High stakes poker as Victoria teetered on the brink of chaos

For an hour or so on Wednesday afternoon, Victoria appeared on the brink of a month of leaderless chaos forced upon the state by Labor factional infighting.

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas departs the Labor caucus meeting. Picture: Getty Images

For an hour or so on Wednesday afternoon, Victoria appeared on the brink of a month of leaderless chaos forced upon the state by Labor factional infighting, and ALP rules ironically put in place with the idea of making a transfer of leadership less bloody.

The machinations played out before the eyes of the waiting press pack, as MPs darted in and out of the caucus room in state parliament, into anterooms and down stairwells to conduct secret talks before re-entering the main meeting.

When Daniel Andrews blindsided much of his party by abruptly announcing his resignation on Tuesday afternoon, the lack of notice was seen by many in Labor as being intended to help his deputy and close ally Jacinta Allan secure the position as his successor without challenge.

Some factional bosses had other ideas, meeting late into Tuesday evening in an attempt to thrash out a deal, which ultimately ended in a stalemate.

Knowing they had the numbers in caucus, the Socialist Left of Ms Allan and Mr Andrews wanted the deputy leadership as well as the premiership – an outcome to which the Right was unwilling to agree.

On Wednesday morning, Treasurer Tim Pallas fronted up to state parliament, announcing to journalists that contrary to suggestions he may follow Mr Andrews out the door, he would be putting his name forward for the deputy leadership.

Mental Health Minister Gabrielle Williams also canvassed support from Left colleagues for the deputy’s role, but bowed out when it became clear Mr Pallas had more support, and he and Ms Allan were endorsed as their faction’s leadership candidates.

For most of the morning, the Right’s intentions remained unclear, with some suspecting they could capitulate to the Left, given their diminished numbers in caucus.

Ten minutes after the scheduled midday meeting, Transport Minister Ben Carroll and Police Minister Anthony Carbines entered the caucus room together, flanked by Right colleagues, as factional bosses briefed journalists via text that the pair would challenge Ms Allan and Mr Pallas for the premiership and deputy premiership. Minutes later, Mr Carroll emerged from the room on the phone, accompanied by Right factional cabinet colleagues Melissa Horne, Lizzie Blandthorn and Natalie Hutchins.

The foursome headed into a room adjacent to the partyroom, where they were followed a short time later by Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio, who in recent years assumed a role as a factional “fixer” for Mr Andrews and Ms Allan, and fellow Socialist Left minister Ingrid Stitt.

Mr Carroll briefly returned to the meeting, before following Ms D’Ambrosio and Ms Stitt downstairs into a room adjacent to the members’ dining room, with Ms Horne, Ms Blandthorn, and fellow Right minister Natalie Suleyman.

It subsequently emerged that Ms Allan, who was yet to front the caucus meeting more than an hour after it was scheduled to begin, was present at the meeting downstairs, where she and her allies unsuccessfully sought to dissuade Mr Carroll from challenging.

Shortly after 1pm, Ms Allan entered the caucus meeting with her supporters and Mr Carroll with his, both of them refusing to comment on their talks.

Mr Andrews was similarly tight-lipped when he entered the meeting to rapturous applause minutes later.

Shortly before 2pm – two hours after the caucus meeting had been scheduled to begin – Labor sources confirmed that Mr Carroll had officially nominated for the premiership with Mr Carbines as deputy.

Had the challenge proceeded, ALP rules put in place to avoid messy leadership spills following the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd saga would have required nominations to remain open for three days, and a ballot of ALP members to be conducted following a 28-day campaign, as occurred in 2013 when Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten faced off for the federal leadership.

Members’ votes would have counted for 50 per cent, and those of caucus the other 50 per cent, with the party also required to appoint an “interim premier” from among those who had not nominated for the role.

Facing the prospect of Victoria being without a premier for more than a month, and the chaos and disunity that would result, caucus eventually reached an eleventh-hour compromise shortly after 2:30pm, with Ms Allan forced to accept Mr Carroll as her deputy.