Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has resigned after nearly a decade within the high job, abandoning a legacy marred by high-profile controversies.
Throughout his 9 yr tenure, Mr Andrews confronted pushback on a quantity necessary coverage measures, from the state’s response to the Covid pandemic to allegations of department stacking.
Extra lately, Mr Andrews got here beneath fireplace from state and federal leaders over the controversial resolution to cancel the upcoming 2026 regional Commonwealth Video games.
NCA NewsWire check out his most controversial moments.
Commonwealth Video games controversy
The Victorian authorities introduced in July that it could be cancelling the forthcoming Commonwealth Video games, which had been as a consequence of be held in regional Victoria.
The transfer sparked pushback from the state’s Liberal Occasion, in addition to from the Federal Authorities and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who spoke out quickly after.
The Prime Minister refuted claims by the state opposition chief Andrew John Pesutto that the federal authorities was conscious of the transfer earlier than the Might price range.
“This was a choice by the Victorian authorities (…) the earlier Commonwealth Video games on the Gold Coast was overwhelmingly funded by the Queensland authorities,” he mentioned.
The federal price range didn’t embody any funding for Victoria‘s Commonwealth Video games preparations, which was as a consequence of be held in a number of regional areas, together with Geelong.
In the end, it was price blow-out that Mr Andrews cited as the primary cause for the cancellation, with the transfer spurned by native, regional, and worldwide sporting our bodies.
The worldwide physique overseeing the video games, Commonwealth Sport, mentioned it was solely given eight hours discover earlier than cancellation of the competitors was introduced.
Covid quarantine
The Andrews authorities’s response to Covid pandemic confronted widespread criticism for its harsh lockdown measures, regardless of serving to to curb an infection charges.
The Victorian authorities maintained one of many longest lockdowns within the nation in response to the pandemic, incomes Andrews the moniker from critics of “Dictator Dan”.
Mr Andrews confronted pushback on a variety of measures applied in the course of the disaster, together with the choice early within the pandemic to lockdown a public housing tower.
Well being Minister Jenny Mikakos resigned that yr after Mr Andrews advised a judicial inquiry her division was in the end accountable for botched lodge quarantine.
Department stacking allegations
The unbiased Broad-based Anti-corruption Fee final yr discovered two former authorities ministers breached parliamentary codes of conduct.
The pair, who will not be alleged to have dedicated any legal conduct, misused public funds to gas an enormous branch-stacking operation, the IBAC discovered.
The corruption watchdog had investigated the awarding of a $1.2m contract to a Labor-affiliated union, however was later downplayed within the media by Andrews.
An April, Andrews advised members of the press that the report was an “instructional” one, and concerned workers and members now not a part of the state authorities.
“It says, ‘OK, that is what occurred some years in the past – right here’s a bunch of various issues we will do, that the federal government ought to look to do,” he advised the media.
The report really helpful the federal government institute a variety of reforms, together with barring MPs from using family members of their voters workplaces.
Crimson Shirts Scandal
The Victorian Labor Occasion was discovered to have misused $388,000 in parliamentary allowances to pay political marketing campaign workers in the course of the 2014 election.
The Victorian Ombudsman discovered 21 previous and current Labor MPs breached parliamentary pointers when workers had been diverted to assist marketing campaign for members.
The rort was topic to a police investigation spanning greater than 12 months, however in the end no legal fees had been laid. by Victoria Police.
Damaged again
In March 2021, Dan Andrews broke his again after falling on the moist stairs in Sorento, on the state’s Mornington Peninsula.
The Premier spent 111 days recovering from his accidents, which included damaged ribs and spinal harm, however confronted criticism upon his return.
The incident drew consideration to allegations ab out the state of the Victorian well being sector, as properly flaming conspiracy theories in regards to the incident.
