Daniel Andrews and his family cast their early vote Thursday night

Former premier Jeff Kennett has questioned if Dan Andrews’ social media team doctored an image of him voting with his family.

Questions have been raised as to whether Daniel Andrews’ social media team doctored a picture of his family voting at a pre-poll centre.

An exit sign above the Premier’s head in the original picture — posted to his social media on Thursday night — appears to have been blurred out.

A new image, which purports to be the unedited version, features a dark green exit sign above Mr Andrews’ head.

The picture has since been circulated online by former Liberal premier Jeff Kennett, who questioned its authenticity.

“Look who airbrushed out the exit sign when they privately voted and then posted their voting on social media,” he wrote.

“Not only did he not have the courage to vote with his constituents, they falsified the picture. Says everything does it not? Certainly on the way out!”

Look who airbrushed out the exit sign when they privately voted and then posted their voting on social media.
Not only did he not have the courage to vote with his constituents, they falsified the picture.
Says everything does it not?
Certainly on the way out! pic.twitter.com/YzTP9id6Hr

— Jeff Kennett (@jeff_kennett) November 24, 2022

One social media user wrote that the entire photo was overexposed in the Premier’s post “possibly because the background is so dark”.

But loyal fans of the Premier were quick to jump to his defence, accusing Mr Kennett of promoting conspiracy theories.

“How tedious you are,” one woman wrote.

“Imagine getting to a point in your life that you have nothing better to do than scour the photos of someone you hate, looking for an imagined flaw. It speaks volumes about who you are.”

Another added: “Who airbrushed out the racism at Hawthorn Football Club Mr President?”

The image of Daniel Andrews and his family in which the exit sign appears blurred out.

Premier defends decision to cast early vote in secret

It comes after Mr Andrews defended his decision to conduct an early vote in secret outside of his Mulgrave electorate.

The Premier was lashed for insulting his electorate by casting his early ballot at a city pre-poll venue instead of in his own seat.

Mr Andrews, with Cath, and their two eldest children, Noah and Grace, voted at a polling booth near parliament on Thursday evening.

But Mr Andrews said he wanted to be with his kids as they voted in their first ever state election, prompting the family to vote at a pre-polling centre in the city on Thursday night.

He said the busy nature of the election campaign — and the natural jugglings of family commitments — made an early vote more convenient.

“Like many families, getting all of us in one place at the one time is quite challenging,” he said.

“This is a special election in that Grace is voting for the very first time and for Noah (this is) the first first state poll he’s voting in.

“I’m doing about 10 events a day, as you’d expect.

“Cath works. Joseph has got two part-time jobs, Grace is an NDIS support worker, I can go on if you like.

“Having us all in one place is quite challenging. Last night meant that we were able to vote together and I wanted to be with my two adult kids the first time they voted.”

Daniel Andrews, pictured with his wife, Catherine, says his family is busy and the city was the most convenient place to vote. Picture: David Geraghty

Mr Andrews said his decision to vote in secret wasn’t because of security concerns.

“A: No, but B: I don’t comment on those matters, nor would I,” he said.

“I’ve provided you with the facts of these matters.

“We’re all busy like every family. The city was the best and most convenient place to do that.”

Mr Andrews said that didn’t mean he had turned his back on his electorate.

“Later on in the evening, after I finished a whole series of events, I then went to my home in Mulgrave and that’s where I started my day this morning and it’s where I’ll finish up tonight,” he said.

“That’s where I Iive, that’s the community that I’m passionate about, that’s the community we’ve raised our family in.”

Former Liberal Premier Jeff Kennett slammed Mr Andrews’ refusal to vote in his electorate, stating it was an “insult to the process”.

The current Premier hit back: “I’m not going to be taking advice from Mr Kennett on anything really.”

“My electorate remembers the school closures. My electorate remembers the sackings that Mr Kennett was so proud to deliver for the good people of Mulgrave,” he added.

Mr Andrews refused to comment on the behaviour of some volunteers on pre-polls, including Mulgrave.

“Voters just want to go and vote. They want to have their say. Some other people at polling booths, their behaviour, well I’ll leave other people to make their own judgments.”

‘Slap in the face’ to people of Mulgrave

On Friday, Independent candidate Ian Cook, who is confident he can win Mr Andrews’ seat, said the early vote came as no surprise.

“I’ve met thousands of local residents and not one has seen him for years,” he said.

“I keep hearing he is permanantly AWOL. This is just another slap in the face from Daniel Andrews to the people of Mulgrave.

“No wonder we feel taken for granted, what kind of local member doesn’t show up at all in their electorate?

“This is how he governs, it’s all about the photoshoot and not about the people.”

Mr Kennett aired his frustration at the Premier on social media on Thursday night.

“What an insult to the voters in Mulgrave,” he wrote on Twitter. “He does not have the decency to vote with them.”

Mr Kennett added: “A Premier, a local MP does not vote in his own electorate on Saturday. Never heard of that before. He hashardly been in his electorate since pre polling began. Man of the people? Not this Premier.”

Free kinder. Government-owned renewable energy. Making V/Line fares fair.

If you value it, vote for it.

And that's exactly what we're doing. pic.twitter.com/dRTcTZCt2i

— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) November 24, 2022

Witnesses told the Herald Sun Mr Andrews spoke briefly with Labor’s Melbourne candidate Rebecca Thistleton after voting.

The Premier’s office refused to confirm Mr Andrews had voted early, but he later posted a picture to social media (left).

Unusually, the media was not alerted to the early vote, and he decided against voting at his local electorate. MPs traditionallyseize the opportunity to vote among their local constituents.

In 2018, Mr Andrews and his wife voted on election day in his electorate of Mulgrave.

But the Premier has kept a conspicuously low public profile throughout the current election campaign.

I can't believe it
A Premier, a local MP does not vote in his own electorate on Saturday.
Never heard of that before.
Why?
Given up?
Scared to be in a public place?
Wants to lose?
He has hardly been in his electorate since pre polling began.
Man of the people?
Not this Premier!

— Jeff Kennett (@jeff_kennett) November 24, 2022

Labor says no new taxes to pay for election promises

The start date of nearly $6bn worth of Labor’s key election promises is not guaranteed, with funding not tied to a specific date in the forward estimates.

Treasurer Tim Pallas on Thursday unveiled the party’s 2022 financial statement, declaring Labor would not introduce any new taxes — or increase the state’s projected record debt — to pay for its $11.4bn worth of election commitments.

Victoria’s surplus is also now projected to be more than $1bn, a $135m improvement on the estimate outlined in the pre-election budget update.

But it remains unknown when construction would begin on some of the party’s major health promises — including a $1bn plan to upgrade hospitals in the northern suburbs, and the build of a brand new Queen Elizabeth II hospital — because funding hasn’t been allocated.

Mr Pallas insists that money, which has been budgeted for, will be allocated within the estimates, despite the exact timeline being still up in the air.

The Andrews government has made $11.4bn worth of election commitments. Picture: Nicki Connolly

“That doesn’t mean that it’s not being delivered in those years,” he said.

“It essentially means that we’ve identified the total cost and when it’s actually applied will be subject to continuing discussion.

“But we’ve allocated that cost within the forward estimates period, so it will be spent in that time frame.

“It’s essentially how it’s rolled out in the forward estimates that is yet to be determined, and that will be based on the availability of the technology.”

Mr Pallas said balance sheets — costed by the Department of Treasury and Finance — had proven the party could power ahead with its plan without increasing the state’s debt.

Mr Pallas said this would be achieved by drawing down on offsets, including a crackdown on tax avoidance and reducing labour hire.

“Our election promises are fully-funded, providing a massive boost to the economy without privatising, increasing net debt or introducing new taxes,” he said.

“Matthew Guy’s Liberals’ plan for cuts and closures would not only hurt Victorians’ jobs and livelihoods – it would put our state’s entire economic recovery at risk.”

Shadow Treasurer David Davis said Labor had buried key details.

“Releasing so-called costings without a net debt figure is like trying to sell a car without wheels – Labor is trying to sell Victorians a lemon,” he said.

“There are over $4bn of health and hospital promises that Labor has not put in their forward estimates.

“This means that either these hospitals will not be built — or even started in the next four years, or net debt will be significantly higher under Labor than the current projected $165.9bn.”

In total, Labor has pledged 81 election promises, worth $11.4bn, including $4bn for health projects, $2bn on transport pledges and more than $1.1bn on initiatives to promote jobs.

Under a Coalition government, net debt would be $10.4bn lower by 2025-26, according to new costings released ahead of the election.

Shadow Treasurer David Davis on Thursday released the Liberals and Nationals policy costings, assessed by the Parliamentary Budget Office.

According to the document, Victoria’s net debt in four years time would be $155.6bn.

This is compared to the $165.9bn currently forecast by the Andrews Government, the highest of any other state.

Mr Davis also pledged to get the budget to a cash surplus a year sooner than Labor.

Their plan projects a $2.1bn surplus in this category by 2024-25.

To pay off the massive debt bill, a Matthew Guy government would take $10.2bn from the states Future Fund.

The party believes this would save the government $775m in interest repayments over the next four years.