Party anger at Daniel Andrews ‘betrayal’
The way Jenny Mikakos’s political career ended has rocked the Labor caucus and provoked anger about her treatment.
The crushing way Jenny Mikakos’s political career ended has rocked the Labor caucus and provoked widespread anger about her treatment.
Senior party sources across factions have attacked Daniel Andrews for having failed to stand by his former health minister, who on Saturday resigned from cabinet and parliament.
The Premier said on Sunday he had not spoken to his former minister, despite having been political friends for many years.
Socialist Left sources said his treatment of Ms Mikakos had come after a falling out with another former senior Left figure, Gavin Jennings.
“It’s come down to trust and there is not a lot of trust when it comes to Andrews,’’ a senior Left source said. “The way he has treated his own people has been a total disgrace.”
While Ms Mikakos was not a popular figure among many right-wing MPs, a senior Labor figure said the “ritual killing” of Ms Mikakos via the Premier’s hotel quarantine statement was “incredibly messy”.
“It doesn’t look great when the minister in charge of the pandemic necks herself in these circumstances,” the source said.
“This hasn’t been a bridge building exercise, it’s been a bridge destroying exercise.”
The Right faction notionally has the numbers in the Labor caucus but it has split, with Deputy Premier James Merlino unlikely to get backing for a candidacy for the leadership because of his links to the shop assistants’ union.
Instead, in the event of any ballot for the leadership, those who are not loyal to the shop assistants are most likely to back senior minister Martin Pakula.
The numbers are not being counted but there is increasing chatter about what might happen if Mr Andrews were to resign.
He said on Saturday he planned to remain in the position and oversee the economic recovery.
Wearing a mask, Ms Mikakos emerged from her home on Sunday, but declined to comment beyond her Saturday morning statement in which she said she disagreed with aspects of Mr Andrews’s evidence to the inquiry
In his evidence, Mr Andrews said he considered Ms Mikakos was accountable for the bungled hotel quarantine program, which is blamed for triggering the coronavirus second wave that has claimed more than 750 lives and infected more than 18,000 people.
The Premier confirmed on Sunday that Ms Mikakos rang him Saturday morning but he was on another call.
She then sent a text message informing him that she had sent a letter to his chief of staff.
“But that was after the event; the resignation had already been made,” he said.
“No one’s happy to see someone who’s an incredibly hard-working member of the team go, but when you make a decision you can’t serve in the cabinet, you can’t serve in the cabinet.
“I wish her well and I acknowledge her hard work and her passion and her commitment.
“But our team is a big and strong team that knows and understands we have got a very complex and challenging set of circumstances to confront … they also know the strategy is working.”
Mr Andrews said he had not spoken to Ms Mikakos since and denied that their relationship was over.
“We have been colleagues for a very long time; I have a great deal of respect for her,” he said.
“I’m sorry for her. I’m saddened by this. I wish her well.
“But she made a decision and it was the only decision she could make once she determined she could no longer sit in the cabinet.
“I have nothing but good wishes for her in whatever the next chapter of her life involves.”
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