Daniel Andrews steps down as it happened: Victorian premier steps down after nine years in power

Good evening, and thanks for following our live coverage of Daniel Andrews’ resignation.

Here’s what we learned as the day unfolded:

• Daniel Andrews announced he intended to resign, both as premier and the member for Mulgrave, at a snap 1.30pm press conference. He said his resignation would take effect from 5pm Wednesday.

• Victoria’s 48th premier said he intends to spend time with family, play golf and read the pile of books that have been accumulating at his home. As for why he wasn’t seeing out his third term, which he promised to do around the time of last year’s state election, Andrews said he had changed his mind. “You owe it to the people you love, to the people you serve and, frankly, you owe it to yourself to make the difficult but important decision to move on and give somebody else the amazing privilege to work hard every day for the people of this great state,” he said.

Daniel Andrews leaving Tuesday’s press conference flanked by his sons and wife, Cath. Credit: Wayne Taylor

• Andrews visited the governor later on Tuesday afternoon, where his resignation was accepted. The outgoing premier says the Labor caucus will vote on his replacement around midday on Wednesday. He refused to say what his biggest regret in politics was.

Daniel Andrews leaves the Government House in Melbourne after handing in his resignation.Credit: Jason South

• As of 6.30pm Tuesday, the only Labor MP to publicly confirm they were nominating for the party’s leadership was Jacinta Allan. Allan is currently Victoria’s deputy premier. If she is successful in the ballot, she will become Victoria’s second female premier.

Deputy premier Jacinta Allan.Credit: Eddie Jim

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began the political tributes, arguing Andrews was a man “of great conviction”. Former Victorian premiers said the outgoing member for Mulgrave would be remembered as a builder and social reformer.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaking to reporters in Canberra earlier today. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

• But Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the premier was leaving because “things are falling apart”. As for what he thinks of a Jacinta Allan premiership, the Liberal leader said: “I really don’t have any confidence that there’ll be any change.”

That’s all for today. But we’ll have plenty more news, analysis and opinion in tomorrow’s newspaper and online. Remember to check our website shortly before midday tomorrow, when we’ll be liveblogging the caucus outcome.

Until then, I hope you have a lovely night.

Meanwhile, Melbourne radio host Neil Mitchell says he fears Victoria “is going to inherit a rabble” after Daniel Andrews’ resignation.

Mitchell, a longtime 3AW presenter and well-known critic of Andrews, said he believed the premier had been thinking about leaving public life for months.

Neil Mitchell will step down from his morning show in December after 34 years.Credit: Jason South

“It’s time for him to go,” Mitchell told 3AW Afternoons.“I fear we’re going to inherit a rabble because, often when a strong leader goes, the people left behind don’t know how to run it, so they run around like headless chooks. But I hope we get a different culture, with more integrity, more accountability, more openness.”

Andrews has not appeared on Mitchell’s morning program for years – an absence the high-rating radio host noted as he announced his retirement from broadcasting earlier this month.

Asked whether deputy premier Jacinta Allan, seen by many as Andrews’ most likely successor, would significantly change Victoria’s governance if she became premier, Mitchell said:

You can get a different culture because you are removing, in a sense, a democratic dictator.

He’s been running that party from within as a one-man show … So you take him out of the equation, you have to run it differently. And how you run it depends on what you’re like, and how the people around you react to the sudden vacuum of power.

Mitchell said he still wished Andrews well, but concluded: “I think you’ve done enormous damage to Victoria.”

Staying with reactions from union bosses, and Lisa Fitzpatrick – the secretary of the Victorian branch of the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation – has released the following statement on Daniel Andrews’ resignation:

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Victorian secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick.Credit: Luis Ascui

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch) sincerely thanks Premier Andrews for his 16 years of service to, and support for, Victoria’s nurses, midwives and carers.

Personally, I’m saddened by this announcement but extremely grateful for Mr Andrews’ time, first as health minister, opposition leader and his last nine years as premier.

In my time as branch secretary, I have worked with five Victorian premiers, both Labor and Liberal. None have been as willing to meet, listen, and to act on, the concerns and wishes of Victoria’s nurses and midwives.

Victoria’s 48th premier name checked Fitzpatrick during this afternoon’s press conference.

“No member of the [union] movement has had a greater influence on my work over the years,” he said. “Lisa, thank you for the faith and trust and belief and for the friendship.”

United Firefighters Union boss Peter Marshall, whose early support for the Victorian Labor government has turned into a bitter feud amid an ongoing industrial dispute, says Daniel Andrews has left an “impressive” record but hoped his departure could reset enterprise bargaining negotiations.

“Despite our differences, you cannot go past the fact that he has made a significant contribution to Victoria,” Marshall told Nine News earlier today.

United Firefighters Union boss Peter Marshall addressing a 1000-strong rally in East Melbourne earlier today. Credit: Luis Ascui

Marshall’s union rallied outside state parliament today after wage talks with the Andrews government appeared to break down.

While Marshall said Andrews’ record was “extremely impressive”, he said firefighters were currently under-resourced.

“Some people might say I’m a warmonger or whatever, but at the end of the day, firefighters don’t like being in dispute. We are hoping this [resignation] also provides an opportunity for a reset,” Marshall said.

“It is not our position to be in dispute with the government of the day. Firefighters, particularly this time of year, are actually at the beginning of a very bad fire season. We just want to get on with it, and we want the tools to be able to do that, and we want the necessary safety mechanisms to ensure that firefighters come home safe.”

One of the rumours that has persisted at Spring Street for some time now is that Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas will retire not long after Daniel Andrews.

This was put to Andrews earlier today. He was his response:

No, he has a budget to put together for next year, work has already started on that. ERC [The government’s expenditure review committee] is in full swing and it will be a challenging budget, they always are, but he [Pallas] will do that job very well. He is an outstanding Labor treasurer, a good friend. He has been there from the start and done an amazing job.

Treasurer Tim Pallas (centre) looks on as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announces his resignation.Credit: Joe Armao

It’s official: Victorian Governor Margaret Gardner has received Daniel Andrews’ resignation as premier.

Photographer Jason South captured a wave the now outgoing member for Mulgrave, in Melbourne’s southeast, gave to the press pack as he passed through the gates of Government House.

Daniel Andrews is seen here at Government House after handing in his resignation.Credit: Jason South

Victoria’s former police minister Lisa Neville – a senior member of Daniel Andrews’ Labor government before a health condition caused her retirement from politics last year – says the outgoing premier’s social reforms and infrastructure investment will leave a profound legacy.

Neville said she considered Andrews a friend who was an approachable leader.

Former Victorian police minister Lisa Neville. Credit: Penny Stephens

“He was someone you could go to if you had an issue. There was no question about it,” she told radio station 3AW.

“He had huge respect for what he achieved. You know, nine years is a long time, [but] it’s also a short time to achieve the things that he has achieved. And the courage he had on some of the … social issues, to really push through, I think he had a huge respect from people.

“Some may not have always liked him, but he was definitely respected.”

Daniel Andrews, one of Victoria’s longest-standing premiers and the country’s most recognisable politicians, leaves many legacies as he steps down from the job after nine years.

We’ve canvassed some key moments – the highs and the lows – that have defined his leadership since his Labor government swept to power in 2014.

East West Link

In one of his first acts as premier, Andrews spent $1.1 billion cutting up the contract for the 18-kilometre East West Link toll road as promised in opposition.

The CFA scandal

Former Labor MP Jane Garrett quit the ministry in 2016 over concerns she held that a proposed workplace deal for paid Country Fire Authority firefighters would undermine volunteerism and breach equal opportunity laws. The government went on to sack the entire board of the authority, which shared Garrett’s concerns.

The car crash

As opposition leader in 2013, Andrews was a passenger in a taxpayer-funded 4WD driven by his wife Catherine that collided with 15-year-old cyclist Ryan Meuleman, who spent 11 days in hospital with serious injuries.

Read the full piece here.

West Australian Premier Roger Cook has wished his Victorian counterpart Daniel Andrews well in his retirement.

Cook himself was elevated to leader of the state in June after the shock resignation of his predecessor Mark McGowan for similar reasons to Andrews.

Cook said being the premier is an honour, but it is “not an easy job”.

“It involves long hours, difficult decisions and constant scrutiny,” he said in a Tweet.

“Dan has done the job with passion, determination, and good humour – never forgetting he was there to work hard and get things done for all Victorians. I wish Dan and his family all the best with the next chapter.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns congratulated Andrews on his long career and said: “I hope you get to spend some time with Cath and the kids.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it was a pleasure to work alongside her Victorian counterpart.

Former Victorian Liberal premier Ted Baillieu, the last politician not named Daniel Andrews to win a Victorian state election, says the state’s next leader has been left with financial and integrity issues to solve after the Labor leader announced his departure today.

Baillieu told Seven News he maintained a civil relationship with Andrews, having worked with his Labor government to address issues such as Victoria’s flammable cladding crisis.

Former Victorian Liberal premier Ted Baillieu.Credit: Chris Hopkins

The former Liberal leader also said he wasn’t surprised the premier resigned today after nine years, adding he thought he could’ve gone after the 2018 election had the state’s fire and COVID emergencies not occurred.

Here’s some of what Baillieu had to say over on Nine News:

He’s done things differently than I would have done them. He’s done them in his own way. Lots of people have not enjoyed that. He’s certainly had a different relationship with the media than just about any premier in Australia in the last 20 years. And, you know, good luck to him for that, but I suspect the next premier is not going to be able to do that the same way.

It is going to have to be different. We have a reputational issue. We have a transparency issue. We have an integrity issue. We’ve got a financial issue. We’ve got a competitive advantage issue, and you’re not going to be able to just walk in there, become premier and solve it overnight. You’ve got to demonstrate to Victorians you’re going to do it differently.