Victorian Parliament Votes Down Motion to Cancel Dan Andrews Statue

A motion from Liberal MP Moira Deeming to consider a petition with thousands of signatures in the Victorian Parliament was voted down.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews addresses the media during a press conference in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 11, 2022. Diego Fedele/Getty Images

The Victorian parliament has voted down a push to cancel plans for a bronze statue of former Premier Daniel Andrews.

Andrews served 3,212 days in the position from Dec. 4, 2014, to Sept. 27, 2023. In order to be eligible for a bronze statue, a premier must serve for 3,000 days.

Andrews is the longest-serving Labor Premier in Victoria’s history and ranks second overall in total days served, behind Liberal Sir Henry Bolte, who served 6,288 days.

On Aug. 27, Liberal Member of the Legislative Council Moira Deeming presented a petition with thousands of signatures against the statue.

“Today I am rising to table a parliamentary petition bearing over 12,000 signatures, and almost 20,000 signatures from other platforms, from Victorians calling on this government to cancel plans for a statue of the former Premier,” Deeming told the Victorian Parliament (pdf).

Deeming said statues were meant to represent the public’s gratitude for someone’s service, usually after their deaths.

“I think that we should be erring on the side of the tradition that honours leaders who did not lead their people into mass starvation and violence—but hey, that is just me,” she said.

She claimed the state could not afford the statue, given it was drowning in record debt. Deeming argued that the statue proposal was out of step with tradition, financial reality, morality and common sense.

Records of parliamentary proceedings show Deeming moved a motion (pdf) that the “petition be taken into consideration.” It failed to pass, with eight in favour and 13 against.

COVID Restrictions Revisited in Parliament

The former Victorian premier served the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, presiding over one of the lockdowns in the world.

During the debate, Liberal MLC Anne-Marie Hermans brought up Andrews’ management during that period.

“I can say that the number of signatures on this petition is testament to the fact that there are a number of people in this state who were severely hurt and injured by this government,” she said.

“In particular, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, not to mention that some of them were members of Parliament who have spoken in this chamber today and were originally from the government’s side.”

She said Andrews used his power to declare a pandemic for an “indefinite time.”

“This was not about saving lives, it was about seizing power,” she said.

However, Andrews defended COVID-19 policies, including lockdowns, face masks, and a 5-kilometre radius restriction.

“No Victorian wants to be in this position. We know that the Delta variant moves faster than anything our public health experts have seen before – and we know what we need to do to drive it down once again,” he said in August 2021.

Labor Says Andrews Served Honourably

Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Action Sheena Watt defended the former premier, saying he honourably served the people of Victoria for 3,000 days.

Watt pointed out former Liberal Premier Jeff Kennett had brought in the commemorative statue policy.

She argued that this standard, set by a Liberal, should be applied regardless of one’s views of the legacy of the premier.

“There are already four former premiers in this state that are all recognised for meeting the standard set by the former premier. I would just say he has met the standard and be done with it,” she said.

“You see, I do not agree with the legacy of every one of those former premiers. I have not moved petitions about what they have done and what they are all about,” she said.

She said over 1.3 million Victorians voted for Labor in the state election after the pandemic, many more than the signatures on the petition.

“This premier deserves the respect of being recognised for time immemorial as somebody who saved lives each and every day of those 3,000 days that he served in our state,” Watt said.

“I honour him and his remarkable legacy to the people of Victoria. He will be remembered with much respect and admiration from those on this side for many years to come.”

Former Premiers who have qualified for a bronze statue include Henry Bolte, Albert Dunstan, Rupert Hamer and John Cain Jr. The statues can be seen in Treasury Gardens, Melbourne, near Spring Street and Parliament House.