A political earthquake shook Victoria on Tuesday as embattled Premier Jacinta Allan abruptly resigned just ahead of a party room meeting that would have seen her toppled in a leadership spill — clearing the way for her deputy, Ben Carroll, to seize the top job and immediately vow a dramatic "new direction" for the scandal-plagued state government.

In a stinging rebuke to his own predecessors, Carroll used his very first remarks as premier to distance himself from both Allan and long-serving former leader Daniel Andrews — and dropped a bombshell by announcing a royal commission into the state's corruption-riddled construction sector, something Allan had flatly refused for years.

Let me make one thing very clear: I am not Daniel Andrews. I am not Jacinta Allan.

'Different Times Require a New Approach'

"I am not Daniel Andrews. I am not Jacinta Allan," Carroll declared Tuesday afternoon, just hours after Allan's stunning resignation. "I will do things differently, because different times require a new approach. In my government, integrity will not be optional."

Carroll — who had promised Allan just six weeks ago he wouldn't challenge her — said "circumstances changed" before ultimately moving to take the premiership himself. He thanked Allan for her service.

The new premier also moved to strengthen Victoria's anti-corruption watchdog, a direct response to mounting public fury over alleged corruption in the state's flagship Big Build infrastructure projects.

A Chaotic Power Grab

Carroll was expected to secure the leadership unopposed — until Victorian Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny launched a dramatic last-minute challenge.

Under Labor's rules, a contested leadership ballot must be put to a vote of the party's rank-and-file members, a process that could have dragged on for weeks and thrown the government into chaos just months before November's critical state election.

But after a marathon, chaotic caucus meeting — during which yelling and cheering could be heard echoing through the doors — Carroll emerged victorious. State Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams was elected as his deputy.

'The Honour of My Life'

Announcing her resignation Tuesday morning, a visibly emotional Allan said it had been an honor to lead the state.

"Thank you to the Victorian people. It has been the honour of my life to serve you as your premier," Allan said. "I stepped down after 1,036 days in this role. Not one of them wasted, not one of them easy."

Allan said she believed she would have won a rank-and-file membership vote — but warned the bruising process would have damaged the party ahead of November's election.

"More importantly, it puts the state in a position of uncertainty. That hurts the Victorian people, and I just won't do that. At the end of the day, I am, and always have been, a team player."

She choked back tears reflecting on her government's work on women's health, citing her own battle with endometriosis and nearly losing her daughter during childbirth.

A Parting Warning

Allan — who fended off two Liberal leaders during her tenure — delivered a blistering parting shot at her successor's political opponents.

"I was more than ready. I saw off two Liberal leaders," she said. "I expect my successor will see off the third. And if they don't, One Nation certainly will."

Her warning comes as polling suggests support for the state Labor government has cratered in recent months, with the party now fighting for a fourth consecutive term against a surging One Nation.

For Carroll, the message is clear: voters frustrated by the high cost of living, soaring state debt, infrastructure delays and corruption allegations are demanding change — and the clock is ticking toward November.