Fresh blow for Dan Andrews statue as the tribute is called into question over claims of a 'possible cover-up'
Plans to make Andrews the fifth premier to be given a permanent statue have been contested by 12,644 Australians in a petition tabled in the Victorian parliament.
'We respectfully urge the government to cancel this proposal as it is inappropriate to erect statues of living politicians,' the petition said.
'Public monuments should be reserved for individuals whose legacies have been tested over time and are broadly regarded as unifying.
'There remains unresolved allegations regarding Daniel Andrews' management and handling of human rights during the state's pandemic response, lockdowns, and use of enforcement powers.
'These issues should be fully resolved before any public honour is considered.'
Liberal MP Moira Deeming presented the petition, which noted Andrews' highly-debated involvement in a car crash with a teenage cyclist in 2013.
'Questions persist regarding Daniel Andrews' actions, including delays in reporting the incident and concerns about a possible political cover–up, raising serious doubts about accountability in public office,' the petition continued.
'Spending taxpayer money on a political monument, particularly for a figure whose legacy remains contested, is inappropriate during a time of economic hardship and community division.
'Doing so risks deepening distrust and undermining public confidence in government priorities.
'The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the government to cancel any plans to commission or install a statue of former Premier the Hon. Daniel Andrews.'
Andrews is set to be the fifth Victorian premier to receive recognition with a statue, alongside John Cain Jr, Rupert Hamer, Henry Bolte and Albert Dunstan who all stand on Treasury Place in the city's CBD.
However, details of the cost of his statue and its planned location remain under wraps. When pressed, Andrews said those decisions were up to his successor.
Victorian Premier Jacina Allan told reporters this week that the process of installing the Dan Andrews statue is underway.
'Former Liberal premier Jeff Kennett introduced a policy to install statues of former Victorian premiers who serve 3,000 days or more in office, in recognition of their long service to Victoria,' she said.
'The existing statues are located outside 1 Treasury Place and include former premiers Rupert Hamer, Henry Bolte, Albert Dunstan and John Cain Jr.
Parliamentary standing orders permit the debate of petitions which receive more than 10,000 signatures, with a minister to provide a response within 30 days.
Andrews was premier for almost nine years before he resigned in late 2023.
He has since taken on a new role at Orygen, a mental health organisation.
His handling of the Covid pandemic and use of enforcement powers were called into question after Melbourne remained in lockdown for 245 days, the longest in Australia and large parts of the world.
A bungled hotel quarantine scheme by the Andrews Government has been blamed for the deaths of 768 people.
The families of those victims publicly condemned Andrews last year when he was awarded the nation's highest honour – the Companion of the Order of Australia.
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The Guardian
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- The Guardian
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George Criddle, who has spent years working between colonist and Yamatji families to break the silence, says settler families have to 'unlearn' their understanding of history: 'There's a lot of entrenched ideas about who tells the story, and there's a lot of white families who believe they are the storytellers, and that their side of the truth is the right side.' Prof Mark McKenna, another historian, spent years investigating the shooting of Yukun for his book Return to Uluru. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Yukun endured further indignity after death. The 1935 board of inquiry exhumed his remains and took them to Adelaide. Prompted by McKenna's book, a forensic search was made for them but only Yukun's skull could be located, in the South Australian Museum, in 2019. He was laid to rest in a deep, narrow grave in 2022. A small cross marks the spot near the Mutitjulu waterhole. 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The Independent
an hour ago
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