Daniel Andrews says Ben Carroll ‘can win’ Victoria election in rare public statement

Former leader shows support for new Victorian premier while paying tribute to Jacinta Allan Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Daniel Andrews has thrown his support behind Victoria’s new premier, Ben Carroll, saying he has what it takes to win November’s state election. In a rare public statement on Wednesday, the former premier also paid tribute to Jacinta Allan, whom he handpicked to replace him as Labor leader when he resigned in September 2023. Allan quit the top job on Tuesday morning, minutes before she was set to face a planned leadership spill brought on by Carroll. According to Carroll, he agreed to stand after a cross-factional delegation of MPs told him on Monday the premier had lost the confidence of the caucus. On his first full day as premier, Carroll announced legislation to abolish group voting tickets (GVTs), which are only used in Victoria, had been introduced to parliament. The system has allowed backroom deals between parties to flourish, enabling some candidates to get elected with only a minuscule number of primary votes. In his statement, Andrews said he first met Allan when h