Jacinta Allan confirms she will ‘actively’ campaign for ‘Yes’ vote as Premier as she opens up about her support for the Voice

New Premier Jacinta Allan has vowed to “actively” campaign for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and hopes the majority of Victorians will back the advisory body.

On her first full day as the state’s 49th Premier following the resignation of Daniel Andrews, Ms Allan made clear she was voting ‘Yes’ in next month’s referendum.

The emphatic declaration on Thursday mirrors the approach Mr Andrews took when he was leading the state.

“I am supporting the Yes vote because it’s all about listening,” Ms Allan told reporters in Pakenham, Melbourne’s outer south-east.

“You get better results and better outcomes from listening to people who are directly affected by the decision making processes and outcomes that elected representatives go through.

“That’s why I’ll be supporting Yes and that’s why I hope, I can only speak here for Victoria, the majority of Victorians do as well.”

Ms Allan said she had planned to campaign alongside federal colleagues including Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney in Bendigo on Wednesday.

However, her plans changed when Mr Andrews’ resignation meant she needed to be in Melbourne to secure caucus support to be elevated from Deputy Premier to Premier.

Ms Allan’s forward diary will now be examined to ensure she has enough time to drum up support for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice before the October 14 vote.

She said she will “take the opportunity to look at how I can get out there and actively support the campaign alongside actively encouraging the Yes vote”.

Ms Allan also revealed she had a “great chat” with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after being sworn in as Victoria’s second female Premier on Wednesday afternoon.

Mr Albanese’s friendship with Mr Andrews going back almost three decades was well documented, with the pair having been roommates in the 1990s.

“I had a great chat with Prime Minister Albanese yesterday afternoon. I may not have shared a house with him but I have known him for a really long time as well,” Ms Allan said.

“He’s a terrific leader and someone I look forward to working closely with. We were ministers for regional development for a while together a few years back.”

Ms Allan said she was also looking forward to continuing the partnership between the federal and Victorian governments solidified by Mr Albanese and Mr Andrews.

“For nine long years we saw what not having a partner looked like, in terms of the Victorian government having to go it alone,” she said.

“We had to go it alone on delivering the Metro Tunnel, on getting rid of level crossings, on building the West Gate Tunnel, on investment in our health services, just to name a few areas… that were neglected by that previous Liberal National government in Canberra.

“We’ve got a Labor government in Canberra who takes a very different, collaborative approach and I welcome that.”

Ms Allan will spend the weekend finalising her new cabinet, with an announcement on the allocation of portfolios due early next week. 

However, she has confirmed Tim Pallas will remain as Treasurer and she will not take on any extra responsibilities outside of being Premier.