Leadership rumblings as poll heaps pressure on premier

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan (file image)
Opinion polling has Premier Jacinta Allan and Labor staring at defeat at the Victorian election. -AAP Image

Jacinta Allan is facing renewed leadership speculation after fresh polling reinforced her unpopularity as Victorian premier and Labor's electoral slide.

Victorian Labor leadership ructions have been bubbling away for months in the lead up to the November 28 state election.

Nine newspapers' bi-monthly Victorian Resolve poll was released on Monday ahead of a regular Labor caucus meeting on Tuesday.

It will be the final time the Labor caucus comes together before state parliament reconvenes in late July, unless a special meeting is called.

The Resolve poll shows One Nation's primary support up three percentage points, Labor dropping one point to 26 per cent and the coalition also on 26 per cent, down three points.

Ms Allan was dogged by fresh leadership questions last week after a Freshwater poll indicated Labor's primary vote had slumped to 23 per cent and 39 per cent of Labor voters wanted her replaced as leader.

She dismissed anonymous leadership speculation as "naval-gazing" and said she was determined to remain leader.

"I am all in for this challenge," she said on Monday.

No Labor MPs have publicly put up their hand to challenge Ms Allan, although Deputy Premier Ben Carroll, Transport Infrastructure Minister Gabrielle Williams and Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos have been touted.

Mr Carroll poured cold water on leadership challenge chatter on Friday, declaring he had the job he wanted as education minister.

"There will be no spill," he told reporters.

Under Labor rules, if there is more than one nominee for the leadership, separate votes would be required of caucus and party members.

Mr Carroll said the premier recognised Labor needed to lift its primary vote from the low to mid 20s and suggested the party needed to change voter perceptions.

"I am firmly of the view that we cannot be the complacent establishment," he said.

"We need to be the insurgent, we need to be the disruptor and that is how we will win in November."

Ms Allan wouldn't be drawn on whether Mr Carroll's statement resembled a soft leadership pitch to Labor colleagues.

"Our Labor team is united in working incredibly hard," she said on Friday.

Victorian Labor has not changed leaders this close to an election since Steve Bracks replaced John Brumby as opposition leader in March 1999, before Jeff Kennett's coalition lost the "unlosable election" later that year.

Labor has never secured a fourth consecutive term in Victorian government, falling short in 1992 under Joan Kirner and in 2007 under Mr Brumby.

The state coalition, whose primary vote has also taken a hit at the hands of One Nation, needs a net gain of at least 16 seats in November to govern in majority.

The Liberals and Nationals have not been in power in Victoria since 2014, spending 23 of the past 27 years in opposition.