Unions laud IR reformer Daniel Andrews

Trades Hall says the departing Premier ‘made Victoria the best state in Australia for somebody to work.’

Unions have hailed the nation-leading progressive workplace reforms introduced by Daniel Andrews, declaring he “made Victoria the best state in Australia for somebody to work”.

Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Luke Hilakari cited a raft of ground-breaking policy changes including the criminalisation of wage theft, a labour hire licensing scheme, industrial manslaughter laws, nurse to patient ratios, sick leave for certain casual workers, and the extension of portable long service leave.

“Here’s a whole lot of achievements that mean if you are working in this state you will get advantages that other workers won’t receive,” he told The Australian.

Mr Hilakari said given most of Victoria’s industrial relations powers had been referred federally, “to make changes in this space, people had to find the need and be creative”. “We’ve had a willing partner in the Premier to keep workers safe and to advance their interests,” he said.

Mr Hilakari said Mr Andrews “led from a values position and I think that’s a terrific recipe for success”.

“Even on the conservative side, if people had one thing to say about John Howard, they liked him because he did what he believed,” he said. “Now I might think that’s wrong. But they knew he came from a values set and he was true to that. There was no “can you show me the true John Howard or can you show me the true Daniel Andrews”? They were consistent with their values all the way through.”

Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Luke Hilakari.

Mr Hilakari said Mr Andrews’ conservative critics “absolutely got it wrong”.

“This State has become more progressive under Daniel Andrews and they’ve rewarded him more and more. Even the Greens would be disappointed by how little they have advanced and I think that’s testimony to Daniel’s views on the world. They can see someone who can be in a government and make changes they actually desire.”

Australian Industry Group Victorian head Tim Piper said Mr Andrews had been a “formidable leader and politician, and his electoral success showed that he understood the Victorian electorate better than anyone else.

“In dealing with the Covid pandemic he governed the State through some of our most tumultuous times. Whether or not you agreed with his approach he proudly took personal responsibility for it and his tireless approach to work saw him front up for media questioning 120 days in a row,” he said.

Mr Hilakari, who worked as an adviser to Mr Andrews for two years when he was Health Minister, said he only found out about his resignation when the Premier announced his decision.

“(The timing) makes sense if you cared about the next person to come after you and you want to give them enough time so the Victorian public can get to know them,” he said.

Mr Hilakari said the next premier would be a decision for the ALP Caucus but he praised the current frontrunner, Jacinta Allan.

“I would say Jacinta Allan is an extremely competent person and would be a terrific premier for the state of Victorias but that’s a matter for caucus,” he said.

He said Mr Andrews’ serious back injury might have caused to look at life beyond politics. “I’m sure he had many thoughts about what was next at that point. That was a particularly scary moment for him and his family. How could one not reflect on it? But he came back from that back injury. Won another big election and kept making legislative reforms.

Imagine if he didn’t face the election after Covid? There would always have been doubt about it but the electorate had their say and they rewarded him well,” he said