Jacinta Allan faces backbench jitters over preselection
There is also no obvious justification for Allan to seek to have preselections called in. One MP suggested the premier did not have the internal power to override the factions, while another said it provided an opportunity to stamp her authority.
On Monday, Allan repeatedly refused to say whether she wanted all her MPs to be re-endorsed, but said she supported her team.
'I'm not going to comment on internal party processes that are still being worked through,' Allan said. 'What I will say is I have a great, strong Labor team who are working hard every single day out and about in their local community.'
One MP said they were feeling exposed but that it was 'in the hands of the Victorian ALP factional gods'.
'We all know what we sign up for – at times uncertain, at times brutal, but always united thereafter.'
Another MP said some of their colleagues were reluctant to fundraise for their 2026 campaigns until they were sure they would be endorsed to run again.
However, another Labor figure said the concerns were just 'nervous energy'. They did not believe there was a serious push to renew the party room by forcing MPs out.
Preselections for the upper house are expected to be particularly messy, with MPs elected in the second ticket spot in 2022 at risk of losing their seats if Labor endures a swing. Jostling could result in some MPs being shuffled to safer positions.
Labor factions are expected to hammer out the details of a new power-sharing arrangement or stability deal over coming months, which carves out seats and upper house spots to different groupings.
This is expected to prompt some wheeling and dealing, involving discussions about moving younger MPs into safer positions on upper house tickets.
To do this, factional swaps would be required that could push other MPs into second or third ticket positions, which would be considered less safe.
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A future stability deal will also have to account for MPs who are part of the Australian Workers Union, who were shut out of the current arrangement but have since reunited with the broader Labor Right.
A handful of ministers and backbenchers are also expected to announce in coming months they will not contest the November 2026 election.
The Age last month revealed a push to overhaul the way gender quotas are calculated in Victorian Labor's preselections, sparking anger that the number of women selected for winnable seats could go backwards. The draft motion was ultimately withdrawn following internal outrage.
Victorian Labor declined to comment.
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