澳大利亚维多利亚州副总理本·卡罗尔确认将参选工党领导职位，直接挑战现任总理杰辛塔·艾伦[1]。卡罗尔在周一向艾伦通报了其参选意图[1]，此前工党议员团体已在同日内阁会议前会见艾伦，告知她已失去党团多数支持并敦促其下台[1]。这场领导权争夺发生在距维州选举仅四个月之际[1]。
现年51岁的卡罗尔自2012年起代表墨尔本西区尼德里区担任议员[2]。他曾在2023年的工党领导权竞争中通过施压成功确保副总理职位[2]。卡罗尔现担任教育部长，在其任期内维州在2025年纳普兰考试中的20项指标中有18项排名第一或第二[2]。然而，他的任期也经历了挫折，包括2024年发生的考试泄露事件，涉及65个科目的考试内容在学生参加考试前数周被意外发布[2]。
Ben Carroll, Victoria's Deputy Premier and Education Minister, has confirmed he will contest the Labor party leadership, mounting a challenge against incumbent Premier Jacinta Allan [1]. Carroll informed Allan of his intention on Monday, the same day a Labor parliamentary caucus met with the premier to convey that she had lost majority support within the party and urged her to step down [1]. The leadership contest emerges just four months before Victoria's state election [1][2].
Carroll, 51, who represents the Melbourne inner-western seat of Niddrie, first secured his position as Deputy Premier in 2023 by threatening to challenge the Labor leadership [2]. As Education Minister, he has overseen improvements in Victoria's educational performance, with the state ranking first or second across 18 of 20 VCE metrics in 2025 [2]. However, his tenure has also been marked by significant setbacks, including a 2024 incident in which exam content covering 65 subjects was accidentally released to students weeks before they sat their tests [2]. Carroll has characterized himself as a "marathon runner," suggesting long-term political ambitions [2].