Ben Carroll

Following a leadership contest within the Victorian Labor Party, Ben Carroll was sworn in as Victoria’s 50th Premier on 28 July 2026, succeeding Jacinta Allan. A long-serving minister and former Deputy Premier, Carroll now takes on the top job as the government looks to hold its position ahead of the next state election. So who is Ben Carroll, and what can Victorians expect from his premiership?

Early Life and Career

Ben was born in 1975 in Airport West, Victoria, where his father worked as a self-employed electrician and his mother as a primary school teacher. He attended St Christopher’s Primary School and completed his secondary education at St Bernard’s Secondary College in Essendon.

Ben completed a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) at La Trobe University in 2000, a Bachelor of Laws in 2009, and a Master of Laws (Global Business) in 2014, later adding a GAICD with the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2019. He began his working life as a sales assistant at Kmart and in the motor vehicles division of insurer AAMI, before serving as a policy adviser to Premier Steve Bracks from 2000 to 2004 and Minister Justin Madden from 2004 to 2009. He then worked as a legal trainee at North Melbourne Legal Service from 2009 to 2010, in its civil rights and social services division, and advised Senator Stephen Conroy from 2011 until his own election win in 2012.

Working in Government

Ben was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for Niddrie at the 2012 by-election. Under the Andrews government, he served as Minister for Industry and Employment from 2017 to 2018, and as Minister for Youth Justice, Victim Support, Crime Prevention, and Corrections from 2018 to 2020. From 2020 to 2023, he held the Roads and Public Transport portfolio, adding Business Precincts, Industry Support and Recovery, Employment, Manufacturing Sovereignty, and Industry and Innovation in 2022. He then served as Deputy Premier under Jacinta Allan from 2023 to 2026.

As Premier, Ben also holds the Education, WorkSafe and TAC, and Medical Research portfolios. His policy interests centre on public transport infrastructure, lifelong education, climate change, and suburban economic development, including expanding local transit links such as the Melbourne Airport Rail and advocating for a future train station in Niddrie. He is a member of the Labor Right faction, aligned with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association.

Ben lives with his wife, Fiona, and their daughter within his Niddrie electorate. He is a keen cyclist who races in the Around the Bay ride, the number one ticket holder at Airport West Football Club, and a supporter of North Melbourne in the AFL.

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