Jacinta Allan quits politics and will not recontest Bendigo East after Ben Carroll takes over as Vic Premier

Former Victorian premier Jacinta Allan has announced she will not contest the November state election, ending her 27-year political career.

Ms Allan confirmed on Friday she would not recontest Bendigo East, the seat she has held since 1999.

“This all seems commonplace today… but 27 years ago these opportunities were anything but the status quo. We had to fight for them and fight I did,” she said at a press conference on Friday.

“Twenty-seven years ago, at the age of 25, as the newly elected member for Bendigo East, I wasn’t the status quo either. I was the first woman to represent Bendigo in any Australian parliament. I was the youngest woman to be elected to the Victorian Parliament. I was proudly the first Labor member for Bendigo East.

“I stated in my inaugural speech to the Victorian Parliament, ‘I intend to make a difference’.

“Today, as I announce I will not be recontesting the 2026 election, I can proudly say I did just that.

“I am proud to say I didn’t waste a day,” Ms Allan said.

The announcement comes just two weeks after she was dumped as premier and replaced by Ben Carroll following a dramatic Labor leadership change.

Ms Allan has largely stayed out of the public spotlight since the leadership coup last month and has not returned to parliament.

Her decision brings an end to weeks of speculation over whether the former premier would step away from politics.

The next election will now see a new Labor candidate face off against Nationals candidate Andrew Lethlean, a popular local publican.

Ms Allan became Victoria’s first female premier from regional Victoria when she took the top job in 2023, after previously serving as deputy premier.

Her departure marks the end of one of the longest political careers in Victorian Labor.