Steve Price: Dan Andrews gives Victorians a big highs and big low in 2023

Former premier Daniel Andrews provided Victorians with their highest point of 2023 — his resignation — but also gave them one of their lowest. Steve Price presents his highs and lows of the year that was.

Merry Christmas to former premier Daniel Andrews who provided Victorians with the 2023 quote of the year.

Speaking on an obscure podcast called “Socially Democratic” in his only post career interview the most divisive Premier in our history uttered the following classy observation of himself.

He told a bloke called Stephen Donnelly (who has strong Labor connections): “We didn’t waste a day. We got shit done, we got things built, we did what had to be done.”

Talk about arrogance and delusional bragging, what Mr Andrews did was ignore sensible advice plunging Victoria into a debt spiral that we will be paying off for decades.

He ripped up $1.1 billion not building the East-West Link and spent a minimum of $380 million (probably more) not to stage the Commonwealth Games – and that’s just the start.

For that reason, Dictator Dan takes out our quote of the year award and heads up our 2023 list of Likes as well.

As our final column for the year, we present our highs and lows in Victoria for the last twelve months.

Let’s start with the HIGHS.

Finally, after enduring Daniel Andrews as Victorian Premier for nine long years, the divisive leader called it quits on September 26. Typically, he chose Grand Final week to announce he was walking away (self-importance anyone).

Steve Price says Daniel Andrews gave Victorians a great gift in 2023 — his resignation. Picture: Getty

What a week that must have been for Collingwood fans, seeing the back of a bloke that locked up Melbourne during Covid for longer that anywhere else in the world, and the Magpies winning a flag.

The biggest reaction to any of my comments about Dan during 2023 was a promise to tear up my golf club membership if he was admitted as a member. Andrews uses his three election wins as proof of his popularity, famously also saying in 2023 “haters can hate the rest vote Labor.”

Of course, the fact the former Premier poured billions of taxpayers’ dollars – all borrowed money – into infrastructure projects manned by a workforce made up of his union mates guaranteeing him a solid voting base.

Dan’s handling of Covid will never be forgotten, the puffer jacket, the arrogant refusal to even consider he might be wrong, unnecessary night-time curfews, closed playgrounds and inflexible border closures.

His resignation heads our list of highs.

Another resignation was in stark contrast with someone going out on top – 3AW’s Neil Mitchell.

As Neil’s first daily producer on radio way back in 1987 and having worked with him closely in newspapers and then on radio he should be very proud of his achievements. Neil could rub people up the wrong way and has a glass jaw when it comes to criticism – especially from me – but he will be missed as the morning voice of Melbourne.

The Matildas football team and their efforts at their home World Cup was a definite high. The national women’s side has star quality – think Sam Kerr – and the ability to draw massive crowds to fill stadiums in contrast to the struggling AFLW largely played in front of family and friends.

The Matildas World Cup efforts were a clear high of 2023. Picture: Adam Head

Good news for Melbourne they will be back at Marvel Stadium next February in a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Cartoonist Mark Knight rounds out our annual highs.

He’s our partner on this page with this column and his brilliant work every week is outstanding. Mark’s ability to put into a drawing to enhance my words is something I treasure. He pushes the boundaries, wears criticism from woke whingers and pierces public figures and their bloated egos every week and I can’t wait each weekend to see what he has drawn.

Now our DISLIKES for 2024.

Dictator Dan stars in both categories. The cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games at a compensation cost of at least $380 million was a cruel blow to regional Victorian centres chosen to run them and hundreds of athletes robbed of a hometown Games. Andrews went on to refuse to appear before a Senate Inquiry into the cancellation and ran an excuse of confidentiality on exactly how much the decision cost Victorian taxpayers.

The shock withdrawal has forever damaged Victoria’s major events reputation around the world and blew a hole in the often-claimed title of the world’s sporting capital.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp loves posing for media photos. Meanwhile Melburnians are waiting for the CBD to be cleaned up. Picture: David Geraghty

Despite widespread condemnation of the slow demise of the CBD of Melbourne the leadership of the Melbourne City Council remains unchanged. Lord Mayor Sally Capp seems oblivious to the anger of the Melbourne public to her bike lane clogging destruction of the fabric of our Capital. The city is covered in graffiti, filthy dirty, dangerous and a shadow of the Melbourne we all knew and loved. She’s more relaxed posing for media photo opportunities and flying around the world to carbon conferences than fixing the mess she has created.

Radio bosses at Melbourne’s KIIS 1011 desperate to justify paying the grubby Sydney radio presenter Kyle Sandilands and his sidekick Jackie O a package deal of $200 million will now inflict their sleazy brand of comedy on Victorians.

Ironically the last radio ratings of 2023 released this week saw the hosts sacked to install Sandilands – Jase Hawkins and Lauren Phillips – post their best ratings ever, a very acceptable 9.1 share. Oh, the irony.

Inner city Green Left councils continuing to ignore ratepayers and voting to insert themselves in international events including the Middle East war after Hamas attacked Israel.

Virtue-signalling local councils — like Darebin — provided a low point for the year, says Steve Price.

The latest this week when inner-city Darebin voted to boycott companies with Israeli links and to fly the Palestinian flag over the Preston Town Hall. Do these fools really believe this virtue signalling does anything other than massage their feeling of self- importance.

That’s it for 2023 thanks to the thousands of you that jumped on the comments page each Saturday and let’s hope 2024 is less of a struggle for Aussies hit by cost-of-living pressures. See you in the new year.

Dislikes

— Crazy decision to allow convicted terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika out of prison with only a 12-month extended supervision order.

— Ride on rental scooters becoming a visual and physical menace.

— Crazy money being paid to cricketers in the India Premier League auctions.

— Christmas Day weather forecast of showers.

Likes

— Spirit of Queenslanders in the face of those devastating floods up North.

— Senator Jacinta Price calling out the PM over his lack of interest in Indigenous affairs post the Voice referendum.

— Turkish Airlines being given extra slots into Australia hopefully bringing down the cost of international fares.

— Price of legs of lamb dropping just in time for Christmas.

Originally published as Steve Price: Dan Andrews gives Victorians a big highs and big low in 2023