Return of ‘hard hat Dan’ marks start of election campaign

Daniel Andrews has swapped his infamous pandemic uniform for the hard hat to announce a funding kickstart for the Suburban Rail Loop. Now, the race to the election is on.

Victorians have, in the past 20 months of the pandemic, become accustomed to “North Face Dan”.

It is now time for them to reacquaint themselves with the Premier’s previous persona – “Hard Hat Dan” or “Hi-vis Dan”.

With the November 2022 state election now a year away, Daniel Andrews has retired his infamous pandemic uniform – which gained nationwide notoriety during daily marathon Covid pressers – to instead whip out the once famed hi-vis and hard-hat combo.

Since the government scrapped its daily health updates last month, it has wasted no time in hurrying the press gallery out to its favourite flagship projects.

Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jactina Allan with Premier Daniel Andrews at Bonbeach station. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

Last week Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan opened the new Mordialloc Freeway and just days later she was back out spruiking a huge summer of construction works. Weeks earlier it was out to the Metro Tunnel for a hundredth picture opportunity, and before that it was a site inspection for the North East Link.

Last Sunday we ventured out to Bonbeach for level crossings. Dandenong was the destination of choice on Tuesday for offshore wind funding, and on Thursday it was all about the Suburban Rail Loop in Box Hill.

Suburban Rail Loop trains aren’t set to hit the tracks until 2035.

The mammoth infrastructure project – first announced prior to the 2018 election – has been touted as the “project that Victorians voted for”. But trains won’t even be close to running when they head to the polls next November.

In fact, Victoria will have four elections before even the loop’s first stage – 26km twin tunnels and six underground stations between Cheltenham and Box Hill – are built.

Nearing the end of Labor’s second term in power, the government has only now revealed the project’s starting price, with at least $9.3bn of taxpayer funds used to kickstart very early works, due to begin next year.

The cost of the first stage is expected to cost up to a whopping $35bn, but trains won’t actually hit the tracks for another 14 years.

Daniel Andrews, alongside Jacinta Allan, announces the Suburban Rail Loop funding. Picture: Sarah Matray

“Look this costs a lot, but it costs so much more if you don’t build it,” the Premier said on Thursday. “For too long, too many (governments) have reasons to not build. That’s not us … We said we’d do it, and we do the things that we say.”

While today’s government won’t likely be front and centre to cut the ribbon on grand opening day, you can bet the Suburban Rail Loop announcement marks the official start of the race to the election.