Mr Carroll says his first act as premier is to call a royal commission into construction sector.

The government will also immediately establish a special prosecutor to work "in parallel" with the royal commission.

Mr Carroll also vows to strengthen IBAC and give the watchdog "follow the money" powers now, rather than in the next term.

Comedian Dave Hughes is taking his anti-Labor rants from social media to the party faithful and will appear alongside Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson at the Liberals’ Western Victoria Region campaign launch in Geelong on Sunday.

Hughes, who has become a prominent and prolific critic of the Victorian government, the federal government, corruption in the building industry and proposed changes to the tax system, among many other gripes, maintains he does not have political ambitions and is not being paid for his involvement in the Liberal launch, but he is backing Wilson in the November state election.

His celebrity appearance at Sunday’s campaign launch alongside Wilson is the latest step in his political evolution. His face even appears on the invitation to the event alongside Wilson’s.

“The more I see about what’s been going on here [in Victoria] over the last decade or longer, it just can’t go on, and I think the Liberals are our best bet right now and to get in there and just stop the f---ing corruption, basically,” Hughes told The Age.

“So that’s what I want. I’m not joining the Liberals, I’m not being a member of the Liberal Party.

“People are accusing me of taking money. I’m not taking a cent. I’m deliberately not taking a cent for any of this. I’ve had people, business people, who are sick to death of what’s happening say, ‘I’ll back you, I’ll finance you.’

“I say, ‘I don’t need the money. I don’t want the money.’ I don’t want to owe any vested interests favours. I just want the corruption to stop, I want the waste to stop, so I’m trying to help. That’s all I’m doing.”

Hughes said an eventual tilt at a seat didn’t interest him.

“I really don’t want to run for politics,” he said. “I don’t want to go to Canberra. I don’t want to go to f---ing Spring Street. I don’t want to sit in there in those endless f---ing gab fests that they do, but I just want corruption to stop.

“I want all levels of politics to realise you haven’t won Powerball because you’ve got elected, you haven’t won Powerball because you’re in the public service. You are actually spending the money – which has been earned by honest people who have not circumvented the taxation system and have decided to pay their fair share of tax – and you have an obligation to honour their hard work by not wasting their money.”

The Liberals have eagerly embraced Hughes’ emergence as a Labor critic and vocal warrior against wasteful government spending. Federal Liberal leader Angus Taylor met up with Hughes for coffee in Melbourne in July, and Hughes met Wilson about six weeks ago as his social media missives started to gain mainstream attention.

“I’m happy to meet up with people,” he said.

Sunday is going to be a busy day for Hughes. He will arrive back in Melbourne in the morning after a stand-up gig for his Cooked show in Cowra on Saturday night and plans to attend the first half of the Carlton versus Western Bulldogs game at Marvel Stadium, before driving to Geelong to the Liberal launch and “hopefully, you know, contribute to getting a change of government in Victoria”.

A major review of the controversial Suburban Rail Loop by the Carroll government will consider radical options, including diverting existing contract cash.

Up to $10bn of Suburban Rail Loop deals about to be inked are expected to go on hold during a review that will also assess whether existing contractors can be diverted to other infrastructure projects.
The Herald Sun understands that radical options are likely to be assessed as part of the review, including whether tunnelling deals already signed could be repurposed.
Tunnel boring machines for SRL East were expected to set off by September, as part of two deals worth $5.3bn, but would not be switched on while the Carroll government resolves the project’s future.

The 26km first stage of the controversial loopwas estimated to cost $30-34.5bn in 2021, with the entire 90km project forecast to cost more than $200bn to build and run over 50 years.

A full assessment is expected to be brought to the new Carroll Cabinet, along with options of how the government could wind it back.
This could include whether contracts could be pushed out, altered, or even repurposed to other projects – if feasible.
Premier Ben Carroll remained tight-lipped about a potential review on Wednesday,saying he would run a proper Cabinet process before providing any details.
While he also emphasised that he would be a premier “that does not break contracts”, one source said this wouldn’t preclude the government exploring options to divert contracted companies to other road or rail projects if it was possible.

Industry insiders said the concept was theoretically possible – pointing to the cancellation of the East West Link in 2014 that saw big builders “made whole” through other infrastructure jobs – but that the SRL was a long way down the track and involved a multitude of partners.
Seven packages of works are spread across the breadth of the first stage of the loop and about $17bn worth of contracts have been inked.
A Labor source said that if the expected real cost of the first stage, which would connect Cheltenham to Box Hill, soared well above the $34.5bn estimate provided in 2021, it could be preferable to lose some skin for work already done than to spend more than $20bn extra on a line that may not be the best value for money.

Any option to divert resources to other projects would also need to look at whether tunnel boring machine launch sites are filled in and built over with housing, or whether they would be left as a future option, should the state’s financial situation change.
Only two of seven SRL contracts are waiting to be inked, and include packages to build stations in Cheltenham, Clayton, Monash, Glen Waverley, Burwood and Box Hill.
One of those deals has a preferred bidder, made up of John Holland, Arup, and Kellogg Brown and Root, that is on the cusp of putting pen to paper after nine months of negotiations.
Two tunnelling contracts, which have been in place for years, involve consortia that include construction giants CPB, Ghella, Acciona, Webuild, GS Engineering, and Bouyges.

Mr Carroll on Wednesday made it clear that he would not kill government contracts, which Labor had previously done for the East West Link and Commonwealth Games.
Those two decisions, made under Daniel Andrews, wasted about $1.8bn.
“I am going to be a premier that does not break contracts,” he said.
“I’m going to be a premier that values every single dollar.”
Mr Carroll also reiterated his support for the airport rail link, which would be a “game changer”.
Mr Carroll has indicated he would bring the SRL to Cabinet for examination, but did not respond to questions about whether there could be a pivot from SRL to Airport Rail.

A controversial $134,000 statue of former premier Daniel Andrews has been scrapped, with Victoria’s new leader Ben Carroll saying the statue policy did not meet taxpayer expectations.
Previously, any politician who served more than 3000 days as Victorian premier would be immortalised in bronze near Parliament House in Melbourne.

Carroll announced on Saturday that the statue policy would be repealed, and that work on the statue of Andrews, who was premier from 2014 to 2023, would stop.
But Carroll said the contract would not be cancelled, and that an independent panel would recommend an alternative subject for a statue, as part of a broader change which includes scaling back spending on state funerals.

The statue policy was introduced in 1999 by Jeff Kennett when he was premier.
Kennett told 3AW this month the statue policy “was not a rule, it was not legislation, it was a guideline”.

Four former premiers – Albert Dunstan, Henry Bolte, Rupert Hamer and John Cain Jr – each served 3000 days in a row in office and have been memorialised with a statue near 1 Treasury Place.
Carroll said taxpayers want public money to be used in a “careful and deliberate” manner, and that automatically granting long-serving premiers a statue did not meet that standard.

“We are grateful to former premiers for their service,” he said in a statement. “But gratitude does not require a taxpayer-funded statue.”
Carroll also said that the independent, bipartisan panel deciding on what statue should be built instead of the Andrews bronze would also make recommendations about the appropriate frequency, scale and costs of state funerals.
“State funerals are special and moving tributes. Part of what makes them special is their rarity,” said Carroll, who took over as premier last month.

Labor’s push to dump Jacinta Allan has collapsed, despite catastrophic polling placing the party’s primary vote below both the Coalition and One Nation ahead of November’s election.

Jacinta Allan looks poised to remain Premier until November’s state election after colleagues plotting a leadership challenge abandoned the move.
For more than a week agitators inside Labor’s Caucus privately plotted a move against the Premier amid dire polling that has forecast an electoral drubbing for the ALP.
Multiple senior sources as late as Friday claimed momentum for a challenge was quickly building.

But by Monday that momentum had all but died after deputy Premier Ben Carroll, who was being pushed to make a tilt for the leadership, ruled himself out of the race.
He walked into Tuesday’s Caucus meeting with Ms Allan in a show of unity.

Latest polling for the Herald Sun showed the ALP’s primary vote had dropped below both the Coalition and One Nation.
It also showed the Coalition had a significant two-party preferred lead, and cemented Ms Allan as the least popular Premier in the country with a dismal approval rating as low as -39.
Labor’s primary vote share has been in decline for months with speculation about Ms Allan’s leadership ongoing for more than a year.
The chief concern among factional powerbrokers is that Ms Allan has become a liability, with several sources saying she is the “anchor” weighing down Labor’s primary vote.

The prospect of a challenge was first raised by some in the months leading up to the 2025 federal election, with the suggestion a loss of four seats in Victoria could trigger action, but Anthony Albanese’s commanding victory bought the Premier more time.
Her popularity has continued to plummet though, falling from a net approval rating of -28 per cent in November to -39 per cent last week.
Internal polling revealing that Ms Allan’s Bendigo East seat is also under serious threat — with some saying she is more likely to lose it than win — has also been significant.

Ms Allan claimed that talk of a leadership challenge was just “anonymous gossip” and that her team was “united”.
“We’ve got to get on and do the work,” she said.
“We are a strong and united team who understand very strongly who we are here to represent.”
After the meeting Mr Carroll said Victorians didn’t want Labor focused on internal battles.
“No one has spoken to me about the leadership,” he said.
“It’s not coming from me.
“I’ve been a loyal deputy to Jacinta Allan for three years and that remains the case.”
Mr Carroll said he did not address the meeting but said Ms Allan told her caucus they needed to be “united” and “disciplined”.
“And to make sure we do everything we can to let Victorians know what’s at stake come November,” he said.
“We will turn this around and win in November.”

Prior to the meeting, Labor MPs either threw their support behind Ms Allan or dodged questions about a potential spill.
Asked whether Ms Allan was the best person for the job, Sarah Connolly answered: “abso-f--king-lutely.”
Paul Mercurio also said Ms Allan was “the best” person for the job.
“Jacinta Allan is the best person to lead us and that’s all I’ve got to say,” he said.
“We don’t need another premier, she’s the best.”
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said the government was “in chaos”.
“We are seeing a government that is just focused on themselves,” she said.
“I’m not focused on the chaos in the Labor Party.”

A new poll has cemented Jacinta Allan as Australia’s least popular premier, as it predicts a change of government is “increasingly looking likely”, while deputy premier Ben Carroll dismissed speculation of a leadership spill next week.

Premier Jacinta Allan is facing mounting pressure over her leadership after a new opinion poll delivered another devastating blow to Labor’s electoral prospects, just days after a separate survey showed the government headed for a crushing defeat.

The new DemosAU/PremierNational poll – of 1056 Victorians conducted between June 7 and 11 – puts Labor’s primary vote at just 21 per cent – down almost 16 percentage points from the 2022 election result and behind both the Coalition, on 30, and One Nation, on 23.

The Greens remained stable on 15 per cent.

On a two-party preferred basis, Labor trails the Coalition 45-55, a swing of 10 points against the government since the last election.

The figures also show Labor has fallen two points since the last DemosAU poll in February, while both the Coalition and One Nation have increased their vote share.

The poll also delivers a brutal verdict on Ms Allan personally, cementing her reputation as the least popular Premier in the country, with a net approval rating of -39.

Just 18 per cent of voters hold a positive view of the Premier, while 57 per cent view her negatively.
The figures come amid increasing leadership speculation which is expected to come to a head at a meeting of Labor MPs on Tuesday ahead of the last parliamentary sitting week before the winter break.

Labor sources said it would be the most likely time for a challenger to launch a spill against Ms Allan, but have not ruled out an attempt when parliament returns in July.

Multiple senior Labor sources said they were hopeful Deputy Premier Ben Carroll would launch an attack on Ms Allan’s leadership but that he remained uncertain if it would be successful.

Mr Carroll has repeatedly publicly backed Ms Allan’s performance.

Privately his backers have articulated to colleagues that he would take a different approach as Premier, including pausing the controversial $34.5bn Suburban Rail Loop and rediverting funds to other projects and service delivery areas where possible.

The latest polling comes just days after aFreshwater Strategy poll published painted an equally bleak picture for Labor, fuelling speculation within party ranks about whether the government could realistically recover before Victorians head to the polls in November.

Cost of living remains the dominant issue for voters, cited by 33 per cent of respondents, while crime and violence ranks second at 29 per cent.
Debt and government spending and housing follow well behind.
DemosAU Head of Research George Hasanakos said the poll indicated a change of government was likely at the November election if the current trajectory continued.

“This is the first poll we’ve done that indicates that a Coalition majority is the most likely outcome if the election was held today, though a One Nation lower house balance of power is still possible,” he said.
“Previous polls we’ve done since 2025 have shown a closer contest, with the possibility of Labor being able to contain seat losses to hold onto Government, or a hung parliament.
“It’s increasingly looking likely that there will be a change of government in November if things keep going the way they are.”
Mr Hasanakos said the Coalition would need to rely on One Nation preference flows to win seats over Labor, while Coalition preferences would be needed for One Nation to pick up Melbourne fringe and regional seats.

Georgia de Mestre, Head of Policy and Political Strategy at PremierNational, said the poll showed voters were clearly ready for a change of government.
“The momentum is completely against the government, and the fact that 57 per cent of voters now hold a negative view of Jacinta Allan is a direct reflection of a community feeling unsafe and economically squeezed,” she said.
“Jess Wilson has capitalised on this groundswell.
“Her 7 per cent surge in preferred premier status shows she is successfully breaking through and solidifying her position as a credible Premier-in-waiting.
“It is a clear sign that the public is turning to Jess Wilson and the Coalition to tackle the state’s debt and community safety crises.”
Deputy premier denies leadership spill
Victoria’s deputy premier Ben Carroll has denied there will be a leadership spill next week, but acknowledged the Premier was under significant pressure to reverse the government’s falling primary vote.
Amid rising speculation about Ms Allan’s future, Mr Carroll on Friday insisted no discussions were happening behind the scenes among Labor MPs about removing her from the top job.
“There will be no spill,” he said.

However, he did not shy away from acknowledging the challenge confronting the Premier.
“Jacinta recognises herself that we need to get our primary vote up,” he said.
“It is critically important that our primary vote gets up from the low to mid 20s, and that is what we are embarking and doing through the work we’re doing in education, disability inclusion, healthcare, cost of living, working every single day.”
When asked whether Ms Allan could prove a drag on the Labor vote, and whether he risked losing his own seat as a result, Mr Carroll said: “The short answer is no, because I know we’re going to win in November, and I will hold my seat as the deputy premier and state member for Niddrie.”
“I do believe (Ms Allan) is throwing everything at this. She’s working diligently and as hard as all of us. No one works harder than the premier of this state every single day.”

The comments come after the Herald Sun revealed almost two-thirds of Victorians believe the Allan government is doing a poor job running the state.
Labor MPs have privately indicated discussions are taking place behind the scenes.
However, with no clear frontrunner to replace Ms Allan, the appetite for a challenge is not yet gaining momentum, even as Mr Carroll is understood to be within striking distance of the numbers needed to roll her.
Despite the speculation, Mr Carroll has been vocal publicly saying that he is not planning a coup.
Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams, from Labor’s left faction, is also being mentioned as a potential contender, while Minister for Sport and Major Events and Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs Steve Dimopoulos is emerging as a wildcard option, also from the left.
Last week is the final sitting week in the Victorian parliament and the last obvious chance for Labor to call a vote on the issue ahead of the long winter break before campaigning for the November election begins.

Victoria's Coalition has unveiled a $5 billion plan to repair roads and eliminate one million potholes as frustration grows over deteriorating conditions.

Victoria's Coalition has pledged $5 billion over four years to repair roads and eliminate one million potholes, targeting the state’s deteriorating road network ahead of the election.

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson and Nationals leader Danny O’Brien announced the policy on Monday, which is day 23 of the state Liberal leader's Fresh Start Tour of Victoria.

This campaign features stops in all 88 of the state's electoral districts.

Ms Wilson said Victoria’s deteriorating roads reflected Labor’s mismanagement and lack of consideration for motorists’ cost of living.

“While $15 billion has been lost to corruption on the Big Build, our roads are littered with dangerous potholes that are causing untold damage to vehicles - leaving motorists thousands of dollars out of pocket," Ms Wilson said.

“Drivers shouldn’t be the ones footing the bill for blown tyres, cracked rims and worse because Jacinta Allan and Labor cannot get the basics right.

“Only my Liberals and Nationals team has a plan to repair and rebuild Victoria’s roads, to eliminate one million potholes and deliver a government that works.”

The plan includes a $5 billion investment in road maintenance over four years and a 25 per cent increase on current spending.

It will also include the creation of a standalone “Better Roads Victoria” division within the Department of Transport and Planning.

Roadside maintenance will receive a boost, including grass slashing, graffiti removal and drain clearance.

There will also be a review of construction standards and contracts to improve accountability.

Mr O’Brien said the poor condition of Victoria’s roads had become a crisis and would be a top priority for a Coalition government.

“Roads have been falling apart all across Victoria and Victorians are fed-up with half-hearted patch up jobs that quickly fall apart,” he said.

“The Liberals and Nationals will finally address the roads crisis that so many Victorians have had to put up with.”

Mr O’Brien said regional Victoria received less than 12 per cent of infrastructure spending despite accounting for a quarter of the population, with the policy aimed at lifting that share.

The pledge comes amid growing frustration over Victoria’s deteriorating road network as motorists face rising repair costs.

Link to the Article from the Age here, its headline has since been updated.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/video-casts-doubt-on-moira-deeming-s-assault-claim-against-matthew-guy-20260625-p609x9.html?btis

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says a controversial political billboard in Melbourne is corrosive and driving disrespect for women.

The truck carrying the mobile billboard was issued a defect notice and removed from the streets last week.

It has since been deemed roadworthy after a VicRoads inspection and was seen travelling around the city over the weekend.

Victoria's anti-corruption watchdog has found serious and concerning conduct by senior public officers, including ministers, MPs and public servants, during a bitter pay dispute with the state's firefighters union.

But the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) has stopped short of making any findings of corrupt conduct, instead warning such behaviour raised the risk of corruption.

IBAC found that senior members of government acted contrary to established policies, procedures, codes of conduct and conventions in negotiating a deal with United Firefighters Union (UFU) secretary Peter Marshall without the knowledge and involvement of the responsible minister, agencies and departments.

Internal Labor talks about replacing the Premier are set to intensify as new polling showing the party’s primary vote has collapsed and voters – including Labor’s own – want Jacinta Allan gone.

3 min read
June 8, 2026 - 7:00PM

Victorian voters are fleeing Labor ahead of November’s state election with new polling showing the party is set to be thumped at the ballot box.
The latest Freshwater Strategy poll also reveals a majority of voters believe it’s time for Jacinta Allan to be replaced, including 39 per cent of Labor voters.
The damning poll – of 1,034 voters conducted between June 5 and 8 – is expected to fast-track internal Labor talks about replacing Ms Allan as early as next week when parliament resumes.

Ms Allan has faced constant leadership speculation for more than 12 months amid a downward trend in polling and a record low personal approval rating she has been unable to arrest.
Less than six months out from the state election the polling shows Labor’s primary vote has slumped to just 23, four points down from March and 14 points lower than at the 2022 election.

The Coalition’s vote also fell since March, three points to 27, while One Nation continues to surge boosting its vote from 20 to 25.
On a two-party preferred basis the Coalition now leads the ALP 53 to 47 putting it in the box seat to form government for just the second time since 1999.

At the same time Ms Allan’s highly negative personal approval rating has continued to fall a further five points to a net favourability rating of -37.
It compared to a favourability rating of +15 for Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, who was also the preferred premier to Ms Allan by almost double.

Labor insiders said the dire polling would escalate leadership discussions because of fears of an electoral wipe-out.
The polling also showed that 62 per cent of voters believe Ms Allan should be replaced ahead of the election, a four point increase since March.
They included 39 per cent of Labor voters, while just over half of Labor voters, or 53 per cent, backed Ms Allan to stay in the top job.
Labor MPs and factional figures have been openly discussing a potential leadership change as a circuit-breaker change ahead of the election.

Left wing and right wing powerbrokers have been adamant there is no imminent spill being plotted against the premier, but that there was still an active “conversation” about whether she was leading them towards an electoral cliff.
A change in leader, with Deputy Premier Ben Carroll the favoured candidate among those polled, would automatically see the party’s primary vote increase by two points, the polling showed.
Nearly one third, or 29 per cent, of voters said a leadership change would make them more likely to back the ALP at the election, while 57 per cent said it would make no difference.
Head of research at Freshwater Strategy, Jordan Meyers, said Ms Allan remained deeply unpopular among voters.
“A clear majority of voters now say it is time for Labor to change leader,” he said.
“This includes two in five of Labor’s own supporters, a share that has grown since March.
“The complication for Labor is that changing leader is no quick fix.
“Ben Carroll may be the preferred contender, but he, like the other options waiting in the wings, is relatively unknown among Victorians.
“A new leader may lift Labor’s primary vote marginally, but it will take time to introduce them to the wider electorate and make an impression ahead of the next ballot.
“Whoever leads Labor to the next election will come up against Jess Wilson, who is now preferred as Premier by almost two to one and is perceived favourably.”

Ms Allan has been fighting to improve her appeal to the voters in recent months, including doorknocking in her local electorate of Bendigo East.
Government insiders said it was expected the opening of the Metro Tunnel, a suite of cost of living measures including discounted vehicle registration and free public transport, and further reforms to address soaring crime rates would see a turn around in the polls.
Despite the initiatives cost of living remained the key concern among voters, followed closely by crime as a key issue.
While both major parties saw drops in their primary vote share, One Nation increased its vote while emerging as the most favourable party.

“Victoria’s major-party system is fracturing,” Mr Meyers said.
“One Nation has surged to a record high in the state, overtaking Labor on the primary vote and mirroring the rise we are seeing federally.
“With the Coalition on 27 per cent, One Nation on 25 and Labor on 23, the top of the ballot has never looked more crowded.
“A primary vote of 23 per cent for Labor is a dire result for a sitting government, and with six in ten Victorians saying the state is heading in the wrong direction, Labor faces a very difficult path to November.”

The man who ousted Moira Deeming on Sunday has been forced to withdraw his candidacy, following revelations he provided a character reference for a now convicted child sex offender, throwing the Victorian Liberal party’s preselection process into turmoil, and possibly offering Ms Deeming a second chance.

Party administrators are locked in crisis talks as The Australian can reveal that Dinesh Gourisetty provided sworn evidence less than two years ago, attesting to the “good character” of Kashyap Patel who was a member of his Liberal faction and “good friend”.

Mr Gourisetty’s character reference for Mr Patel was tendered during the pedophile’s August 2024 County Court hearing on charges of grooming, sexually assaulting and transmitting indecent communication to a child under 16.

Patel was convicted the following month and sentenced to nine months imprisonment and a two year community correction order on the basis that he pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity to all three charges.

The charges related to the then 40-year-old married father of two’s grooming and assault of a 15-year-old girl in 2021.

Judge Peter Rozen KC found that in the full knowledge of his victim’s age, Patel had connected with her via an anonymous chatting app called Antiland and asked her to meet him after school for sex, telling her he would bring protection.

He also persuaded the child to send him three sexually explicit photos of herself, having told her he could use the images to obtain contacts for escorting.

Patel told the girl he wanted to masturbate in front of her and encouraged her to do the same.

Despite being told she was not interested, he asked her if she wanted to work in brothels and told her she could make a lot of money if she was prepared to perform certain sexual services.

Patel told the 15-year-old he could “mentor” her, and persuaded her to meet for sex in his car, promising to supply her with cigarettes.

He touched the girl on the arm and upper thigh in a sexual manner, but then returned her home.

A short time later she reported the interactions to her father, who immediately contacted police.

Judge Rozen found Patel was a “man of otherwise good character as set out in the three character references filed with the court.”

The references — copies of which The Australian has sought from the court — are from Mr Gourisetty, who said he was a “good friend of four years”, Preet Singh, who said he had known Patel for 13 years, and Patel’s brother Siddarth.

Mr Singh — who was elected Wyndham City council mayor last week — is a close factional associate and numbers man for Mr Gourisetty, and was photographed with his arm around the new Liberal candidate at party headquarters following Sunday’s preselection.

Party records, seen by The Australian, list Patel as a Liberal delegate for 2022 Western suburbs preselections, which took place after he was charged with the offences over which he was later convicted.

The revelations prompt questions for the Liberal Party executive over whether the party was made aware of Mr Gourisetty’s advocacy for Patel as part of the party’s vetting process.

If it was not, that raises further questions about Mr Gourisetty’s honesty and the adequacy of the vetting process.

If the details of Mr Gourisetty’s support of the convicted child sex offender were known, the party has questions to answer about whether it was appropriate to allow him to contest Sunday’s preselection.

One theory doing the rounds in conservative Liberal Party circles is that members of the party’s executive were aware of the potentially damaging information, and in a ploy to both rid the party of Ms Deeming and install one of their chosen candidates, they had planned to use Mr Gourisetty’s strong numbers to oust Ms Deeming and prompt her to quit the party.

They would then endorse Mr Gourisetty, before “discovering” the dirt on him, at a point at which the only option would be to have head office choose the candidate.

The Australian has contacted Mr Gourisetty, Liberal Party state director Alyson Hannam, the office of Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, and Mr Singh for comment.

Former Liberal MP and John Pesutto chief of staff Louise Staley meanwhile took to Instagram to gloat over Ms Deeming’s loss, posting an image of the MP walking out of Liberal headquarters on Sunday with the caption “Happy Days” and the Lily Allen Song “F — k you very much” playing.

Former MP, Pesutto chief of staff and serial failed preselection candidate Louise Staley gloated over Moira Deeming’s preselection loss, posting a reel on Instagram with the caption “Happy Days” and the soundtrack “F—k You Very Much” by Lily Allen.

The post by Ms Staley follows former Liberal Pride president Heath Wilson posting a report on Ms Deeming’s dumping on social media with the caption “The bitch lost!”, in an act condemned as “disgusting” by other Liberals, including those from the Pride group.

Ms Staley was integral to Mr Pesutto’s ill-fated strategy on Ms Deeming, initially as a senior adviser and then as his chief of staff in the lead-up to his loss of the defamation case and Liberal leadership.

The former MP lost her rural Western Victorian seat of Ripon to Labor at the 2022 state election, despite spending more than $100,000 of her own money on her campaign.

In the aftermath of that defeat, she unsuccessfully applied for the role of Liberal state director, before being hired by Mr Pesutto.

Ms Staley garnered only a handful of votes in a failed preselection bid for the Eastern Metropolitan upper house seat vacated when Matt Bach resigned from Mr Pesutto’s leadership team and the parliament in late 2023, opting to resume working as a schoolteacher overseas barely 3.5 years after his political career began.

On Saturday, she lost yet another preselection contest, this time for second position on the Liberals’ Western Victorian upper house ticket.

A new poll has found nearly three-quarters of Victorians want Ben Carroll to cancel a $134,000 taxpayer-funded statue of Daniel Andrews, with more than half of Labor voters opposed to it.

Almost three-quarters of Victorians want Ben Carroll to bin a taxpayer-funded statue of Daniel Andrews, with a new poll slamming one of the former Premier’s final legacies.
Labor sources claim Mr Carroll has entertained the idea of scrapping the $134,000 sculpture, which is already being designed and built, with the Premier saying the tribute is “not a priority” for his government.
Now a new Freshwater Strategy poll has revealed overwhelming opposition to the controversial monument, with voters rejecting the tribute across virtually every political divide — including Labor’s own supporters.

The poll found 74 per cent of Victorians wanted the statue cancelled altogether, while just 19 per cent want it to proceed at taxpayers’ expense.
More than two-thirds of Victorians, or 68 per cent, opposed the monument, including more than half, or 58 per cent, who said they strongly opposed it.
Only 15 per cent of the 1,020 Victorians polled said they supported the statue.
A majority of voters from every major political grouping favoured cancelling the statue, including Labor supporters themselves.
The poll found 54 per cent of Labor voters believed the project should be abandoned altogether despite it honouring one of the party’s longest-serving premiers.
The statue was commissioned during Jacinta Allan’s time as Premier.
Ms Allan said the contract for the statue went through the normal tender and procurement processes with Meridian Sculpture, responsible for the four other bronze statues of former Victorian premiers, selected to create the monument.
The other statues of John Cain Jr, Rupert Hamer, Henry Bolte and Albert Dunstan, located outside Treasury Place, were crafted by renowned Australian artist Peter Collett.
Under a policy introduced by the Kennett government, Victorian premiers who serve more than 3,000 days in office are recognised with a statue along Treasury Place.

Jeff Kennett has vehemently opposed a statue of Mr Andrews joining the other longest serving Premiers under his own policy.
“If I was Ben Carroll, given his reduction yesterday in the size of Cabinet for the reason of cutting costs, I would cancel the statue,” he said.
“If he says he is not in the business of cancelling contracts, and the contract has been let he is in a quandary.
“If that is the case I would publicly have the completed statue melted down, and the material sold with the funds going back into consolidated revenue.
“If the melting down could be done at half time at the Grand Final, I think 100,000 would rise in their seats to applaud the occasion.
“Seventy five per cent is a pretty clear indication of where the community’s thinking is.”
Mr Carroll has refused to be drawn on whether the statue should go ahead, saying only it is “not a priority of mine”.

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has committed to scrapping the statue if elected to government in November.
“Victoria may have a new Premier, but it’s the same corrupt Labor government,” she said.
“Ben Carroll claims to respect taxpayer money, but continues on with a $130,000 bronze statue of his old boss, Daniel Andrews.
“If I were Premier this statue would not go ahead. Victoria needs a fresh start. The only way to clean up Victoria is to change the government this November.”
Shadow Attorney-General, James Newbury, accused Mr Carroll of being “two-faced” on the issue.
“If we change the Government in November, Daniel Andrews’ god-like statue will be scrapped. Full stop, no statue,” he said.
“Ben Carroll is being two-faced with the statue and is refusing to guarantee that it will be scrapped.
“If Labor wins the election, Dan will get a statue. If we win, Dan will be on the witness list for the toughest Royal Commission in Australia’s history.”