Dan Andrews to get statue, only fifth Victorian Premier to be bestowed the honour

A key politician of the pandemic era will be immortalised with a bronze statue.

Anthony Albanese seems indifferent to his former housemate, friend, and long-serving Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews being immortalised with a bronze ­statue.

Mr Andrews will become the fifth Victorian premier to be honoured with a statue. To be eligible, a state leader must hold the top job for 3000 days.

Premier Jacinta Allan’s government commissioned the effigy this week.

Speaking in Melbourne on Friday, the Prime Minister had a free chance to publicly congratulate Mr Andrews, instead he had a partial dig at a political opponent.

Former Liberal premier Jeff Kennett brought in the 3000-day, get-a-statue policy in the 1990s.

Asked if Mr Andrews deserved a statue and what the Prime ­Minister thought of any such memorial, Mr Albanese took a swipe at Mr Kennett.

“That’s a question for Jeff Kennett really,” Mr Albanese said of the proposed new statue. “I have only one thing in common with Jeff Kennett, which is we’re both Hawthorn supporters.”

Mr Kennett and the Prime Minister were texting before Hawthorn’s season-ending finals defeat two weeks ago, Mr Albanese said. “We engage in very positive banter about the Hawks. Other than that, we have nothing in common. And I can confirm that I was not a part of Jeff Kennett’s decision about ‘you get a statue after 3000 days’.”

Mr Andrews’ premiership and Mr Albanese’s prime ministership overlapped by 16 months. Friday marked one year since Mr Andrews resigned as premier.

As Labor leader he steered the party to three election wins in 2014, 2018 and 2022. The later years of his premiership were marked by the controversial response to the pandemic, during which Melbourne was placed under lockdown for 262 days.

Sculptures of former Victorian premiers John Cain Jr (Labor), ­Rupert Hamer (Liberal), Henry Bolte (Liberal and Country ­Liberal) and Albert Dunstan (United Country) sit outside ­Treasury Place, near Premiers Lane and Parliament House in the Melbourne CBD.

Mr Kennett fell short of reaching the 3000-day mark by 429 days when his government was ousted in a shock defeat at the 1999 election.

The Allan government declined to reveal the cost of Mr Andrews’ statue.

NEWSWIRE