Victorian Election 2022: Daniel Andrews and Labor secure majority victory

Andrews government delivers extraordinary Victorian election win, smashing embattled Liberals and holding off Greens' city surge.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews delivers his victory speech as his wife Catherine and children Noah, Grace, and Joseph look on. Picture: Jason Edwards

The Andrews government has delivered an extraordinary Victorian election  win, smashing the embattled Liberal Party and holding off an inner city insurgency from the Greens.

Premier Daniel Andrews has won at least 53 seats in the 88 seat parliament, almost matching the 2018 landslide.

There was a large primary vote swing against Labor but mostly in safe western suburban seats.

The Liberal Party could have as few as 16 MPs in the party room with the Coalition aided by three Nationals' gains in the regions.

The Liberal primary vote was just 29 per cent compared with Labor's 36.3 per cent. The combined Coalition primary vote was 34.8 per cent.

Labor has made significant inroads in Melbourne's east in what is expected to be an ominous development for the Liberal Party, which lost a series of seats.

Four more years ... Daniel Andrews celebrates his Victorian election victory with Labor party faithful in Mulgrave. Picture: Jason Edwards

The Greens may end up with as many as five MPs in the lower house in the biggest inner city sea change in Victorian politics in years.

The teals appear odds-on to win two seats - Hawthorn in the inner east and Mornington south-east of Melbourne.

Counting will be delayed in some seats because of the large number of early votes.

In his victory speech at the Village Green Hotel in his south-east Melbourne electorate of Mulgrave, Mr Andrews quoted “reforming giant and Labor icon” Paul Keating as he celebrated a historic third term which puts him on track to become the longest-serving Labor Premier in Victoria's history.

“Paul Keating once said to me, son, leadership is not about doing what is popular, leadership is about doing what is right,” Mr Andrews said.

“Essentially, he was telling me that leadership is about doing what matters, and that is exactly what the people of this great estate have endorsed today, in resoundingly re-electing our strong, stable, majority Labor government.”

To applause from a crowd of fewer than 200 who made up for what they lacked in numbers with noise, Mr Andrews highlighted aspects of Labor's policy platform including free kindergarten, free TAFE, more nurses and ambulance drivers, schools and hospitals, and bringing back the State Electricity Commission.

He also said the pandemic years had been “incredibly challenging”.

“We have had to make some very difficult decisions, some very tough decisions, and Victorian families and businesses right across our state have had a very difficult time,” he said.

A triumphant Andrews family arrives at Mulgrave. #springst #vicvotes pic.twitter.com/McXtllMUHd

— Rachel Baxendale (@rachelbaxendale) November 26, 2022

“This was a one-in-100-year event, and because of the tough decisions that we made, and as important in some respects even more importantly, the fact that Victorians stuck together, the fact that Victorians through kindness and compassion, through connection and care, looked out for each other, went out a got vaccinated, because vaccines work!”

The Premier could not resist a veiled dig at his opponent, Matthew Guy, who has frequently accused Mr Andrews during the campaign of dividing Victorians. “Because as a community we were not, as some would say, divided, we instead are united in our faith in science, in our faith and care for and in each other,” Mr Andrews said.

Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy, with his wife Renae, arrives at the Doncaster Bowling Club to deliver his concession speech. Picture: David Caird

“That too, that sense of kindness, that sense of connection, that says that we are all in this together, has been confirmed today as well. 

“Friends, hope always defeats hate, and a part of leadership, doing what is right, not being dominated and fixated into doing the popular thing, the other part of leadership is to move this state forward, and that is why it was so important that we put to the Victorian community a positive and optimistic plan.”

In his concession speech at the Doncaster Bowling Club, Mr Guy did not say if he would stand down as leader.

“We've got a lot of work to do. We know that,” he said.

Thank you so much Victoria. pic.twitter.com/SI8FOfid5d

— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) November 26, 2022

Mr Guy said there had been huge swings to the Liberal Party in Melbourne's north and west and said he wanted Labor to govern in a more unifying fashion.

Mr Guy said he expected that after all the votes were counted there would be more than 27 Coalition MPs in the lower house and a larger Coalition representation in the upper house.

“What we can see is that with a swing of around 4 per cent to us, and many pre poll votes to come, we will finish – despite what many commentators say – we will finish with more seats in the parliament in both the lower house and the upper house,” he said.

Read our live blog below to recap how election night unfolded.