A spill motion was presented to the assembly Labour caucus on 15 January 3026 by incumbent leader Patrick Rivers following the general election earlier that month. Rivers declared his intention to stand for the full term of leadership and received no opponents. The leadership spill also included an open contest for the deputy leadership of the Labour party, which was contested.
The leadership spill also included a vote of the membership to ratify the Programme for Government, which was approved, leading to the formation of the Rivers ministry, a Labour minority government.
Leadership spill
| Candidate | Home city | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Rivers (incumbent) | Juneville | Unopposed |
| Result: Patrick Rivers elected leader | ||
Rivers was not opposed in the leadership contest. Some speculation occurred as to whether he would face a challenge from Liesbeth Margo, which did not materialise. Margo instead ran unsuccessfully for the deputy leadership.
Deputy leadership spill
| Candidate | Home city | Vote | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Kelly | Juneville | 8 | 44% |
| Jack Rugby | Juneville | 5 | 28% |
| Penny May | Washington | 3 | 17% |
| Liesbeth Margo | Arches | 2 | 11% |
| Total | 18 | 100% | |
| Result: Alan Kelly elected deputy leader | |||
The deputy leadership spill was contested by a number of senior members of the caucus. Former minister and party elder Alan Kelly successfully stood for the deputy leadership, defeating Commonwealth defector Jack Rugby, incoming defence minister Penny May, and incoming interior minister Liesbeth Margo. Kelly was subsequently appointed deputy prime minister.