In Glasgow, Australian athletes have dominated the 2026 Commonwealth Games medal table – a success Premier Jacinta Allan was once supposed to bask in. But their glory ended up taking place far away from her.Instead, Allan was attempting to fend off a leadership challenge from colleagues despairing at Labor’s bleak prospects of retaining power in November’s state election.The government’s disastrous, and some might say farcical, decision to withdraw as host of the games just months before Allan became leader eliminated any prospect of political gain Labor might have hoped for from the event.That decision, along with Allan’s role as minister for Commonwealth Games delivery – among her many other senior portfolios before taking the reins as premier – helped lay the groundwork for this week’s coup, which ultimately saw Victoria’s second female premier resign on Tuesday morning.In her resignation speech, Victorians saw the emotional range that Allan carried as she reflected on her legacy. Her time was up, but she insisted she was not done fighting.Through tears and smiles and trademark defiance, Allan spoke about her many achievements. She thanked her supporters, but her voice wavered when speaking of the many moments with her family she had sacrificed.“I would have absolutely relished the fight this November. I was more than ready.”Jacinta Allan, exit speechThere were many omissions, most importantly when it came to Big Build corruption and of course the Commonwealth Games.Girl, interrupted: Jacinta Allan arrives to relinquish the premiership.Jason SouthIn 2022, together with then premier Daniel Andrews, Allan promised a boon for the regions where they planned to stage the games. At the time, the Andrews government’s ascendancy mirrored the Australian swimming team’s current performance – easily dominating its middling rivals at the games in Glasgow.New housing and sports venues. Jobs. Invaluable attention on the world stage. Business and cultural opportunities. The government spruiked these selling points at every opportunity.Jacinta Allan at a level crossing removal in 2016, when she was public transport minister. Eddie Jim The decision to abruptly withdraw as host invited ridicule after such grandiose promises, and the games quickly became a symbol of the political baggage the government had accumulated over three imposing terms in power.When Andrews resigned as premier in September 2023, that burden became Allan’s to carry. She never seemed to free herself from its weight.In a cruel twist of fate, some of Allan’s greatest ministerial achievements added significantly to her undoing.After Labor’s return to office at the 2014 election, Allan held some of the most senior and prominent portfolios in the government, including transport and infrastructure, priority precincts, major projects and the Suburban Rail Loop.Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan on a tour of the new Town Hall Station, part of the Metro Tunnel project, in 2022.Nicki ConnollyOn Tuesday, Allan gave profuse thanks for the opportunity to see projects including the Metro Tunnel through to completion.“They are not just projects; they are assets that will improve our lives.”Jactina Allan, exit speechHer successful leadership in the level crossing removal program provided the Andrews government with a potent electoral weapon they used to clobber their political opponents.Andrews and Allan travelled the city, to “apologise for the progress we’re making” with their infrastructure projects. They turned the inconvenience of construction works into a real-time billboard for their city-building agenda. Every disruption, train replacement bus and even compulsory property acquisitions became deftly wielded political advantages.Andrews might have been the public face of these projects, but it was often Allan who answered the tricky and detailed technical questions about the program.She always seemed to be at Andrews’ side during infrastructure press conferences where they wore high-vis vests and hard hats to reinforce visually their commitment to working for Victoria.They carried away boom gates, inspected underground tunnels on the Melbourne Metro Rail and stood beside the routes for planned roads, while the opposition floundered in relative anonymity.These projects – as well as the West Gate Tunnel, Regional Rail Revival, Melbourne Airport Rail and North East Link – came to be known as the Big Build.“Thank you to Daniel Andrews, who taught us to put people first”Jactina Allan, exit speechBut through all those media appearances, Andrews was the undeniable star of the show. Allan had a strong command of the government’s many projects and their mechanics and complexities. Yet, Andrews’ authoritative presence gave little chance for his colleague to truly shine.Before her retirement from politics in 2022, some political observers had expected it would be Jill Hennessy – Allan’s factional ally from the Left – who would take over from Andrews.When it came to charming the press pack on tour buses during election campaigns or explaining emotionally complex policies, including the government’s voluntary assisted dying reforms, Hennessy was a star performer.Hennessy had the kind of warm and common touch in media appearances that Allan lacked.Yet, even if she had been a stronger media performer, there was no way of spinning the corruption and cost overruns that plagued the projects for which she was responsible.Revelations published by The Age of organised crime inflating the cost of the government’s infrastructure agenda to the tune of billions of dollars dealt a devastating blow to Allan’s credibility.Premier Jacinta Allan remained defiant this week.Ruby AlexanderReporting by investigative journalist Nick McKenzie that Mick Gatto was benefiting from the Big Build caught public attention in a way that few news stories can achieve. Victorians across the state were outraged that gangland figures were profiting at the public’s expense while their roads lay riddled with tyre-popping potholes.Like the government’s handling of the botched Commonwealth Games hosting bid, Allan had no way of claiming plausible deniability about the cost overruns and organised crime presence. It all happened on her watch.Premier Jacinta Allan has rejected multiple calls for a royal commission into corruption on the Big Build.Eddie JimAllan’s steadfast refusal to call a royal commission into corruption in the Big Build only seemed to feed the headlines, which just keep coming. On Tuesday, there were fresh revelations that Allan’s most senior advisers sought to warn her in writing in June 2023 that a lawless CFMEU was taking over the Big Build, which could cause major cost blowouts.Her performance as premier aside, there was a sense of historical inevitability about Allan’s leadership woes.No woman has yet won an election as leader in Victoria. But in her exit speech, Allan was adamant women should not be deterred.“If you’re a woman making your start in politics, let me say this to you today. Please don’t look at what I have experienced this week and think, ‘Stuff that I don’t want to be involved’.”Jactina Alan, exit speechBlair Williams, Australian politics lecturer at University of New South Wales Canberra, says women leaders are often handed a “poisoned chalice” when a government’s popularity slides after a long period of men in charge.Williams cites the experience of Joan Kirner, who became Victoria’s first female premier after the resignation of John Cain who, like Andrews, also won three elections. Both governments had been immensely popular early on but then became saddled with debt.Former premier Joan Kirner in 1990. The Age Kirner subsequently led Labor to defeat at the 1992 state election.Williams says the pressure from Allan’s colleagues to stand down was entirely predictable.“There needs to be more opportunities for women to become leaders, but not at times of crisis,” Williams says. “The Labor Party needs to think about how it can do that.”Williams believes some of Allan’s treatment was undoubtedly gendered. Earlier this year, advertisements depicting Allan with a black hat and the slogan “Ditch the Witch” drew fierce condemnation and comparisons with the misogynistic treatment Julia Gillard endured while she was prime minister.Allan never got the chance as premier to enjoy the wave of popularity that typically ushers in a new government. This masthead’s Resolve Political Monitor shows Allan’s likeability was neutral (about zero) when she was appointed premier, but had dipped to minus 36 earlier this month. A truck carrying the controversial slogan was seen travelling around Melbourne’s CBD last month.“That’s a really bad rating,” Resolve pollster Jim Reed said.Polls showed voters never warmed to her as preferred premier either. Reed says Allan’s high point came in late 2023, when she secured 38 per cent support as preferred premier, compared to her current support of 24 per cent.“On that particular measure you would expect the incumbent to have a natural lead because they’re more visible and have levers of power in the palm of their hand,” Reed said.Disastrous polling performances, however, should not be allowed to detract from her extraordinary achievements.Allan was a trailblazer in her own right. She was only 25 years old when she won the seat of Bendigo East at the 1999 election, making her the youngest woman elected at the point.On Tuesday Allan paid tribute to her parents for their formative influence on her career.“My whole life, mum taught me to never give up. Dad, he always taught me to do the right thing. They don’t always point in the same direction.”Jactina Allan, exit speechShe broke new ground for the party, becoming the first Labor member to represent her electorate. From 2014, she was a key member of the team that increased their number of seats at every state election.Jacinta Allan pictured after becoming an MP, aged 26.Craig SillitoeBetween December 2002 and October 2023, Allan held a wide variety of portfolios. In addition to her transport and infrastructure roles, she served as manager of opposition business for four years and then leader of the house in government from eight years, and did a 14-month stint as deputy premier.During those decades, some of Allan’s staff loved working for her despite the punishing demands of a ministerial office.The Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announcing funding to support parents whose kids have been cyberbullied to take on tech giants. She is under growing pressure to call a royal commission into the Big Build.PENNY STEPHENSIn her inaugural speech, Allan tapped into the deep-seated resentment that helped turf Jeff Kennett’s government from office. She railed against the “catchment management tax”, which was introduced by the previous government and despised by country voters.“It is double taxation that charges people for government functions they have already paid for,” Allan told the parliament. “The tax makes country people foot the bill for the government’s withdrawal of funding from environment works.”But when she took charge, Allan committed a similar cardinal sin by imposing the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund Levy to pay for emergency services. Despite introducing a two-year rate freeze for farmers, regional Victorians remain infuriated.Labor faced an election contest not just with their traditional rivals but fending off a rising populist wave, particularly in the regions.“The biggest risk at this election? A One Nation, Liberal Coalition government.”Jacinta Allan, exit speechThat policy and broader frustration with the political class helped drive voters towards One Nation, which has drawn considerable support in opinion polls even in absence of a Victorian leader or candidates for the November election.Jacinta Allan makes her resignation speech.Jason SouthAllan ended her exit speech with the battle she will not get to wage: fighting off both One Nation and the Coalition.“I would have absolutely relished the fight this November. I was more than ready.”Jactina Allan, exit speechAs Allan’s premiership entered its death spiral on Sunday night and colleagues urged her to stand down throughout Monday, it seemed unbelievable that she had been a prominent and influential figure in one of Australia’s most dominant governments.Just like sporting team empires, no government can remain at the top of its game forever.In the end, Allan’s leadership struggled to even get off the blocks.Follow live updates: ALP leadership showdownStart the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.