End of Daniel Andrews: Years of rorts, scandals, probes and rumours

It’s possible no other Australian Premier has faced as many salacious rumours as Daniel Andrews, but the retiring politician also copped fair reporting on Labor Party scandals.

Daniel Andrews in an intensive care ward after having a fall at his holiday house in Sorrento in March 2021.

Daniel Andrews leaves office wearing plenty of political scars from an extraordinary series of scandals and conspiracy theories.

The Premier has also been ­entangled in four IBAC inquiries, testifying in private in at least three as the anti-corruption agency looked into government grants to unions, ALP branch-stacking and the Premier’s personal links to a property developer.

The report of the fourth IBAC probe, Operation Richmond, is ­expected in early 2024 and set to expose damaging details of the Andrews government’s dealings with the United Firefighters’ Union.

The red shirts scandal was the most serious integrity issue to hit Mr Andrews during his 3000-plus days in office.

More than a year after he won the 2014 election, it emerged that the Victorian ALP used ­almost $400,000 of taxpayer cash to help fund its army of red-shirted field campaigners. That money was supposed to be used to fund non-political electorate officers, but was misused by the ALP.

The Andrews government launched legal action to block a probe by Ombudsman Deborah Glass. After her report linked 21 Labor MPs to the scheme, Mr ­Andrews apologised and the ALP repaid the money. Police did launch an investigation which raged through the 2018 state election, but no charges were laid.

News broke in March 2021 that Mr Andrews was rushed to intensive care with several broken ribs and damaged vertebrae after he fell on “wet and slippery” stairs at a Mornington Peninsula holiday home with his family.

But rumours quickly swirled online of a cover-up, claiming an incident took place at trucking magnate Lindsay Fox’s home.

During the 2022 state election campaign, Mr Andrews and his wife Cath faced fresh allegations by a young cyclist who nearly died after he was hit by their car in January 2013. Ryan Meuleman, 15 at the time of the smash, disputed their claims about it. Mr ­Andrews has stated the teen rode at speed into their car and “absolutely T-boned” it in Blairgowrie.