Daniel Andrews hints he’s staying on as Labor Party clean-out gains momentum

The clean-out of senior Labor Party MPs is gathering pace but Premier Daniel Andrews looks like he’s planning on being around much longer.

Whispers are now rife James Merlino is among the Labor MPs looking to exit. Picture: Ian Currie

Rumours of a grand Labor Party clear-out continue to gather momentum.

Baz is now assured Treasurer Tim Pallas and Police Minister Lisa Neville will both wave goodbye to Spring St at the November election, without doubt.

Now whispers have reached Baz that Deputy Premier James Merlino could also be leaving politics behind, which would virtually complete a senior MP wipe-out.

If Pallas, Neville and Merlino did go they would join Richard Wynne, Luke Donnellan, Robin Scott, Marlene Kairouz, Jill Hennessy, Frank McGuire, Jane Garrett, Kaushaliya Vaghela and Dustin Halse who are all on the way out.

That’s quite the list.

DAN’S NOT READY TO CALL TIME

But someone definitely not on the way out is Premier Daniel Andrews: just ask him.

His comments to that effect last week seemed to surprise more than a few Laborites.

“I got fit and well to come back, not to piss off,” he said, referring to his recovery from a fall.

“I’ve got a lot to do … I’ll be here for as long as my colleagues and my community want me.

“It’s a great honour.”

For years now speculation has been rife about when the Premier would call it a day.

Baz is yet to speak to anyone inside the government who expects him to last another full term, with some tipping he would hang around just a year if re-elected.

So his comments sparked some interesting reactions.

Daniel Andrews says he didn’t shape up to ship out. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

MISS NOT SO INDEPENDENT?

Baz wears his independence as a badge of honour, so it is with some displeasure that he has watched the so-called independent candidates emerge to take on federal Coalition MPs.

Some are genuinely independent. Others, not so much.

Which brings us to Sarah Russell, who is running in the seat of Flinders, being vacated by Greg Hunt.

After some careful digging, Baz discovered she ran in 2019 in Cooper for Fiona Patten’s Reason Australia Party, taking on Labor’s Ged Kearney.

Curiously, Russell tweeted pictures of them campaigning together, and after Kearney won, Russell posted about how “proud” she was to have Kearney as her local MP and shared pictures of them discussing aged care policy, in her capacity as the director of the Aged Care Matters advocacy group.

Baz then realised, courtesy of yet another tweet, that Russell was also previously a member of the Greens and that she was promising her second preference in Flinders to Labor.

Maybe next time she’ll try running as a Liberal – but Baz won’t be holding his breath.

To cap it off, Russell isn’t even the only independent in the Flinders field. Former mayor Despi O’Connor is actually the candidate backed by Climate 200, prompting Russell to fire off a blog post accusing her of being “selfish”, “driven by her own ego” and a “sore loser”.

Out on the hustings with Ged Kearney - and debating reason-ably how to improve staffing levels/training in aged care homes. @reasonaustralia@KenWyattMP@billshortenmp@JulieCollinsMP@LASANational@ACSANational @AgedCareGuild #agedcarepic.twitter.com/wyss9YPCou

— Dr Sarah Russell - Independent for Flinders (@AgedMatters) May 3, 2019

@gedkearney and I discuss a sustainable, transparent and accountable aged care system based on evidence. Why is ALP not challenging govt policies? The ALP has an opportunity to design a better residential & home care system focused on older people not providers. @JulieCollinsMPpic.twitter.com/c1glC3lJTr

— Dr Sarah Russell - Independent for Flinders (@AgedMatters) August 19, 2019

PUTTING THE HAT AROUND

Is there anything more exciting than a 2-for-1 deal?

Victoria’s pesky state donation laws have forced Labor to get creative as they swing into election mode.

Sitting state MPs were given a deadline in February to raise up to $10,000 and the party would match the cash for their campaign.

New lower house candidates were given until April to make the target but the same deal applies.

Why would such a thing be necessary?

The latest donation laws have led to reduced funding around campaigns in Victoria and MPs across all sides of politics have attracted the ire of their party officials for not raising enough cash to support their election bids.

Labor also has a big chunk of seats to defend, creating serious consternation from MPs told they will have to rely largely on the cash they’ve raised themselves.

DESPERATELY SEEKING A GURU

The Liberal Party’s social media gaffes continue, despite Baz’s best intentions to force an end by embarrassment.

It seems they can’t go a week without a social media blunder, evidenced by the fact they launched a hunt for an expert social media guru to join the fold.

Rippon MP Louise Staley has for almost two weeks run an ad on her Facebook page promising mental health support for “LOCATION”.

Curiously Baz even raised the matter with Libs HQ less than 24 hours after it was posted.

Two weeks on, it’s still there. Can’t get that social media guru fast enough.

Lib HQ is still seeking help with its social media.

WAKELING ON THE MEND

Baz was glad to see member for Ferntree Gully Nick Wakeling up and about again after a spell in hospital.

In a tragic week in which both cricket legend Shane Warne and federal MP Kimberley Kitching, both 52, died from heart attacks, Wakeling’s colleagues were rightly nervous when he had a serious turn during a work meeting on Friday.

The 50-year-old was rushed to hospital and kept in isolation amid fears he had Covid.

But he was ultimately cleared and after a tense few days was released and is on the mend.

GUESS WHO

Which MP raised eyebrows with their behaviour at a foreign diplomat’s house party this week?