Doorstop Interview – Parliament House, Canberra
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Can I pay tribute to my friend, Daniel Andrews, with the decision that he has made to stand down after nine years as the Premier of Victoria. Daniel Andrews is a man of great conviction, enormous compassion and a fierce determination to make a difference. And he has made such a positive difference to the lives of Victorians. You can measure his contribution through nine years, three election victories, the last one with an increased majority. But what you can really measure it on is the fact that he is a builder. He has built enormous infrastructure benefits for Victoria. He’s rebuilt a health system, a passion of his from his time as Health Minister and indeed, during the pandemic as well. He’s rebuilt schools. And in the announcement that he has made as well, last week, he’s determined to deal with the challenges of housing.
Daniel Andrews has never been anyone who has shirked his responsibilities. He stood up each and every day during the pandemic, stood up for doing what he believed was absolutely right, to keep Victorian safe. Not making easy decisions, making difficult decisions. And Daniel Andrews will be remembered for his contribution to Victoria. But of course, his contribution, as Daniel Andrews will continue post him leaving the position of Premier. And I’m sure that Daniel Andrews will continue to make a contribution in whatever field he sees fit in the future.
I spoke to Daniel this morning and he informed me of the decision that he has made. It has been a real privilege for me to work alongside the Premier of Victoria. Someone I shared a flat with here in Queanbeyan, many years ago in my first term, when I was first elected to Parliament back in 1996, when Daniel worked as a staff member here in the national Parliament House. Daniel’s career has been quite extraordinary. He has had a lot thrown at him over the years. He stood up for his values at all times, And I wish him and Cath and the family all the very best. I can confirm that he did cook that barbecue that day in his backyard, in spite of an example of the sort of crazy stuff sometimes that’s thrown at people in public life.
Daniel Andrews has, throughout it all, continued to front up, continued to represent the interests of Victorians. He is a very passionate Victorian. And he has served his state and indeed his nation to the best of his ability, at all times, and has made a very positive difference to the lives of Victorians. And his legacy, in terms of the infrastructure that he has built, will continue for generations to come.
JOURNALIST: PM, Mr Andrews is a very strong force for the Labor brand in Victoria. He was almost like a one man Government, such as his presence. Do you think him moving on, you’ll have to sort of work harder down in Victoria, from a Federal perspective?
PRIME MINISTER: There are two factors at work in Victoria. One is the Labor Government, that has strong Ministers, is an experienced Government and that is continuing to deliver. And the last poll, of course, showed a further increase in the vote for Victorian Labor. And that’s working very well for us. And we will continue to have a very constructive relationship between my Government and the Victorian Government, whoever emerges as the next Premier of Victoria. But there’s something else working for us as well. And that is the hot mess that is the Victorian Liberal Party. They are un-electable and they have shown themselves to be divided. Increasingly, what we’re seeing in the modern Liberal Party is a domination by right-wing elements of the Liberal Party, so that people who would have been mainstream in the Victorian Liberal tradition of moderates, simply can’t recognise what the Liberal Party in Victoria looks like today. And Peter Dutton and his positions that he takes, saying no to everything, being negative, people will remember his attacks on Victoria and Victorians over a long period of time of his career, they will bear that in mind as well. Just take a couple more.
JOURNALIST: Daniel Andrews has suggested that from your conversation this morning, he thought you were a little surprised by his resignation. Were you surprised?
PRIME MINISTER: I was surprised by the date of the resignation. I wasn’t completely shocked, but I didn’t expect it to happen. We had a really good conversation. We’ve been friends for 25 years. And we will remain friends in the future. I know from time to time, us gathering as friends has created a whole lot of controversy. Well, I can assure you that we will be having one or two beers. And Daniel does cook a great steak. And I look forward to spending time with him and Cath in the future. And I just wish him all the very best.
Public life takes a toll. We saw, I make an unrelated comment here to the media, the attack on Natasha Fyles should not be dismissed as something that is light-hearted. And in some of the media coverage, including some of the press reporting I saw today, people think that’s just a bit of cream thrown. It was a plate smashed in the face of the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, who was going about her day and thought it was a friend approaching. The consequences of that could have been much more serious than they’ve turned out to be. But public life is a difficult life. And to Daniel and Cath, they’ve given their all.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Annastacia Palaszczuk is now the only remaining Premier from the pandemic era. Do you have comments on the public life, the toll it takes to lead a state through a pandemic?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Annastacia Palaszczuk is doing a great job leading Queensland. And she, of course has, like Daniel Andrews, like all of the state leaders, not everyone who led their state or country through a pandemic has stood down. Some, of course, had changes of government. But Annastacia Palaszczuk continues to lead Queensland in a fine manner. She’s determined to lead Queensland into the future and she’s doing a great job.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Qatar says it’s essentially been short changed.
PRIME MINISTER: I haven’t listened to anything else.
JOURNALIST: Do you regard Daniel Andrew’s leadership as an inspiration for your own?
PRIME MINISTER: I regard my leadership as being about what I do and my Government does. I think that people stand on their own. Daniel Andrews has always been his own person. Daniel Andrews is someone who has led Victoria in the way in which he saw fit and has, I think, made an enormous difference. Daniel’s passion for infrastructure, for getting things done, for making a difference, for acting in the short-term in a way that builds a long-term legacy is something that I have very much in common with Daniel Andrews. The national Government is a different task. I’ve just met with state and territory governments from throughout every state and territory, local government people, at the Emergency Management Summit that’s taking place for disaster preparedness. And it has highlighted that our task is to deal with the three levels of government in a coordinated way, make sure that the nation heads in a direction. And I’m very pleased, I must say, that I have had good relations and continue to have good relations with every Premier and Chief Minister, whether they be Labor or Liberal. I, of course, had a good relationship with Dominic Perrottet as the NSW Premier. He’s someone who we couldn’t have done the arrangements that we made on energy without his support last year. And I continue to have a good relationship with Jeremy Rockliff. Thanks very much.