Prickly word Daniel Andrews avoided in Victorian leaders’ debate with Matthew Guy

Daniel Andrews avoided a word at the leaders’ debate he once used frequently – and it’s one many believe could influence the election.

In an hour of live questions from members of the public, Daniel Andrews managed to avoid a word of great controversy for Victorians: lockdown.

The Premier joined Opposition Leader Matthew Guy for a live televised debate on Tuesday night ahead of the state election on Saturday.

An audience of 100 undecided voters, independently sourced by Q&A Market Research, were able to ask the candidates questions they were not privy to beforehand.

While there has been plenty of talk throughout the campaign about how the state’s record-breaking Covid lockdowns will influence voters, the topic was almost completely avoided at the debate.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews at the leaders’ debate. Picture: Ian Currie

Only one attendee, Parking Australia CEO Stewart Norman, brought up the once-dreaded word, stating Victoria had “the longest lockdowns and slowest recovery”.

He wanted to know what the two leaders planned to do to get the Melbourne CBD “back to where it should be” and asked whether they needed to get public servants back to work.

Mr Guy answered first, saying he wanted to “encourage” people to return to the city, and he referenced his plan to cap public transport fares at $2 a day.

When it came to Mr Andrews’ turn, he defended the state of the CBD, saying bars and restaurants were full and there was in fact “a lot happening”. But he did not address the mention of the “longest lockdowns”.

The two leaders did seem to agree on at least one thing: not forcing public servants back to work. Mr Andrews noted research that found doing so would see half of them resign.

“I want to see our city as busy as possible … it’s going to be the biggest city in the nation soon” he concluded.

Stewart Norman brought up lockdowns and the pace of Melbourne’s recovery. Picture: Ian Currie

Speaking to news.com.au after the debate, Mr Norman said Victorians did not need to talk about lockdowns anymore but did need to address the pace of the city’s recovery.

Another audience member told news.com.au she was surprised the Premier avoided the topic as “a lot of Victorians were still talking about it”.

“I listen to the radio a bit during the day now that I’m retired and a lot of people are still ringing up talking about our lockdowns,” she said.

While the word lockdown may have been avoided, Mr Andrews did address his handling of the pandemic while answering other questions.

He referred to it as a “one in 100 year event” where he had made tough decisions that meant “tens of thousands of people are alive today”.

“You don’t get the luxury in this job to do the popular thing,” he said, adding he always “did the right thing” instead.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy at the leaders’ debate. Picture: Tony Gough

As you would expect at such an event, both leaders reverted to their talking points again and again throughout the debate.

Mr Andrews was all about “Victoria’s big build”, jobs and bringing back the State Electricity Commission. Mr Guy kept coming back to improving the healthcare system.

The audience was quiet and relatively impassive throughout, with only a few moments prompting a collective laugh.

However, one question about more mental health support for veterans, asked by an army veteran himself, received passionate applause.

The man referenced the tragic passing of AFLW star and serving army medic Heather Anderson who just over a week ago took her own life at an army barracks in Perth.

Mr Andrews won the debate by four votes. Picture: Ian Currie

In less serious moments, Mr Andrews drew the most laughs from the crowd.

One of those moments came when a man spoke of his 18-year-old son, who didn’t know who to vote for. Mr Andrews began answering the question by stating he had an 18-year-old daughter, and the audience member joked that she knew who she was voting for.

“I hope so,” the Premier replied. “It will be a matter for her.”

Mr Andrews was ultimately declared a narrow winner of the debate, collecting a total of 38 of the 100 votes. Mr Guy followed closely behind with 34. A further 28 voters remained undecided.

Originally published as Prickly word Daniel Andrews avoided in Victorian leaders’ debate with Matthew Guy