Victoria’s new premier, Ben Carroll, is facing his second day of questions from the opposition in state parliament, having held a press conference at a Kmart in Melbourne’s CBD this morning to tout measures to combat retail crime.

Watch how it unfolds below.

Australia’s shadow treasurer Tim Wilson said he wants to see politicians thrown in prison for funding alleged corruption on Victoria’s Big Build projects, calling for a federal royal commission into the scandal.

Speaking in Melbourne today, Wilson claimed Anthony Albanese and federal Labor had funded projects like the state’s Suburban Rail Loop while knowing of the CFMEU’s alleged connections to organised crime.

“I want to see people thrown into jail for taking public money and giving it to organised crime, and whether that’s at the union level, or at the political level, we need to make sure people are held to account because this has been one of the most outrageous examples of abuse of public trust, it has been a naked example of corruption that has played out in front of the nation,” he said.

Premier Ben Carroll has just weeks to decide the future of the Suburban Rail Loop as tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) are scheduled to start by September in what would be a watershed moment for the project.

Crews at Burwood are preparing for two TBMs – already in the ground and pointing towards Glen Waverley – to launch within four to six weeks, but are allowing for unexpected delays that could push that out to eight weeks.

The tunnelling milestone is a thorny problem for the Coalition, which have committed to pause and review the project if elected in November, but also represents a ticking clock for the new premier.

Carroll has not made any immediate commitments about the loop’s future under his leadership, but internally, he is a critic of the project and has flagged further announcements and consideration of the matter through a cabinet process.

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Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Victoria’s new premier, Ben Carroll, offered Labor a fresh start ahead of a looming high-stakes state election and welcomed a royal commission into alleged corruption in the state’s construction industry.

“I’ve seen enough, even in the course of the last 24 hours or so, to give me confidence that Ben will help Victorian Labor put its best foot forward,” Chalmers said at a Brisbane press conference this hour.

Chalmers backed Carroll’s move to call the royal commission, saying the federal government had zero tolerance for graft on the state’s infrastructure program.

“He is pragmatic. He is decisive. He, I think, offers the government of Victoria and the people of Victoria the very best chance of a fresh start,” he said.

Laws that would remove the controversial practice of “preference whispering” have been introduced to Victorian Parliament and may be urgently rushed through this week.

The Age reported earlier this month that the Victorian government would introduce legislation to ban the practice of group voting tickets for state elections.

The complex scheme allows micro-parties to pool preferences from Victorians who vote above the line on the ballot paper for the upper house. Candidates can leapfrog more popular parties through backroom preference deals that have previously led to the election of candidates with a primary vote of less than 1 per cent.

The bill banning this practice was introduced into parliament on Tuesday and the second reading was scheduled for today.

Ben Carroll spoke at Kmart on Bourke Street earlier today as he spruiked legislation introduced to parliament this morning to allow courts to ban repeat offenders from workplaces if they treat workers unacceptably.

We mentioned earlier that technical issues meant a live stream was not possible, but if you want to watch the premier’s remarks on his first full day on the job, you can now view his media appearance below.

If you’re curious, the premier’s office says the Workplace Protection Orders Bill 2026 introduced today will allow listed retail and transport operators and employee unions to apply to the Magistrates’ and Children’s Court for an order barring a person from relevant premises for up to a year.

“Breaching this means offenders face serious consequences of up to two years in prison or a fine of up to $50,000,” a government statement said.

“The protections apply across all retail businesses and specified train, tram and bus operators.”

The full bill does not appear to be viewable online yet, and will still need to pass both houses to become law.

Former premier Daniel Andrews has released a statement praising Jacinta Allan’s service and congratulating new Premier Ben Carroll on winning the role.

“I first met Jacinta Allan when I was the most junior official at ALP head office and she was the youngest candidate in a seemingly unwinnable Liberal stronghold in Bendigo. Together, we worked to win that seat and for the next 25 years, to elect Labor governments and deliver a Labor agenda for working people,” Andrews said.

“There is no greater compliment in politics than to say someone lives their values – that has always been true of JA. For nearly three decades, she has been a champion for Bendigo, for workers, for women, for the future of Victoria. I wish Jacinta, Yorick and the kids all the very best for the future.”

He then addressed her replacement Carroll, who hails from Labor’s Right faction, rather than the Allan’s Left faction, which Andrews built into the dominant force in the Victorian party.

Amid yesterday’s political turmoil, former prime minister Julia Gillard put out a statement, condemning the “vile sexism” that she believes outgoing premier Jacinta Allan suffered.

You may have missed it amid the tumult on Spring Street, but Australia’s first female prime minister said Allan was undoubtedly subjected to misogyny and praised her as an effective premier who helped women and girls in particular.

“There is no doubt that as the second woman to lead the state, she has been subjected to vile sexism,” Gillard said.

“She has been courageous in calling it out and combatting this misogyny. As a result, she has made it easier for the women that follow.”

Labor’s promised changes to boost integrity will be meaningless unless the government properly funds the anti-corruption watchdog, the Greens said.

Ben Carroll said his priority as premier will be to set up a royal commission into corruption in the construction industry, appoint a special prosecutor to work with the commission, and give IBAC follow-the-money powers sooner.

But Greens leader Ellen Sandell said that expanded powers for IBAC need to go hand-in-hand with adequate funding for the watchdog.

The Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission previously said it was underfunded by the Labor government.

“The new premier is really trying to rewrite Labor’s history of corruption-plagued scandals across Victoria, but he has not even committed to giving our anti-corruption watchdog IBAC the full suite of powers that it needs to go after corruption in Victoria ... and he hasn’t promised to give them the funding that IBAC has asked for,” Sandell said.

“We actually need an anti-corruption watchdog that can look into corruption wherever it occurs.”