“I’m not going to be a hypocrite and praise him.”
Perhaps such a forthright leader was always going to get such forthright political epitaphs, particularly from his political opponents.
The review of Daniel Andrews’ leadership of the current Labor Government by leader of the Victorian Nationals Peter Walsh offered just as much.
“I’m not going to be a hypocrite and praise him because I despise what he did to regional Victoria in a lot of instances, of what he did to the CFA, what he did to the native timber industry,” Mr Walsh said.
“There’s a lot of things that I think he’s done totally wrong when it comes to regional Victoria.”
Mr Andrews announced on Tuesday, September 26, that he was stepping down as premier of Victoria and Member for Mulgrave, effective from 5pm the next day.
Mr Andrews became premier in November 2014 before becoming his party’s longest-serving premier by winning two huge victories in 2018 and 2022.
He oversaw massive infrastructure projects, mostly in urban areas, including the North-East Link, the West Gate tunnel project, the suburban rail loop and the mass removal of railway crossings.
Those projects, the government’s withdrawal from the regional Commonwealth Games it had promised to host and the cost of the COVID-19 pandemic, which included Mr Andrews leading Melbourne through one of the world’s longest lockdowns, and to a lesser extent regional Victoria, has also led to the state incurring a significant level of debt.
“We’re going to be over $200 billion in debt,” Mr Walsh said.
“We’re heading towards $22 million a day in interest bill. The public sector has grown by over a third at the end, the cost of the public sector has grown by over a third as well.
“I would sum it up as a mountain of intergenerational debt and failures to deliver for regional Victoria.”
Mr Andrews’ government has led the country on a Treaty process with the state’s First Peoples and he has polarised opinion from the most strident fans to being labelled “Dictator Dan” by his strongest critics.
“Even though he’s leaving — I wish him well — but I’m not going to go out and praise him,” Mr Walsh said.
“I don’t think he’s done a good job for regional Victoria.”
In a regional context, the state government led by Mr Andrews has overseen the $230 million stage one redevelopment of GV Health, but not committed to stage two, contributed $12.5 million to the Shepparton Art Museum, spent $140 million merging four secondary schools into, and building, the Greater Shepparton Secondary College, and is upgrading the Shepparton rail line to allow more daily services to Melbourne.
Speaking before Mr Andrews’ deputy, and Member for Bendigo East, Jacinta Allan was confirmed as his replacement in the top job, Mr Walsh said he was not expecting much to change when she did.
“If Jacinta becomes premier, which the assumption is she probably will, you look at her portfolios that she’s managed,” he said.
“Major infrastructure projects $30 billion over budget. None of the projects on time, so has not been a success in that portfolio, and Minister for Commonwealth Games.”