Politics & Council
14 August, 2026
Fully gawn! Allan quits Parliament
Jacinta Allan will not contest November's state election, the former premier this morning announcing her retirement after 27 years in Parliament.
Ms Allan announced her decision to walk away at a private media conference in Bendigo this morning. It has been reported the announcement, also posted to Ms Allan's social media page, has been attended by family, union leaders and former Labor MPs.
It comes almost three weeks after Ms Allan was dumped as premier.
New Premier Ben Carroll said: "For 27 years, Jacinta Allan has poured her heart into the community she loves."
In her online statement, Ms Allan said:
I was 25 years old when this photo was taken.
I had just been elected as the first Labor member for Bendigo East - and the first woman to represent Bendigo in any Australian Parliament.
I was young. I was nervous. But I knew exactly why I was there.
In my first speech to Parliament, I said I wanted to be a representative who cared about people and listened to them.
I spoke about Mum and Dad.
About being the daughter of workers.
About the Labor values they gave me.
And about the place that made me.
Bendigo.
I finished that speech with a promise:
“I intend to make a difference.”
Today, almost 27 years later, I have announced that I will not recontest the seat of Bendigo East at November’s election.
But I look around the place I have called home my entire life and know that, together, we did make a difference.
A world-class Bendigo Hospital, where families can get the care they need without having to travel to Melbourne.
Every public school in Bendigo East upgraded.
New train stations at Goornong, Huntly and Raywood.
A new Tech School. A better Bendigo TAFE. A new GovHub, Law Courts, the Ulumburra Theatre. Better sporting facilities.
More opportunities for young people to learn, work and build a life here.
And thousands more good, secure jobs for local families.
There are no words big enough to describe what this community means to me.
Because Bendigo isn’t just the place I have represented.
It’s where I learnt who I was fighting for.
Where Mum and Dad taught me that hard work matters. That you stand up for people who need you. And that good government should make life better for people.
That a decent job can change a family’s life. That strong public schools and hospitals matter. That working people deserve dignity and respect.
And that no country community should ever be treated as second best.
Those were my values when I was elected to Parliament at 25.
They are my values today.
Politics has changed a lot since this photo was taken.
So have I.
I became a wife. A mum. A Minister. A Deputy Premier. And Premier of the greatest state in the country.
I have had Yorick, Peggy and Cormac by my side. My greatest supporters and my greatest joy. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
There were extraordinary days.
There were bloody hard ones too.
But through all of it, I never forgot who sent me there - or why.
And when I leave Parliament, I’ll leave the same way I arrived.
A daughter of Bendigo. A daughter of workers. A proud Labor woman.
Still believing in equality. Still believing in public education and public health. Still believing in the dignity of work.
Still believing government can - and must - make people’s lives better.
And still believing politics, at its best, is very simple:
Care about people. Listen to people. Speak up for people. Make a difference.
Twenty-seven years ago, I promised I would.
And I am proud that I have.
Thank you, Bendigo.
You gave me the honour of my life.
In his statement, Mr Carroll said:
"Jacinta’s service has always been grounded in a simple belief: that people in regional Victoria deserve the same opportunities as those in our biggest cities.
That no matter your postcode, you should have access to great healthcare, a great education and a fair chance at a good life.
That belief is why Bendigo today has a world-class hospital. It’s why local kids are learning in upgraded schools, why families travel on safer roads, and why the city’s arts and sporting facilities are the envy of regional towns across Australia.
Jacinta didn’t just represent Bendigo — she helped build it into the proud, thriving regional centre it is today.
On behalf of Victoria, I thank Jacinta for her decades of dedicated service, leadership and friendship. I wish her and her family — who shared her with the people of Bendigo for so long — all the very best for the future.
The best way we can honour that legacy is to continue the work. Labor remains firmly focused on backing Bendigo and delivering for regional communities right across Victoria because we share Jacinta’s belief that everyone deserves the same opportunities in life.
That’s a stark contrast with a One Nation–Liberal–National Coalition promising $40 billion in cuts — cuts that would hurt working people in communities like Bendigo who rely on good public healthcare, schools and services.
We’ll never let that happen."
The Loddon Herald, covering the Serpentine and Dingee communities that are part of the Bendigo East electorate, was not invited to the media conference.