- by FK
- The Guardian
- Issue #2072
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews at partnership agreement between Asia Society and Victoria Government in New York on 31st May 2016. Photo: Ellen Wallop/Asia Society flickr.com (CC BY-ND 2.0 Deed).
On 26th September Daniel Andrews resigned as Premier of Victoria and from the Victorian Parliament. He has been Premier for nine years.
On the credit side, Andrews has consistently shown the Murdoch press to be a paper tiger, ignoring numerous, often racist, scare campaigns, and winning huge majorities in the face of unrelenting demonisation from News Corp. He has proved that getting public works done, and progressive measures for renters, workers, and minorities are no obstacle to staying in office. He criminalised wage theft, and introduced industrial manslaughter laws. Starting a Treaty process was a good move.
On the debit side, his government showed indifference to Indigenous people, by bulldozing the Djab Wurrung birthing trees, and quickly changing bail laws in reaction to news items. The arbitrary incarceration of public tenants in housing blocks during Covid is a black mark on his record, for which he never apologised.
Many obituaries will be written for his political career, including, perhaps, in this paper. For now, let’s note that Daniel Andrews’ premiership shows that it’s possible to ignore NewsCorp and get concrete and positive things done.
