How Vic handled Covid: The verdict

Victorians have revealed what they really think of the Andrews government’s handling of the Covid crisis — and it isn’t flattering.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett

The people of Victoria have given the Andrews government the highest disapproval rating of any state or territory for their handling of the Covid-19 epidemic in a new national survey.

Thirty-six per cent of Victorian respondents to the YouGov survey, conducted between December 27 and January 10, said the state had handled the crisis badly, while 42 per cent – the second lowest proportion of any state – said it had been handled well.

Residents of Western Australia were the happiest with the performance of their state in handling the Covid-19 pandemic, with an extraordinary 85 per cent approval rating.

Tasmanians and Queenslanders also gave their state governments ticks of approval, with ratings of 65 per cent and 60 per cent respectively.

Opinions were more divided in South Australia, where 48 per cent of people surveyed said their state government had handled the pandemic well.

Residents of NSW were also critical of their state government, with 35 per cent saying Covid-19 had been handled well, and 33 per cent saying it had been handled badly.

Flinders University politics lecturer Associate Professor Rob Manwaring said the Victorian result related directly to Premier Daniel Andrews.

“Basically a sizeable majority were supportive of the strong lockdown measures,” he said.

“But in this and the NSW score, you can see a small but vocal minority who really pushed back; there is a partisan effect here, I am willing to bet, of trenchant liberals and anti-Labor sentiments.”

A woman walks through a desolate Bourke Street during the second Melbourne lockdown. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett

Many Australians have been surprised and incensed by some of the powers the state premiers have exercised during the pandemic, reviving longstanding debates about our federal system and whether three levels of government is one level too many.

Since the YouGov poll was conducted, has your view changed? Vote below:

Forty-four per cent of respondents to the YouGov survey agreed with the statement “Australia should have fewer levels of government,” although they were not asked which tier they would be happy to abolish.

A slightly smaller proportion – 41 per cent – said three levels of government served us well, while 16 per cent of people surveyed said they were undecided.

Flinders Uni lecturer Dr Rob Manwaring. Picture: Flinders University

Griffith University’s senior lecturer in politics Dr Paul Williams. Picture: Supplied

Assoc Prof Manwaring said Covid-19 had “brought frustrations with federation to the fore,” but any change in this area would require constitutional change – and very few referendums to achieve this have ever succeeded.

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott had sought to advance discussions about “streamlining” the federation when he was in power, Assoc Prof Manwaring said, but the discussions had ended with his prime ministership and not been revisited since.

Griffith University politics lecturer Dr Paul Williams said the survey results were a “snapshot of people expressing their disgruntlement” but it was unlikely state governments would ever be abolished.

“We’ve been talking about this for 100 years and it’s never happened,” he said. “The states are embedded in most chapters of the Constitution; it would be too difficult.”

Originally published as How Vic handled Covid: The verdict