Peter Costello blasts Daniel Andrews’ ‘moronic’ government for its Covid restrictions

In his most high-profile public appearance since resigning as Nine chairman, Peter Costello also blasted Daniel Andrews for wrongly believing his role was to embark on Indigenous treaty negotiations and join China’s One Belt One Road initiative.

Former Treasurer Peter Costello speaking at the Alliance of Responsible Citizens conference. Picture: Jane Dempster

In his most high-profile public appearance since resigning as Nine’s chairman in June, former Liberal treasurer Peter Costello has blasted Daniel Andrews’s “moronic” Labor Victoria government for its Covid pandemic restrictions, and for wrongly believing its role was to embark on Indigenous treaty negotiations and join China’s One Belt One Road initiative.

Mr Costello resigned in June amid widespread bullying and sexual harassment allegations across Nine’s broadcast divisions, which were aired formally this month at the publication of a company-wide workplace review.

His resignation came quickly after he made physical contact with a reporter from The Australian at Canberra Airport, where this masthead’s journalist was sent tumbling to the ground.

Speaking at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship Australia conference in Sydney, Mr Costello took aim at spiralling levels of public debt and rising taxes, but with a particular focus on the “most incompetent government” he’d seen, Mr Andrew’s state Labor administration.

“What I can’t understand is why government’s that fail their core responsibilities should be allowed to expand (its) privilege (remit),” he told the 700-person crowd.

“The most incompetent government in Australia comes to mind, after failing every test of prudent budget management, the Victorian government decided it would embark on treaty negotiations and joined China’s OBOR.

“These are federal issues… (it was) nothing more than rank posturing.”

Mr Costello said Mr Andrews’s government should have “stuck” to its remit and “not find new areas to fail”, calling its Covid pandemic response, which saw the most severe restrictions in Australia, “moronic”.

“In Melbourne, (they) closed playgrounds, swings and slides were chained (shut) to stop children,” he said.

“Children weren’t dying from Covid, and they wouldn’t die by using swings or slides.

“This moronic government even decided to institute a (curfew)... you’re not going to catch Covid driving alone in your car after 9pm.”

Mr Costello, however, said he was “scared” and concerned that citizens freely gave up their rights during the same period.

“... Our leaders got a taste for control,” he said.

“We saw that liberties could be taken away very easily.”

He criticised the enlargement of governments across Australia’s three levels, pointing to Victorian government grants for AFL teams, suggesting it had a detrimental effect on the budget and private citizens, adding that widespread handouts could breed corruption.