed successor of ‘Dictator’ Dan Andrews, but lacked his charisma, street smarts or cut-through ability, and became bogged down in the corruption scandals surrounding the Big Build, an ambitious multi-year plan which involves replacing level crossings with bridges, building new freeways and tunnels, along with creating new railway connections, stations and freight infrastructure to support Melbourne’s growing population.
The third horse (and current bookies’ favourite) in the coming state race is the Liberals, led by 36 year old Jess Wilson, a moderate figure in her party who has been in parliament for less than a single term and was previously a shadow minister with responsibilities including finance, economic reform, home ownership and housing affordability, early childhood and education.
Wilson faces a serious challenge from teal independent Sophie Torney in her own seat of Kew.
Nowhere man?
Ben Carroll is a new face as premier, but has been a senior part of the Labor government since 2018. If he manages to cut through at all with a jaded electorate, he’ll find it difficult to separate himself from the shortcomings of his predecessors, even as he seeks to share the credit for their successes.
Coming to politics via Kmart and work as a volunteer lawyer at a community legal service, before ministerial responsibilities including education, WorkSafe and medical research, Premier Carroll says his vision for Victoria is that it ‘provides lifelong learning options from early childhood to mature age.’ He says he also wants his state to become a world leader in mental health, with wellbeing support services that provide empathy, structure and relief.
According to Carroll’s recently updated website, ‘The area of public policy he is most passionate about is strong action on climate change. Ben believes that Victoria must stand as a global leader in the creation of a zero-emissions, renewable workforce.’
That doesn’t sound like the man painted by some in the media as a grey, right of centre apparatchik. Perhaps Ben Carroll will surprise everyone in the short time he has left before the election to make an impression? His first decision as premier was to announce a royal commission into alleged corruption in Victoria’s building industry, neatly distancing himself from his predecessor and blunting the main attack of the opposition, while creating the risk of more revelations in coming months.
Beyond the personality contest, and the culture war issues that plague all elections these days, the Victorian poll is likely to be fought on cost of living pressures, crime and debt.
It’s yet to be seen if any of the established parties have any serious solutions on offer, which might explain why an unprecedented number of Victorians are telling pollsters they want to try something new.
Is the extraordinary surge in support for One Nation south of the border simply a protest writ large, or something more? Chris Minns and Anthony Albanese will be closely watching whatever transpires. Ironically, the best result for both of them might be a win for PHON in Victoria, with just enough time for the whole thing to fall apart as a terrible warning for the rest of us.
But does the Education State deserve to become an orange Petri dish for the long term good of the country? That’s probably not the kind of education anyone had in mind.
Victoria goes to the polls on 28 November, 2026.
Originally from Canberra, David Lowe is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and photographer with particular interests in the environment and politics. He’s known for his campaigning work with Cloudcatcher Media.
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