Today the impending retirement of Daniel Andrews – Labor Premier of Victoria – has been announced. For many of us this came as a surprise; but it seems Andrews wants to leave on his own terms.
Andrews has led a reforming Victorian Labor Government. While championing the rights of trans women and men, Andrews also presided over a radical increase in the number of women in Cabinet. He also oversaw controlled legalisation of euthanasia and medical cannabis. What is more he oversaw the shift towards railway crossing removals as a much-more cost-effective means of reducing road congestion. The Andrews Labor Government also took something of an authoritarian turn during the Covid-19 crisis, but perhaps the unparalleled times called for this. Andrews also oversaw the beginning of negotiations for a state-based Treaty: blazing a trail ahead of his Federal colleagues.
On infrastructure and Health, Andrews made big investments in public health: most specifically in increasing the number of nurses on the ground; and providing incentives and financial support for future nursing graduates. A total of over $150 million was invested in indigenous Health (with an anticipated 100,000 extra appointments); as well as free IVF, women’s health clinics, and a mobile health clinic. Further, public Aged Care levels were maintained; and funding provided to assist in ensuring a registered nurse was provided in every aged care facility. Almost $50 million was maintained for GP Respiratory clinics: whose importance I testify to personally as a person whose mother died of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease after a long and traumatic illness before this was made available. And since 2021 the Andrews Labor Government has invested over $6 billion in mental health: largely in response to the Mental Health Royal Commission. This includes the establishment of the new ‘Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022’ which will modernise the operation of mental health in Victora, with dialogue and inclusion of families and consumers in decision-making emphasised.
On infrastructure, in addition to investments in health infrastructure (hosptials and the like) Andrews Labor also made big investments in public transport which anticipate future need. This includes projects such as the Metro Tunnel, North East Link Program, and West Gate Tunnel – which together have created over 50,000 jobs. Failing to invest here would come with a huge social and economic cost into the future, with uncontrolled congestion and a decline in the overall quality of the public transport network.
On the other hand, though, it is against these backdrops that the Andrews Labor Government has continued a now long-held Labor government tradition of privatisation (acknowledging that 50-year leases are not ‘technically’ privatisation; though they will effectively operate as such for decades and decades to come). Amidst a strong sense of irony, the Liberals argued in November 2022 that Andrews had raised approximately $20 billion from the (effective) privatisation of the Port of Melbourne, VicRoads, and the Land Titles Office.
Consumers will pay the price for this for decades to come. Some of these are now effectively private monopolies in their fields.
But in a seeming Ideological U-turn Andrews Labor also announced the re-establishment of the SECV (State Electricity Commission Victoria). Those of us old enough to remember the old SECV may recall a time when energy was provided relatively cheaply; and natural public monopoly effectively held down cost-structures. The new SECV will be a substantially different creature – despite the nostalgia. Beginning with a $1 billion investment, the new SECV will emphasise the building of renewables infrastructure, with (according to Andrews) the creation of 59,000 jobs. The task will not be the recreation of natural public monopoly, but the re-establishment of a part-public player: which might perhaps be run on a not-for-profit basis – and inject significant competition into the sector. In this case consumers would stand to gain. Depending on what the involvement is with superannuation funds, however, there will be pressures to run ‘for-profit’.
In June the Federal Government – in an olive branch to the Greens – announced a $2 billion fund to be provided to the States for the construction of public housing.
This was enough to get the Federal Government’s $10 billion public housing fund passed with Greens support for this year. The Greens’ defence of this behaviour was that over the long term a $10 billion fund could not provide enough turn over to substantially increase and improve public housing stock. But in the future this $2 billion expenditure will have to be renewed every year – or even increased (perhaps to the vicinity of $3 billion). This is because State Governments (including State Labor Governments) are pressed for cash and rely on Federal money to get many projects over the line.
That said, the housing crisis is real, and Andrews Labor’s response has been disappointing on many fronts. Recently the demolition of 44 public-housing towers was announced – to be replaced mainly by ‘affordable’ and ‘social’ housing (alongside mainly private dwellings) in the form of ‘public private partnerships.’ Social-Housing is ‘broadly defined’; and includes so-called public-private partnerships (which can be light on the public component and deliver rivers of gold to private investors). Public land will be made available for private investors in return for a 10% ‘affordable housing component’. The alternative for developers is to pay a levy accounting for 3% of the project’s worth; then diverted into social housing.
There is a place for ‘affordable’ housing in ‘the mix’; but looking to Austria for instance, public housing can be done so much better than this. In Vienna nearly half of the city’s housing market is covered by co-operatively owned players and city-owned housing. Not only does this deliver for equity: it provides quality and flexibility.
Benita Kolovos of ‘The Guardian’ has observed that: “of the 30,000 proposed new dwellings on public land, only 11,000 will be available to public housing tenants.” This has led the Greens to brand the policy as ‘the biggest privatisation since Jeff Kennett.’ The continued ‘ghettoization’ of public housing will see it marginalised on an ongoing basis. To break out of that ‘ghetto’ – and to break prejudices and stigma – public housing needs big ongoing investments; and it seems now the only hope for that lies in bigger purpose-tied commitments from Canberra. And this requires Federal Labor to move away from overly conservative fiscal policy.
Again: State Labor Governments, and State Labor parties – need to be pressing Federal Labor to provide at least $3 billion a year for this purpose. Andrews Labor’s expansion of the market may increase supply over time, and in-so-doing do something to contain prices. But at the same time quality housing will remain out of reach for many struggling families. Perhaps if Labor had diverted the $3 billion earmarked for the Commonwealth Games into public housing this would have been more palatable.
So in conclusion, there is something of a ‘mixed report card’ for Andrews Labor. On many fronts – despite absurd jibes about ‘dictator’ Dan (Comparing him to the North Korean despot Kim Jong-Un) – Andrews Labor has proved itself ‘more socially liberal than the Liberals’. In this day and age that is not all that surprising. In-so-far as there was a streak of authoritarianism it was only under the unique circumstances posed by Covid-19. But the structural costs of a suite of privatisations will be passed on to consumers for decades to come.
Federal Labor needs to ‘step into the breach’ to remove fiscal incentives for State Labor Governments to ‘sell what’s left of the family silver’ in order to pay for big projects. A good Labor government is one which expands the social wage and welfare state, while also strategically expanding the public sector. Ideological preference for ‘Small government’ will not do (though the source of Andrews Labor’s policy was more pragmatic than Ideological). Whoever takes the helm of Victorian State Labor; and whatever else happens Federally – something needs to change. And hopefully this article is suggestive of where we could start.
This article was originally published on ALP Socialist Left Forum.
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I’m seriously going to miss him.
Roswell, same here, that under the same circumstances of issues lobbed upon our Dan.
He will have excelled all those future coming Premiers, especially those of a Liberal bent
reminiscent of the cringing treacherous betrayals during the former PM Howard like years
of governance.
He personified what the issue with Murdoch media is, during Covid and those daily press conferences; treating politics and any initiatives from the centre right through left as cabaret or entertainment by their RW political activists masquerading as journalists, to avoid informing the public, but having them ‘rage’ for the ‘last w*nk of the skipocracy’.
Also how he raises the hackles of Murdoch, 9F/7W, IPA, Liberal Party, Howard, Abbott, Dutton et al. who have continually gaslit Victorians for not voting LNP or Liberals, most of the past four decades.
The Liberals cannot admit that they have gone far right, now QLD LNP, and became too comfortable relying on ageing demographics (boomers & oldies), policy direction and support of Murdoch & IPA channeling US GOP, Kochonomics and Tanton nativist influence, while Vic Labor could compare with ’70s normies & policies of the Ruper ‘Dick’ Hamer Liberal state government.
How things change?
From NSW that suffered 12 years of COALition political corruption & incompetence while Victoria & Queensland steamed into the 21st century with confidence, Dan the Man Andrews was a beacon of hope for egalitarian voters seeking a better future for ALL the community not just the finance marketeers.
Andrews must have been doing something correct during the COVID pandemic because Murdick media attacked his every action to protect Victorians from dying painfully of COVID. The lockdowns were an essential alternative to mass deaths as seen in media footage from New York. (Rupert was living elsewhere in his world wide empire at that time).
Now Australian voters require both Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns to provide the same leadership against the multinational corporate forces of evil that COALition misgovernments have sold out to for the traditional 30 pieces of silver.
Cancelling the USUKA sub debacle with the US NE military industrial complex would be an excellent start, so that those funds could be directed into hospitals, regional railway transport and roads.
you have to admire Daniel’s vision and determination. He hasnt gotten everything right though. Raising the train lines off the main roads was a brilliant jesture to our run away car over crowding. However, the train lines got replaced with traffic lights which are totally uncoordinated, ie Bell st. the speed limit has been reduced to 40km/hr and there are 5 sets of traffic lights to negotiate. It now takes longer to get through the intersection. You could not fuck it up any more. I am so over dumb shit being thrown at us. VIC roads needs to be brought into the year 2023. There is no need for dumb traffic lights, any programmer half his worth can do a better job and you dont need to dig the fucking roads up to do it. Stop buying 1950’s technology……….and out sourcing software. We have enough seriously good programmers in the country, all they need is a secure job without incompetant oversight. Outsourcing technology is about as dumb a move as you can make, just look at the feds. Thats a serious amount of money being thrown out the window. Myky was another blunder, more because it was over sold and underdeveloped. That was a classic case of not buying what is proven to work well and wanting to be all things to all people. Eyes were bigger than the mouth so to speak. Just ask an engineer, not the salesman.
i know people who are celebrating his retirement like there is no tomorrow, but they are the “conspiracy” crowd.
The next frontier is bringing development back into the city boundaries. Housing is killing the country and radical ideas need to be dreamt up. Who can we look to?
Andy raves at minor issues. fair enough, but Andrews didn’t do or not do all things.., just as Churchill didn’t fly a Spitfire, Trump didn’t do all his accounting and banking, Putin hasn’t made all the weapons.., so what is the summation? Andrews and Mc Gowan got us through the crisis in Covid and in National Cabinet did the real work, despite the pustular idiocy of Morrison, the bludging bloodclot of blundering. That alone is above minor nitpicking about a card for travel. “They” all take advice, “expert advice” in matters of procedure, so, results thus flow as we observe. Few Australian political leaders deserve high marks, ever, since 1901, so my studies suggest, but, some are plus types overall. We can all add or detract, warn, advise, consider, expose, so, Andrews will attract some views now. But, who cares to comment now on, say, Perrotet? NSW had years of poor administration. Actually, the last good premiers seem to take us back to Mc Girr, Cahill and Heffron. Would Victoria now want to see a Tim Smith in office? Why wish for a fatal pox?
Thanks for the tribute, Tristan
The Murdoch garbage will be relieved to see the back of Andrews,they threw shit at him for years,and he refused to succumb.Has the pile on started on the new premier yet? They must be salivating at the prospect.
Sorry the passage which reads as “natural private monopoly” should instead read as “natural public monopoly” ; trying to get Michael to fix it. Hoping most people understood it was a typo.
A good healthy read from the Socialist Left
Thanks Tristan
phil, traffic jams caused by stupidity isnt a minor issue. It affects everyone to some degree. And i never said dan didnt do a lot of good. But you have to wonder about who gave him advice. To me its a job not finished , yet the media has gone blank. In fact so have the liberals, lol. I am not one to gloat or be too partisan. I just want things to be done properly. I am sure there are lots of other things left unfinished. I cant give Dan an A but a C is still good. Waiting for the day the Liberals aim for a C instead of being happy with an F
Dr Tristan Ewins,
You say: “The Andrews Labor Government also took something of an authoritarian turn during the Covid-19 crisis, but perhaps the unparalleled times called for it.”
The “Financial Review” (16/11/ 2021) , “Why Sydney Covid -19 numbers are lower than Melbourne’s.”
The answer is: Geography. (Latitude, Humidity, Temperature.)
Andy, you are right to comment within your perspective, and traffic matters are important, as one who struggles around Sydney’s problems knows occasionally. Andrews efforts are good in such a perspective, against state leaders, who struggle usually to get much done well, with federal leaden overbearing above, and developers bumboys and local insularities below. So Andrews, you feel, is more of a local “winner” on country tracks and reputation, but not a “Melbourne Cup” standard in high consistent performance. I said elsewhere that NSW has such a low level list, one must go well back, as I can, to Cahill and Heffron, half a century ago (@!!) to find general consistent performance and approval. Think about the other shitty names everwhere, Bolte, Askin, Court, Newman, Jo B-J. (Vomit) Victoria is about to hit rough times and weather politically, immigration crushing down on unwitting state leaders in all ways. Finance? Budgets? Housing? Reconstruction? Andrews can smile, a bit. He’s gone and may be missed, but not at Merde Dog’s maggotty muckpiles. End of easy gossip…(B?)
Phil Pryor, I like your comments albeit a series of comments by you & how succinctly they are expressed.
Many of the comments re Dan Andrews demonstrate that we are all on the same page with your opinion
regarding our old Dan (who may have been a tiny bit shifty) but still with respect directed to our now
unfortunately no longer relevant Labor Premier, Good Old Dan.
I only wish to contribute comment, sometimes coarse, and not attract attention, but the balace is the thing to do, to get “right” and one’s perspective is different, to be justified reasonably. In Victoria, over half a century or more, only some Hamer, Kirner, a little of Bracks and Andrews, ring as a real effort in duty, and for the people mainly. Immigration is a crusher, blunderingly pushed by federals with states to pick up, if possible, expansions and accommodations in transport, health, education, civil service, regulation. so no wonder that few have been able to fight well in this stricture. Our three level government system (hah) is woeful, swamping progress. But the feds are rotten, egofixated, pompous puny pricks and pontificators of little value. Having shared classes long ago with the putrid and defective Jack Howard, I apologise for not warning us all early on. This level of self inflating mediocrity is nation killing.
Phil, the only area we disagree on is the debt levels. And that is something most people seem to gripe about Dan. Personally, the funds need to be spent, either now or later. Later ALWAYS costs us more money and needless misery.
Power is a classic case in Victoria. Under Jeff Dickhead kennett, we sold off the sec because it needed money to renovate. The so called windfall wiped off the state debt but left us with a fuckstupp power system we are still to come to terms with.
NBN was another case of political expediency over intelligence. Part of the Lib talking points was the cost and how one Tony Abbott thought it was a waste of time and money. But somehow, found $10B to waste on locking up refugees. Another holy christian at work. I just hope he fucks up at Murdoch inc like everything else he touches.
We need to shift the focus from how much it costs to what are the things we need and what is real waste. I am all for eliminating states and having larger local governments. We dont need three levels of fuckery to fix the local roads but we do need to properly fund good administration to have half a chance. Manufactured competition in a natural monopoly will only result in a different kind of monopoly we have no control over. Telstra is the perfect example, again another sell off disaster.
Debt in itself is not the problem, its where we choose to not put money and where we choose to piss it up a wall. Dan in my books did the right thing. He didnt sign contracts to fuck up the next administration either.
Andy, I doubt we disagreed, but were commenting on different aspects from whatever direction, You mix state and federal areas, and premiers have no control over some things; as I noted, states cop a full punch in every area from federal fumbllng and excesses, including immigration and flows from that. Kennett, a repulsive type, left more slowly festering problems than most. As for elimination of states, it might have been good, and I taught some classes on it ong ago. If Australia had a super district concept, instead of states and local governmentn, efficiencies might be achieved, i e, with a Far Nth Qu., with a Riverina, with a Kimberley zone, etc, say, no more than fifteen to twenty, but, it likely could never happen with constitutional difficulties unimaginable. States have debt rammed up ’em, and resort to gambling and stamp duty revenues, often highly detrimental to housekeeping economics, So.., let us rave on, contributing if poss, fighting for no more privatisation, better planning and consultation, real progress…